Submit Your MAnuscript CRITIQUE for Industry Engagement Day by June 20!

00D 00H 00M 00S

At the heart of every memorable story is a character who changes. But what truly makes that arc resonate?

You’ll examine the key elements that drive a character’s journey, from deeply rooted motivation to the relationships and obstacles that challenge them along the way. This session will help you move beyond surface-level development and create characters whose growth feels earned, meaningful, and unforgettable.

In this webinar, you’ll learn how to:
  • Develop unique and believable character motivations
  • Use obstacles to deepen growth and drive the narrative forward
  • Build emotional highs and lows that create a satisfying arc
  • Leverage secondary characters to reflect and challenge your protagonist
  • Show clear, convincing evidence of change in your story’s resolution 

Bonus Opportunity: Participants will have the chance to submit to Catherine following the webinar!
In this engaging and craft-focused webinar, literary agent Catherine Laudone explores the essential tools that shape compelling character arcs in picture books, middle grade, and young adult fiction. Using a range of examples, she’ll break down how character transformation works on the page—and how writers can intentionally build that change into their stories from the ground up.

Catherine Laudone is a senior editor at Beach Lane Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster. She acquires and edits picture books and middle grade titles. Catherine has her MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts and is a published children’s book author. Her co-authored picture book debut She Kept Dancing: The True Story of a Professional Dancer with a Limb Difference is an NCSS Notable Social Studies Trade Book Award winner, a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard selection, and a WLA Towner Award nominee. And her co-authored middle grade debut, Goalball Dreamers, is forthcoming from Lerner Publishing Group.

Catherine currently serves as an editor advisor for The Writing Barn’s Verge program and an advanced PB and MG workshop leader for Inked Voices. When not editing or writing, she enjoys baking, traveling, and playing with her cat. Learn more at catherinelaudone.com.

About Catherine Laudone