Date

7-22-2025

Department

College of Arts and Sciences

Degree

Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing (MFA)

Chair

Kornel Gerstner

Keywords

Character Development, Screenplay, Historical Fiction, Pilot Episode, French Revolution, Television Pilot, Period Drama, Paris, France 1789, MFA, Creative Thesis

Disciplines

Creative Writing

Abstract

Crown of Thorns is a proposed historical fiction series. Set in France on the brink of the 1789 French Revolution, the story speaks to themes of belonging, brokenness, abuse, forgiveness, and navigating through trauma and impossible choices. A challenge that a writer can face when seeking to craft an emotionally resonant series for the small screen is in building a genuine audience connection. This thesis and creative manuscript for the series pilot episode, The Spurning, focuses on exploring and demonstrating the importance that authentic characters render in building audience connection between viewer and series developed for television or streaming networks. It also explores how character development that delves into the vulnerability, honesty, flaws, and complexities of human nature can help to mitigate these challenges. Ultimately, this exploration of character development can serve to enable the creation of authentic characters in the proposed historical fiction series, Crown of Thorns, so that it can reach its intended audience with impact, meaning, and emotional resonance.

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