Beginning Novelists: A Writing Workshop

Novels, short stories and novellas are a great way to escape and unwind, however writing those stories can be a great stress reliever that can grow confidence and skills. 

The main goal of this class is to help learners begin or finish their stories with confidence not only in their work but also in sharing their work.


Each week we will be covering a different skill and focus to help your writer grow. Learners are able to drop into the class as needed or continue the weekly classes and progress on their works.

Our class will be broken down into sections:
15 minutes: Lesson of the week
15 minutes: Activity
20 minutes: Free write on their project
5 minutes: Optional share time

Learners are strongly encouraged to work on writing outside of class to keep their progress moving. They are also encouraged and welcome to send that progress via Outschool message for feedback and editing help.
I will read up to 10 double-spaced pages a week per student to help their confidence and progress. All work is that of the learner and will not be shared anywhere. 
During our free writing time, writers are encouraged to make their space comfortable by utilizing music, a snack or whatever else makes them comfortable. I will be available during that time to answer any questions and help in any way.


Each week we will go over a set topic for our lesson, these will range from outlining to publishing a book. Though some of the topics may seem the same, they will feature a different focus and activity to further grow both skills and confidence so they soon become second nature. 

Schedule of topics:
(Week of)

Sept 9
WHAT TYPE OF WRITER ARE YOU?
We will explore the different types of writers from planners to pantsers (yes, it is a writers' term), finding which type of writer you are and how you can use this to your benefit. We will discuss strengths and aspects that you'll need to watch out.

Sept 16
IDEAS & BRAINSTORMING
In this lesson, we will create a brain dump of ideas and discuss finding "the chosen one" to work on.

Sept 23
CHARACTERS
This lesson is all about meeting the characters. We will really get to know the characters we are writing and learn why it is important to know the most random things about them. Think more along the lines of "they don't like to lace up shoes because they constantly trip" instead of "their favorite color is red" (though that is important to know too!).

Sept 30
OUTLINES
No matter what type of writer you are, it is always important to have an outline, we'll go over the basics today. 

Oct 1
MAKING THE OUTLINE WORK
Outlines are important, yes, but how do we get from point A to point B and all the way down to point Z? Let's talk about it. 

Oct 8
PLOT
The key to the story. Let's go into what a plot is and why it's important to have more than one. 

Oct 15
CONFLICT
One question rules all stories...curious what it is? We'll learn all about it in class today. 

Oct 22
1ST DRAFTS
Don't worry, you don't have to be done with your first draft yet. In this lesson, we'll go over what a first draft means and why it's important for it to be the worst the story will ever be. 

Oct 28
EDITS 
Edits are essential, and you will go through a lot of them! Today's lesson will show you how many and how you should self edit along the way.