The Character's Psyche

February Lecture: Character Wounds & Emotional Needs

Led by Christin Eve Cato Every compelling main character is driven by an underlying wound and a core emotional need that force what quietly shapes their choices, desires, and contradictions on the page...

Lecture Focus: In this February lecture, we’ll explore how to identify your characters’ emotional wounds, understand the needs beneath their actions, and use this knowledge to create richer, more motivated storytelling. You’ll learn practical ways to deepen character psychology, strengthen intention behind each want and tactic, and build narratives that feel grounded, human, and alive.

For Who: Perfect for writers who want to move beyond surface-level characterization and develop characters who feel internally coherent, complex, and emotionally true.

LECTURER: Christin Eve Cato is an award-winning playwright, writer, and dramaturg specializing in character-driven storytelling and story development. She is the 2025 HOLA Award winner for Outstanding Achievement in Playwriting for O.K.! at INTAR. Her play Sancocho (published by Concord Theatricals) generated an Obie Award in 2024 after its off-Broadway debut, and she is a recent recipient of a NYSCA grant supporting a new play. This lecture is one of her signature workshops, previously taught at The Playwrights’ Center, HowlRound Theatre Commons, and Playwrights Horizons. Christin is the Founder and Creative Director of The Writers Hood.