Interview With Odyssey Writing Workshops Instructor, E. C. Ambrose

 

If you want to kick off 2025 with a writing class, you may want to consider Bodies and Heartbeats: Crafting Character from the Inside Out. Starting in January 14 of next year, E.C. Ambrose helps you to develop a clearer sense of what makes a powerful character and will teach you the techniques you need to develop strong characters. The application deadline is November 22, 2024.

About the Instructor, E. C. Ambrose

E. C. Ambrose writes knowledge-inspired adventure fiction including the five-volume Dark Apostle series about medieval surgery, The Singer’s Legacy fantasy series as by Elaine Isaak, and the Bone Guard international thrillers as by E. Chris Ambrose. The Dark Apostle started with Elisha Barber (DAW, 2013), described in a starred Library Journal review as, “beautifully told, painfully elegant.” Her latest releases are Conquistador’s Blood (Bone Guard 7) and her Young Adult science fiction novel, A Wreck of Dragons. Her superhero game, Skystrike: Wings of Justice, is available from Choice of Games.

Her short stories have appeared in Fireside, Warrior Women, and Last-Ditch, among many others, and she has edited several volumes of New Hampshire Pulp Fiction. In addition to fiction, she has written how-to articles for The Writer magazine, nonfiction at Clarkesworld, and authored the Lady Blade fantasy writing column at AlienSkin magazine for three years. Her speaking engagements have included local chapters of Romance Writers of America as well as other writing groups, the World Science Fiction and World Fantasy Conventions.

Elaine attended the Rhode Island School of Design for three years, and studied speculative fiction at the Odyssey Writing Workshop, where she is pleased to return as an instructor. A former animal mascot designer and adventure guide, Elaine lives in New Hampshire with her family where she felts, dyes and weaves as she devises her plots.

Elaine’s research interests include the history of technology and medicine, Mongolian history and culture, medieval history, and unusual animal senses. Her research and travel has taken her to Germany, England, France, Mexico, India, Nepal, China and Mongolia as well as many United States destinations. In order to write the best books she can, Elaine learned how to hunt with a falcon, clear a building of possible assailants, and pull traction on a broken limb. She is eager to see where writing will take her next. Visit www.RocinanteBooks.com to find out more about Elaine’s many guises.

--- Interview by Nicole Pyles

WOW: First, I love the title of your course: Bodies and Heartbeats: Crafting Character from the Inside Out. What can people expect from taking this class?

E.C.: The title of the class comes from a quote by Richard Bach, from his book, Illusions: the Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah. “If you will try being fictional for a while, you will find that fictional characters are sometimes more real than people with bodies and heartbeats.” I think many readers have had the experience of growing so attached to a character that the character becomes real to them, like a dear friend or former lover who happens to live in another country. The class will give students a toolkit for developing character from the deeper aspects of human nature and hopefully lead them toward writing characters who feel as if they must have bodies and heartbeats. 

WOW: I think that's so important for people to learn. You have such an incredible publication background! How has that experience prepared you for teaching this course?

E.C.: Publishing in a variety of genres and styles has allowed me to explore many different aspects of character and conflict, sometimes rigorously building characters based on a real place and time, and sometimes following a more intuitive approach. Writing Skystrike: Wings of Justice for Choice of Games led in a whole new direction in terms of character because the player makes so many of the choices about who the protagonist will be, and I had to ensure that they were given appealing options for a variety of play styles. That range enables me to address students coming from different levels of writing craft.

WOW: That must have helped you so much in character development! Why is crafting realistic characters so important for writers to know?

E.C.: Many writers, especially in genre fiction, have a great milieu or a fun premise they want to explore—maybe a wild science fictional idea or exciting plotline. However, regardless of genre, it’s the characters that will engage a reader with that plot or premise and get them invested in the author’s work. People are social animals. We want to watch others like us, and empathize with (or sometimes be horrified by!) their experiences, even when that’s happening on a page.

WOW: I completely agree! How does teaching helping you with your own writing?

E.C.: I find that being able to articulate the reasons behind writing tools and techniques makes me pay more attention to those elements in my own writing. Taking an idea about how to reveal character and discussing how to embody that abstract concept in words and sentences encourages a stronger level of detail. Plus, I often learn directly from my students and their writing as well.

WOW: I'll bet! Your experience with research fascinates me! I also imagine it's incredibly inspiring. Would you recommend writers pursue the same type of research in their own writing?

E.C.: Absolutely! Not all writers or projects will benefit from such an intensive exploration, but many will—whether that means reading psychology texts to delve into a particular personality type, or studying the archaeology of a location to discover more of its past. We always have something to learn about the real world that can make a fictional world more rich. Even when I was creating aliens for my book A Wreck of Dragons, I read up on unusual animal senses and it opened up some exciting possibilities I might not otherwise have considered.

WOW: I think so too! Why is investing in your writing so important?

E.C.: There are a number of ways that investing in writing pays off. Any time a writer works harder on their craft, they’ll find ways to improve and expand their toolkit. Sometimes, a certain exercise or in-class comment really resonates and gives the writer the insight or inspiration to keep going. Also, devoting time and resources to writing signals to yourself and those around you that this is important work, worthy of your commitment.

WOW: Absolutely! You took the speculative fiction course at Odyssey. What was that like and why did you decide to return as an instructor? 

E.C.: The full Odyssey workshop is incredibly intense! Jeanne and the guest instructors provided fantastic instruction, guidance and feedback to make me a better writer, and spur me toward publication. It’s exciting to be able to give back to Odyssey and to my fellow writers by returning to teach. I love being an ongoing part of the Odyssey community.

WOW: I'm so glad you are! I hope all of our readers join this course.

 

WOW Readers, don't forget to sign up for E. C. Ambrose's workshop, Bodies and Heartbeats: Crafting Character from the Inside Out. Or check out some of the other online courses coming up this January with Odyssey Writing Workshop. The application deadline is November 22, 2024.