Location: Rocklin
Day & Time: Wednesday 1:45-2:55
Grade: 7th-12th
Mentor: Frizzle Frizzle
Email: inspiredbyamg@gmail.com
 
Captivating Characters
 
Captivating Characters is a creative writing and storytelling course focused on the design and development of memorable fictional characters for literature, film, animation, gaming, comics, and visual storytelling. Students will study how iconic characters endure across generations and why audiences connect deeply with certain heroes, villains, mentors, and antiheroes. Through the exploration of characterization, archetypes, motivation, conflict, symbolism, transformation, and narrative structure, students will learn how strong characters shape compelling stories and reflect cultural values.
 
The course emphasizes creativity, literary analysis, communication, and storytelling craftsmanship while encouraging students to develop original characters and narratives across multiple genres and media. Designed to complement courses such as Drawing & Design Studio, Folklore & Mythology, and Legendary Lands, the class supports connections between writing, visual design, mythology, and worldbuilding. Instruction aligns with California English Language Arts, Arts, and Social-Emotional Learning standards by focusing on analysis, expression, collaboration, and creative communication.
 
Outcomes
Students will:
analyze how characterization influences plot, theme, and audience engagement
identify and evaluate archetypes, character roles, and narrative patterns across cultures and genres
develop original characters with coherent motivations, internal conflicts, and transformation arcs
write effective dialogue, narrative scenes, and character-centered stories
apply literary and storytelling techniques, including symbolism, foreshadowing, and perspective
interpret how visual design, setting, and relationships contribute to character identity
strengthen written, verbal, and creative communication skills through discussion and presentation
collaborate with peers to revise and refine creative work using constructive feedback
connect storytelling themes to culture, identity, ethics, and human experience
build a portfolio of original character concepts and narrative writing projects
 
Activities:
Students will participate in storytelling workshops, writing exercises, media analysis, discussions, presentations, and collaborative creative projects. Activities may include analyzing famous fictional characters, creating character profiles and backstories, designing relationship maps, writing dialogue and monologues, developing heroes and villains, constructing character arcs, exploring mythology and archetypes, creating visual mood boards, selecting symbolic imagery or music connected to characters, and participating in peer critiques and collaborative worldbuilding activities. Students may also complete multimedia presentations, short stories, illustrated journals, roleplay scenarios, or creative portfolio projects.
 
Materials:
Students should bring a notebook or journal dedicated to writing and character development, writing utensils, and should have regular access to a laptop or other internet-capable device. 
 
Course materials may include novels, short stories, excerpts from mythology, films, scripts, music samples, artwork, and other digital media selected and provided by the instructor.
 
***This class is intended to be taken with Drawing and Design Studio, Folklore and Mythology, and Legendary Lands***
 
All classes are full-year classes. Students enrolled in a Fall Semester class will automatically enroll for the Spring Semester in December to ensure their place in the class. Pricing is per semester.