Find Your Characters With
When you read a great story, what sticks with you? The setting? The action? Maybe. But...
We humans connect emotionally with characters, their strengths and weaknesses. That's what sticks: the emotional journey of the main character.
That's what editors and agents will look for. That's what readers expect.
But how can we create emotionally rich characters that will reach those editors and agents and young readers?
This is the course that will give you the tools to create great characters.
This is a truth:
When we read, our imagination connects instantly with the character. Hey, I'm not making this up: it's brain science.*
Think about the last book you read (or any story - a movie, a play, a sitcom...) You invested in the outcome of what happened to the character. Right?
That's how you need to build your stories.
In Character Compass, you'll learn all aspects of creating character, in picture books, or middle grade or young adult novels. Understand the 7 emotional drivers that comprise great characters.
*If you're curious: Proust and the Squid by Maryanne Wolf
How can you be sure whether your characters will connect with readers – or with agents and editors?
If you hope to create emotionally rich characters, you need to understand emotional drivers. What it is that drives people to do great (and terrible) things.
This course will give you just the information and exercises you need.
You’ll come away with an understanding of the 7 pivotal emotional drivers that all characters must possess.
A clear path to defining the Seven Character Emotional Drivers that will help you clarify your character's story journey.
The importance of great character building and how the character's Emotional Journey will guide your story into the next level.
Follow the insights and guidance of an award-winning author, in bite-sized exercises you can work through at your own pace, and return to each time you craft a new story.
Character Compass is a short course created by Janet Fox, a multi-published award-winning author and teacher with over 25 years of writing and publishing experience, and with 7 years of helping writers to achieve publishing success through both courses and hands-on coaching.
Janet is the author of 13 books for young readers, from picture book through YA novels, fiction and nonfiction.
Her courses are designed for all kidlit writers, from beginners to advanced.
Don't miss out on this step-by-step guide!
This course covers everything you need to know to master writing extraordinary characters.
The course is designed to be completed in about 1–2 hours. You can go through the lesson and handout in one sitting and immediately apply what you learn to your own characters.
Yes. This course focuses on one specific outcome: helping you create an emotionally impactful character using a clear framework so you can move forward with confidence.
Perfect—you’ll use your existing character throughout the course to refine and strengthen it so you know whether it’s something readers and publishers are looking for in today's market.
No. The method works for picture books, middle grade, and young adult novels. The principles of strong, emotionally impactful characters apply across all categories.
This course is for both. For beginners and early-stage writers, there are clear examples and a simple step-by-step approach. However, even more experienced writers can struggle with creating memorable characters. This course helps you diagnose and fix that problem quickly.
No problem. This course comes with a refund policy—if it’s not a good fit, you can request your money back.
Janet here!
I believe in happy endings.
I believe that children need our books more than ever.
My Character Compass course will help you create characters that young readers - and agents and editors - will love.
