A Villain's Tale: Creative Writing Camp
Explore the worlds and lives of your favorite antagonists while building fiction writing skills in a week-long camp. #creative
Morgan A. McLaughlin McFarland, MAPW
Average rating:
4.9
Number of reviews:(516)
Popular
What's included
5 live meetings
4 hrs 35 mins in-class hoursHomework
Students will have daily prompts to work from at home between classes, but these are for their own enjoyment, not a requirement!Class Experience
US Grade 5 - 8
Every villain is the hero of their own story. Students choose their favorite antagonists from books, comics, movies, television, and video games. Working from weekly prompts, students write fiction from the perspective of those antagonists, exploring themes of duty, trauma, isolation and heroism. Who defines a villain? What led these antagonists down their road? Do they think of themselves as the “bad guys”? Are they truly evil or do they simply have goals that run counter to the protagonists’? From Draco Malfoy to Mysterio, antagonists offer insight into the darker parts of our minds, where fear, pain, greed, and obligation push us into making difficult choices. Working with familiar characters provides writers an opportunity to jump immediately into crafting narrative and exploring a more nuanced understanding of internal and external motivations of those characters’ choices. Constructive teacher and peer feedback provides additional guidance. We will also touch on historical and social issues that impact how villains are portrayed in media so learners can choose to break, flip, or adhere to literary tropes about “bad guys” in fiction. Day 1: Villains are people, too! We will discuss common tropes and stereotypes for villains and work from writing prompts focused on villains' hopes, dreams, fears, and back story. Day 2: Motivating villainy. What makes villains turn towards unlawful or immoral acts? Were they born bad or taught to be bad? We will work from writing prompts exploring villains' families and upbringing. Day 3: The choices make the villain. Regardless of upbringing, every villain eventually had to make the choice to do something bad. We will write from prompts centered on choices antagonists can make. Day 4: Redemption arc. How does a villain decide they want to be redeemed and what steps must they take in order to earn that redemption? We will work from writing prompts that examine paths to redemption for our favorite villains. Day 5: Create a villain. We will use what we have learned this week to develop original villains for students to use in future writing projects. Will these characters find their redemption arc or are they doomed to villainy forever? The choice is in your hands. This is an expanded (5 day) summer camp format of A Villain's Tale: Exploring Antagonists Through Creative Writing.
Other Details
Parental Guidance
I briefly address a few social and historical topics that have directly impacted the portrayal of villains in media, such as the Hayes code. Literature and other media do not happen in a vacuum, but in a complex cultural context!
External Resources
Learners will not need to use any apps or websites beyond the standard Outschool tools.
Joined January, 2019
4.9
516reviews
Popular
Teacher expertise and credentials
Master's Degree from Kennesaw State University
I teach creative writing and popular media & culture to learners from age 8 through high school.
I offer a range of courses that focus on specific literary genres, some traditional and some popular/contemporary, as well as multiple socially-geared classes on popular culture. As a neurodivergent member of the LGBTQ+ community, my classroom is an anti-racist, LGBTQ+ positive, and neurodivergence-embracing space, and I actively include these topics as part of literary analysis.
In my classes, young writers learn to develop characters, to craft a well-structured narrative, and to hone their descriptive language skills. New and reluctant writers will find a supportive environment here. My students workshop with classmates, learning to peer edit and self-edit, as well as receive constructive feedback on their work from me.
I am a veteran writer and editor with a BA in English and an MA in Professional Writing, working primarily in genre fiction, most notably horror, urban fantasy, LGBTQ, and YA literature, though my master's thesis was a collected volume of poetry. My work has been published in print and online, and includes creative fiction, technical writing (particularly tabletop roleplaying games), and topical articles in both local and national publications. With my husband, I own Salt Circle Games, a small tabletop roleplaying game publishing company. I have public high school teaching experience and have also taught creative writing classes for homeschooled students in private homes, through co-ops, and online. You can also find me speaking on panels at scifi/fantasy/comics conventions, discussing popular culture and media.
I am always open to arrange parties, private lessons, group classes for Scouts or other organizations, and to develop new classes to meet students' needs.Reviews
Live Group Class
$55
for 5 classes5x per week, 1 week
55 min
Completed by 26 learners
Live video meetings
Ages: 10-14
2-10 learners per class
