From Page to Personality: Bringing Your Characters to Life with Emily Colin
May 23, 2026
12:30 p.m.
West Melbourne Public Library, 2755 Wingate Blvd, Melbourne, Florida
Stay tuned to the private Facebook group and the forum for details.
The art of character creation
Characters are the beating heart of every great story. They’re the voices readers remember, the personalities they cheer for—or against—and the reason people stay up late turning pages. In this workshop, we’ll dive deep into the art of character creation, going beyond surface traits to uncover the desires, flaws, and contradictions that make fictional people feel real.
You’ll learn how to craft characters who don’t just serve the plot but actively shape it, steering your story in surprising and authentic directions. Through guided exercises, discussion, and examples, we’ll explore how to build dynamic character arcs, give your protagonists and antagonists unforgettable voices, and balance relatability with intrigue so every character leaves a mark.
By the end of the session, you’ll have the tools to develop characters who steal the spotlight—and linger in your readers’ minds long after the final page. Whether you’re working on a novel, short story, or script, this workshop offers practical strategies to infuse your narratives with the kind of depth and vitality that transforms good writing into compelling storytelling.
About Emily Colin
Emily Colin is a New York Times and USA Today best-selling author known for her romantic fiction with supernatural twists. Her debut, The Memory Thief, was a Target Emerging Authors Pick, her romantasy Fate and Fury earned a Foreword Silver INDIES Award, and her YA Seven Sins series has received Gold Moonbeam, Silver IPPY, and North Carolina Indie Author Project Awards. She’s also the editor of two young adult anthologies: Unbound: Stories of Transformation, Love, and Monsters, and Wicked South: Secrets and Lies.
As an Author Accelerator-certified book coach and Authors Publish instructor, Emily helps authors build sustainable writing practices and bring the books of their dreams to life. She is a former Pitch Wars and Kiss Pitch mentor, and a current Duke Arts Studio mentor. As the former associate director of DREAMS Center for Arts Education and a volunteer organizer for the Cape Fear Book Festival, she believes deeply in the power of the arts to transform lives.
Emily holds a BA from Duke University and an MS from Kansas State. In a previous life, she ran a Coney Island tattoo and piercing contest, worked with dolphins in the Florida Keys, and roamed New York City as a teenage violinist for hire. Emily lives in coastal North Carolina with her family and, when not writing, enjoys chasing her chaotic pets or sipping mochas by the sea.
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