American literary historian Stephen Greenblatt described Shakespeare’s technique in Hamlet as “strategic opacity”, reasoning that Hamlet’s actions – and those of many others in the Bard’s major plays – intentionally make little sense.

The result, he posits, is the creation of a character who is all the more beguiling and “real” feeling.

Join PEN/Hemingway Award-winning American writer Torrey Peters as she invites you to explore this concept, and think about how it may help you to create characters who don’t make sense in the very best way.

Whether it’s crafting friends who make strange and frustrating decisions, parents who act with sudden arbitrariness, or lovers who won’t accept the care they need and want, she’ll guide you through how by leaning into “strategic opacity”, you can craft characters who feel as unpredictable and lifelike as those around you, and improve your narrative as a result.