Aoise Stratford is a dramaturg, playwright, and lecturer at Cornell University’s Department of Performing and Media Arts, as well as director of education at The Cherry Arts, a not-for-profit arts facilitator and presenting organization. Her plays have won several awards and been produced around the world, including at National Theatre London, Solo Chicago, and the New York City Fringe. Locally, Ms. Stratford has co-authored two walking headphone plays for The Cherry and adapted “A Christmas Carol” for The Hangar Theater. Her work on The Cherry’s season seeks to provide meaningful production context for audiences and to spark, foster, and facilitate community conversations — as well as inspire action — about displacement, dispossession, migration, and oppression. Ms. Stratford holds a Ph.D. in Theatre History and Dramatic Literature from Cornell and an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of San Francisco.
World‑Building and Character DevelopmentCornell Course
World-Building and Character Development ()
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Course Overview
Vivid characters and immersive worlds are key to captivating storytelling. In this course, you will develop compelling characters and rich story settings through hands-on writing exercises and targeted techniques. You'll craft detailed character biographies, explore the interplay between setting and personality, and build cohesive story worlds with their own internal logic and "dark matter." Through focused exercises in both poetry and prose, you'll create rich narrative environments that authentically reflect and shape your characters' experiences.
The following course is required to be completed before taking this course:
- Developing the Story and Idea
Key Course Takeaways
- Identify the principles of strong characters and what makes a compelling character
- Transform settings from simple backdrops into dynamic elements that drive story and reveal character
- Develop cohesion and relationships between the characters and the world of the story
- Apply specific techniques to track character development through environmental changes and spatial relationships
How It Works
Course Length
2 weeks
Effort
6 to 8 hours of study per week
Format
100% online, instructor-led
Course Author
Aoise Stratford
Senior Lecturer
Cornell University College of Arts and Sciences
Senior Lecturer, Cornell University College of Arts and Sciences
Who Should Enroll
- Aspiring writers (fiction, playwriting, screenwriting, memoirs)
- Journalists
- Content writers
- Actors
- Teachers
- Publishing and editing professionals
- Individuals looking to adapt or develop stories to a new medium
- Anyone with an interest in narrative storytelling
Get It Done
100% Online
100% Online
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