Developing characters and the world of your story are fundamentally linked. Together, they form an essential engine for your novel, generating story and informing style, voice and point of view. In this workshop, we will look at how growing your characters also grows your world, and how growing your world also grows your characters. We will experiment with different methods for getting characters going, and look at the tools available to us for world-building, from research to writing from life and imagining into the gaps. We will analyse how characters and world-building influence all other elements of your novel. This interactive workshop will include writing exercises, group discussion and working with literary texts, and is suitable for those just setting out on a project, and those further down the line who want to take a deep dive into these vital topics. All genres are very welcome! The aim of the workshop is to create a fun, secure and inspiring place for you to bring your characters and worlds alive. I look forward to hearing about your characters and worlds!