Creative Writing Foundations: Develop Compelling Characters
A course by Mark Boutros, Screenwriter and Author
Learn how to imagine and bring to life memorable characters with their own unique stories to tell
Characters are the heartbeat of any story. Through them, we can explore and make sense of the world. For screenwriter and independent author Mark Boutros, watching characters come to life on the page is what he loves about writing. He’s written for some of the biggest channels in the UK including The BBC and SkyOne and published a book about writing called The Craft of Character.
In this course, Mark gives you the tools you need to develop a variety of compelling characters with their own storylines and adventures. Are you ready to write a protagonist you can’t wait to meet?
What will you learn in this online course?
14 lessons & 27 downloads
What's included in this course?
Begin by getting to know Emmy award-nominated writer Mark Boutros. He talks through his creative journey to becoming a successful writer, as well as the influences that have inspired his career and his work.
Discover how to come up with ideas for your character and how those ideas can eventually become a story. Look at examples of famous stories and the structure they follow, then learn to give depth to your character through things like goals, desires, and lessons. Explore what gives a character its voice, and hear Mark’s tips for researching your work effectively for a more authentic end result.
Create a character questionnaire that answers all the essential questions about your protagonist. Then take on the role of your character to help you better understand them using “The Chair” technique. Learn how to build other supporting characters based on your protagonist before delving into the obstacles your character faces and writing powerful character descriptions.
Write a one-page synopsis of your story that explores your story arc and can be used to help you sell your work. Then dive into your character’s first scene. To finish the course, Mark shares his tips for developing an effective writing habit for the future.
- 99% positive reviews (169)
- 4,698 students
- 14 lessons (2h 55m)
- 27 additional resources (11 files)
- Online and at your own pace
- Available on the app
- Audio: English, Spanish (Latam), French, Italian, Portuguese, Turkish
- English · Spanish · Portuguese · German · French · Italian · Polish · Dutch · Turkish
- Level: Beginner
- Unlimited access forever
What is this course's project?
Develop a character, write their first scene, and a one-page story outline that follows their journey.
Projects by course students
Who is this online course for?
This course is for anyone with an interest in creative writing with a focus on creating well-rounded characters.
Requirements and materials
No previous experience is necessary.
You will just need something to write with.
Reviews
Mark Boutros
A course by Mark Boutros
Mark Boutros is an Emmy-nominated screenwriter and author based in London. Having grown up in a family of artists, he’s always been creative and was encouraged by his English teacher at school to pursue writing. He began his career working in television production, but his love of writing inspired him to study a master’s in creative writing at UEA. After graduating, he spent time sending out scripts, one of which was a comedy-drama that won him silver in the PAGE Awards.
Since then, Mark has won several more awards, received an International Emmy nomination, and written for some of the biggest channels in the UK, including The BBC and SkyOne. He is also the author of The Craft of Character as well as a fantasy novel series, and he hosts lectures on creative writing at universities and drama schools.
Content
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U1
Introduction
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About Me
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Influences
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U2
Growing Your Idea from Character
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How to Frame Your Idea
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Extracting Key Information
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The Core of a Character
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Character's Voice
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Research Tips and Best Practices
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U3
Your Character Lives
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Character Questionnaire
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Become Your Character
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Other Characters
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Obstacles
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Character Descriptions
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U4
The One Pager and First Scene
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The One Pager
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Your Character’s First Scene
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FP
Final project
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Creative Writing Foundations: Develop Compelling Characters
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What to expect from a Domestika course
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Learn at your own pace
Enjoy learning from home without a set schedule and with an easy-to-follow method. You set your own pace.
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Learn from the best professionals
Learn valuable methods and techniques explained by top experts in the creative sector.
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Meet expert teachers
Each expert teaches what they do best, with clear guidelines, true passion, and professional insight in every lesson.
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Certificates
PlusIf you're a Plus member, get a custom certificate signed by your teacher for every course. Share it on your portfolio, social media, or wherever you like.
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Get front-row seats
Videos of the highest quality, so you don't miss a single detail. With unlimited access, you can watch them as many times as you need to perfect your technique.
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Share knowledge and ideas
Ask questions, request feedback, or offer solutions. Share your learning experience with other students in the community who are as passionate about creativity as you are.
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Connect with a global creative community
The community is home to millions of people from around the world who are curious and passionate about exploring and expressing their creativity.
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Watch professionally produced courses
Domestika curates its teacher roster and produces every course in-house to ensure a high-quality online learning experience.
FAQs
Yes, this course is designed for intermediate writers aiming to deepen their understanding of character-driven storytelling and refine their techniques for creating complex, authentic characters.
You’ll need a notebook or word processor, access to research resources, and optionally, software like Scrivener for organizing your projects. No advanced tools are required.
You’ll learn how to develop multidimensional protagonists, build compelling side characters with independent goals, and integrate them into dynamic story structures.
Yes, the course includes techniques for creating authentic character voices, dialogue, and worldviews by exploring background, personality, and cultural influences.
The course teaches methods for writing emotional scenes, building stakes, and crafting character arcs that resonate deeply with audiences.
Yes, you’ll learn to create effective one-page story outlines and loglines that emphasize character goals, conflict, and transformation.
Absolutely. The course covers research techniques, including interviews and historical research, to help you create believable and authentic characters.
This course has really opened my eyes and gave me a good perspective of how IMPORTANT our characters are. It does not matter even if the twists are amazing; without deep characters with an interesting development, our stories would be nothing. Also, the way this course is done really helped me get ahead with the novel itself!
I love the course and the Mark's passion of sharing his deep knowledge. I really would recommend the course but... I think that Mark should be more aware of the people ultra sensitive to violence before playing The Joke movie piece without warning about it. This is the only reason I do not recommend the course as there might be more people who do not want to be forced to see a strong content.
Me pareció muy interesante y aprendí mucho acerca de cómo dar vida a los personajes y lograr una historia interesante. Excelente!
Me ha encantado este curso, fue perfecto para ayudarme a iniciar en la escritura.
A very nice, professional course. Mark explains things in a simple, understandable way. Thank you.