400
Analyzing - And Enjoying! - Fiction
Completed by 2 learners
Ages 13-17
Live Group Class
Live video meetings
1x per week, 12 weeks
2-12 learners per class
55 min
What’s included
12 live meetings
11 in-class hoursClass Experience
Even the most avid readers can struggle with the skills of analyzing a work of fiction and then being able to discuss what they have found. In this class series the focus will be on helping learners to gain familiarity and comfort with this skill, and even learn to enjoy it. In the first class session we will spend the hour discussing how to analyze fiction. We will talk about components including characterization, themes, plot, setting, point of view, imagery, voice, style, tone, and symbolism. We will also talk about the roadblocks that make analyzing fiction intimidating, and about ways to make it enjoyable rather than scary. After each class students will either read a story from a provided list of short story links, or a short story of their own choosing, and think about the different components that we discussed in class. Learners can either choose to read a different short story for each class, novels to be split between two classes each, or use their time to examine both. They will then use the provided worksheet to make notes on what they have discovered about each work, focusing on both the experience and on the components. Through each of the following weeks, learners will talk about the works they have chosen to read, sharing with the other learners their experience of examining the piece and what they learned from the process. Each week their skills will build upon the previous week, with their analysis becoming more detailed and sophisticated, their discussions covering more ground, and their confidence levels becoming more sure. As learners progress we will begin doing analysis in class, both solo and collaborating with other learners. **Notes: - All students will be given one opportunity to change their Zoom name to their preferred name and pronouns at the beginning of class. - While I am aware that there are reasons that a learner would prefer to keep their camera off, I do encourage them to be left on, and I require one visual check in at the beginning of each class. - If your learner is interested in a class, but the rate is not within your budget, please contact me to find out about limited discounts and scholarships I offer for families that need them.
Learning Goals
By the end of class learners will have gained a familiarity and comfort level with the basics of analyzing fiction.
Other Details
Supply List
Notebook/paper and pencil/pen. Handouts will be given, but printing them is optional.
External Resources
Learners will not need to use any apps or websites beyond the standard Outschool tools.
Meet the teacher
Teacher expertise and credentials
Greetings! My name is Val. I’m an editor, publisher, educator, and, of course, a voracious writer and reader, particularly in the scifi, fantasy, and mainstream genres. I have a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from Johnson State, and a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from Spalding University. I have worked in the literary and publishing world for over twenty years in different capacities.
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I have been writing for many years and submitting and publishing for almost as many. My fiction, nonfiction, and poetry has been published in a wide variety of markets, encompassing everything from a long critical essay to a twenty-five-word story. I am a literary editor, specializing in developmental editing, line editing, copyediting, and graphic novel editing, with a focus on speculative fiction. I’ve worked with a wide variety of submission managers and contacts, and I also coach authors on how to prepare their work for publication, research appropriate markets, and handle submissions.
My interest in publishing has existed almost as long as I have been writing. While the ‘zine I published and sold as a teen isn’t necessarily the best indicator of my publishing ability, it did spark my love of publishing and provided a foundational base for my current publishing work. I am one of the founding editors, and current seven-year editor in chief, of a thrice-yearly literary magazine. I supervise a staff of over a dozen editors, handle all accounting and design responsibilities, and work with my team to produce a print and PDF issue every January, May, and September. We focus on intersectionality and underrepresented voices in our outreach, and currently pay all contributors.
My primary nonfiction research and publishing focus has centered around queer fiction, encompassing the history from 1900 to current times, with a focus on how queer literature intersects with queer history and its intersection with other marginalized voices, particularly racial and neurodivergency. My research in this field is ongoing, and I am continually adding to my knowledge base.
I have taught many forms of creative writing and literature classes over the last fifteen years, with subjects ranging from fiction writing to poetry forms to literature classes, to a wide variety of ages including adult learners and homeschooled teenagers. I have always designed my curriculum, and because of this have extensive experience in being able to modify it to match a learner’s skillset without sacrificing either the quality or quantity of learning.
All of these experiences have equipped me with the foundation for my classes. In my creative writing series, ranging from one-time to semester length courses, I cover topics including discovering the parts of fiction writing, creating speculative fiction, and learning to write even when a learner feels they do not have the skills. In my poetry classes we study everything from poetic forms to slam poetry, as well as silly forms like the Clerihew. In my queer literature series, we study queer literature and how it intersects with history and other marginalized voices, equipping the learners with not only the literary history, but knowledge of the contemporary history that surrounds it.
One of my favorite things about teaching is the ah-ha moment when a learner not only comes to an understanding of what we are doing, but also the why. While each class has a set of skills and knowledge for each student to gain, I am keenly aware that all students gain mastery of their skills at different rates, and that there are many different styles of learning. For this reason, I design my classes in a flexible format so that even in sessions where there are a variety of learning styles I can ensure that my learners do not get frustrated, and are able to comprehend and retain the information I am teaching. I offer a variety of courses, including a variety of classes in writing basics, speculative fiction, literary analysis, queer literature, graphic novels, slam poetry, editing, and publishing, as well as the occasional related class.
I live and breathe the literary world, and I look forward to teaching your learner!
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