Marielle Martin is a professional writer, author and storyteller. She holds her bachelor's degree in strategic communications with a focus in public relations and her bachelor's degree in African American studies, both from Temple University. She also earned her master's of fine arts in writing with a specialty in writing for children and young adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts. To date, she's had over fifteen articles published including op-eds for Blavity. She is a member of the Author's Guild and runs a small indie publishing company. Her debut YA novel releases in the summer of 2027.
Marielle has been associate producer on two short documentaries both of which won Telly awards in 2023 and 2024. She's now a film scholar with Scribe Video Center in Philadelphia developing her debut documentary as director, a film on the impacts of living with Multiple Sclerosis. When Marielle isn't storytelling, you can find her spending time with her friends, family, partner of ten years and her mother whom she’s a caregiver for. She also adores her two furry besties, Sassy and Pebbles, puzzles and chai lattes (hot or cold depending on the season).
How to Create Compelling Characters That Drive Your Story | 4-Week Online Writing Workshop
Great stories begin with unforgettable characters, but to write unforgettable characters, you have to know them better than anyone else.
In this dynamic, hands-on class, writers will learn how to move beyond surface-level traits and develop a deep understanding of who their characters are at their core. Whether you're working on a novel, short story, or screenplay, this course will help you build complex, believable characters with depth, motivation, and emotional resonance.
We’ll explore essential elements of character development including" backstory, goals and stakes, personality psychology, relationships, and character motivation. Most importantly, you’ll learn how to uncover what drives your characters including their fears, desires, contradictions, wounds, and beliefs so their choices feel authentic rather than convenient to the plot.
By the end of the class, you’ll understand how deeply knowing your character shapes plot, tension, and transformation and how to design characters whose decisions naturally and powerfully propel your story forward. Writers of all levels are welcome.
4 class sessions
Thursdays, October 15-November 5
8p-10p ET
5p-7p PT
7p-9p CT
All class meetings will be held via Zoom. For more information on how to download or use Zoom, please click here. Please note: At this time, to protect the confidentiality of the space and sharing of students' work, classes are not recorded.
For Classes: We offer full refunds for cancellation with written notice up until 7 days before your class start date. From 6 days to more than 24 hours before class begins, we offer a 25% refund. If you drop a class less than 24 hours before the class begins or after it has started, you are ineligible for a refund.
The Write-In Bundle is non-refundable once purchased. If you are unable to attend a session, your spot is held and you are welcome to attend any remaining sessions in the bundle period.
By signing up for a class, you agree to our refund policy and code of conduct here.
For Editing packages: Refunds are not offered after your story or manuscript is submitted for review.