In this Prologue Day session, writer and former professor Lara Lehman explores how to create characters whose interior lives feel as compelling as the story itself. Drawing on brain science and narrative theory—including Story Genius by Lisa Cron and Consider This by Chuck Palahniuk—Lara shows how readers are wired to care about what happens inside a character’s mind, not just what happens in the plot. She translates these ideas into practical techniques for writers of historical and literary fiction, offering tools to make interiority clear, dynamic, and emotionally resonant.

You’ll learn how to:

• Weave the four core functions of consciousness—sensation, emotion, volition, and thought—into a single, lived-in passage

• Understand stream of consciousness vs. interior monologue and when to use each

• Identify and use a character’s “misbelief” to drive narrative and emotional arcs

• Apply “burnt tongue” techniques—quirks, imprecise words, and mis-hearings that reveal personality

• Show the same scene from multiple internal perspectives to highlight character differences

• Mix narrative “tracks” (description, instruction, exclamation) to keep interiority dynamic and engaging

• Practice mini-exercises to deepen character interiority without heavy exposition

This session offers a clear, actionable toolkit for writers who want readers to feel what their characters feel, making psychological realism as integral to the story as plot and setting.