SKU: 8828325689

What Do Your Characters Want? Using Highly Motivated Characters to Drive Stronger Stories

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Description

What Do Your Characters Want? Using Highly Motivated Characters to Drive Stronger StoriesAll genres have traps, inherent weaknesses that writers can fall prey to if we arent careful. Maybe your literary fiction has beautifully dimensional characters, but not a lot going on. Or maybe your thriller has a high octane plot, but the characters seem too archetypal or forgettable. These might seem like opposite problems, but the solution is the same: Its time to stop thinking of plot and character as separate elements and start using your

All genres have traps, inherent weaknesses that writers can fall prey to if we aren’t careful. Maybe your literary fiction has beautifully dimensional characters, but not a lot going on. Or maybe your thriller has a high-octane plot, but the characters seem too archetypal or forgettable.

These might seem like opposite problems, but the solution is the same: It’s time to stop thinking of plot and character as separate elements and start using your protagonist’s motivations to fuel the engine of your story, driving the action and enhancing the theme.

In this OnDemand webinar, you'll learn how to leverage your characters' goals and desires from Page 1 to get readers to quickly invest in their journeys, eager to come along for the ride. With plenty of examples from bestsellers across genres, you’ll see how focusing on character motivations as a guiding principle can not only bring your story’s central players to life, but add propulsion to your plot, raise and complicate the stakes, and elevate the themes of your story. 

What will You Learn:

  • How your characters’ motivations compel readers to care about them
  • How to minimize backstory to just the right details to maximize impact
  • How your characters’ strengths and flaws should relate to their goals
  • How to juggle multiple points of view, each with their own driving motivations
  • How to use shortcuts to access the heart of a character
  • Why the most relatable characters want very specific things that still feel universal
  • How to build tension through characters' conflicting desires
  • How character motivations might look different with unreliable narrators
  • How to leverage your primary and secondary characters' relationships for enhanced authenticity, complexity, and staying power.

Who Is This Webinar For:

  • Fiction writers whose work-in-progress takes too long to gain momentum
  • Fiction writers working on an outline or story plan that feels disjointed or incomplete
  • Fiction writers who feel their characters are generally stronger than their plots, or vice versa
  • Fiction writers who are struggling with pacing and can’t identify why
  • Fiction writers who feel stuck in the “muddle in the middle” of their story
  • Fiction writers in the drafting stages of their novel, looking for direction
  • Fiction writers in the revision stages who need clarity on what isn’t working
  • Fiction writers who’ve been told the ending of their story isn’t satisfying the reader

Instructor:

Jessica Strawser

Jessica Strawser is editor-at-large & columnist for Writer’s Digest, where she previously served as editorial director. She is the USA Today bestselling author of seven popular book club novels, including Almost Missed You, Not That I Could Tell (a Book of the Month bestseller), Forget You Know Me, A Million Reasons Why, The Next Thing You Know (a People Magazine Pick), The Last Caretaker, an Amazon Editors’ First Reads selection, and Catch You Later, brand new in October 2024. She has written for The New York Times Modern Love, Publishers Weekly, and others, and is a popular speaker at writing conferences. She lives with her husband and two children in Cincinnati, where she received a 2024 Individual Excellence Award for her fiction from the Ohio Arts Council. Find her on Facebook and Instagram @jessicastrawserauthor.

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SKU: 8828325689

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Gin
Fort Morgan, US
★★★★★ 5
In love with this
Color: White, Size: Queen (90''x90'')
Update: I’m so impressed with this comforter, I must share more since I’ve had it quite a while. I like to drink coffee in bed, and I have to bad habit of eating in bed sometimes. Hence, drips and drops and the need to launder my comforter. I do not have large heavy duty machines. They are stackable RV machines. My queen comforter fits it both the washer and dryer with ease. I can’t even tell you how many times I’ve already laundered it. I put a little Spray and Wash on the area I’ve spilled something. The stains come out every single time. But what’s most impressive is that it comes out of the dryer wrinkle free. When I put it back on my bed, it looks as new as the first time. I still get the sense of cooling, which I love. The underside feels so smooth, soft and comfortable against my skin that I no longer use a top sheet. Great product and so well made. ❤️ While this comforter is lightweight over the body, it looks cushy and cozy on my bed. I am post menopausal and often feel too warm at night while others in the home are comfortable. This comforter feels cool immediately upon crawling into bed. It does eventually warm up to body temperature, but if I become too warm, it’s easy enough to shift in my bed where the comforter stays cool. The size is perfect for my queen sized platform bed. I make my bed with ease in the mornings. Love it!
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Reviewed in the United States on October 22, 2025
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Ashley
Cuba, US
★★★★★ 5
Really pretty and comfortable
Super comfy, cooling, and not too heavy. I could use it all year long as well. It's not so cooling that you would be cold with it during colder seasons especially if you're a hot sleeper. I really like the seersucker texture on this and I hope they make more colors available.
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Reviewed in the United States on May 26, 2026
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halee
Lowell, US
★★★★★ 5
The Cozy Cooling Comforter is amazing!
Color: White, Size: King (104''x90'')
The Cozy Bliss Cooling Comforter is truly cool, lightweight, and—with its great price point—simply the best! My family tends to sweat a lot while sleeping, but thanks to the Cozy Cooling Comforter, I feel confident we’ll be able to sleep cool and comfortably throughout the summer nights. I highly recommend that everyone go out and buy one to try for yourselves. You won't regret it—you’ll be completely satisfied!
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Reviewed in the United States on May 17, 2026
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Leah M.
Lexington, US
★★★★★ 4
Nice and lightweight, washes well!
Color: White, Size: King (104''x90'')
Great cooling comforter! Soft and cozy! And perhaps my favorite part, easy to wash and dry! But also a little small for a king size comforter. Maybe I just have a slightly taller mattress? But to have it hanging over the bottom where it looks nice, it doesn’t reach the top of my mattress. Looks fine folded back however and for the comfort, totally worth it for a summer comforter. Just wish it had shams to match!
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Reviewed in the United States on May 23, 2026
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its me
Dallas, US
★★★★★ 5
Love these blankets
These have become my favorite blankets, I call them my cloud blankets, this is my 3rd one. They are very lightweight, and can fold up small for storage. They have a silky soft feel, feels at first cold to the touch, but after it's on you it picks up the heat of your body. So you sometimes have to turn it over to get the cool side again.
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Reviewed in the United States on May 31, 2026

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