Bringing Stories to Life--A Fantasy Workshop for Young Writers
A weekly workshop in which students can learn about topics related to writing fantasy stories and practice honing their skills in the company of others with similar interests.
What's included
1 live meeting
1 hrs 15 mins in-class hours per weekClass Experience
If you are a young fantasy writer and looking to improve your skills before sending your writing out into the wide world, then this class is for you! If you are stuck in your writing and need a push to move forward and the support of people who understand that feeling, this class is also for you! It is a great thing to have a regular time dedicated to working on your writing, so take the plunge and join me for a weekly exploration of the many elements of being a fantasy writer. I am the self-published author of two fantasy novels and a novella, and I have been writing since I was in the third grade. Writing is a lifelong learning process, but I'm here to give you the head start that I wish someone would have given me when I was starting out. I'm passionate about writing and enjoy discussing it with my students. You don't need any previous writing experience, but it helps if you have read a few fantasy books and know the genre a bit already. This weekly class will be divided into several parts: 30 minutes: Group discussion of an essential question or questions focused on a single topic. (ex. What is a hard magic system? What is a soft magic system? How are they similar/different? Is one of them more useful than the other?) 30 minutes: Writing together based on an activity or exercise related to the topic discussed. (This may be done individually or in groups) 15 minutes: Check in about how the writing went and how everyone feels about it. Suggestions from the teacher for further development of that skill. Everyone has a different writing process and different opinions on writing, so the group discussions are an excellent place to hear new perspectives and learn new approaches to try. As writers, we can learn more from each other than from any textbook. Every week, we will alternate between topics related to worldbuilding, character development, outlining/story structure, and miscellaneous (editing, writer's block, publishing, etc). Students are also encouraged to suggest topics they would like to discuss and skills they would like to work on in future classes. The first five weeks will be focused on the following: Week of November 28th: Worldbuilding: Maps and Geography Week of December 19th: Character Development: Goals and Motivation Week of January 9th: Outlining: Common Plot Elements Week of January 16th: Writer's Block: Tools to Get Your Imagination Flowing Again Week of January 23rd: Worldbuilding: Magic Systems See you in class!
Learning Goals
This class is ongoing, just like the learning process of writing. Students who attend regularly should see improvement in their skills at worldbuilding (maps, culture, history, magic systems), character development (backstory, interests, descriptions, goals and motivation), writing dialogue (how to make it sound natural, the use of speech tags, how to reflect character through dialogue), outlining (common plot elements, story structures, narrative tools), and editing (self-editing, beta-readers, online editing tools). They will learn new tools to cope with writer's block, and a bit about the process of publishing such as the differences between the traditional publishing process and self-publishing.
Other Details
Parental Guidance
Some examples may be drawn from fantasy novels that include material that is a bit more mature (references to sex--nothing explicit/heavily PG-13 encounters between characters). Those parts will not be discussed in class, but if the students go on to read those books, parents should be aware that they may want to check them out first. Students 14 and above should be fine, though.
Supply List
A pen/pencil and paper
External Resources
Learners will not need to use any apps or websites beyond the standard Outschool tools.
Sources
Some books that may be regularly referred to: Harry Potter (J.K. Rowling), The Lord of the Rings (J.R.R. Tolkien), The Night Circus (Erin Morgenstern), Sabriel (Garth Nix), Stardust (Neil Gaiman), Eragon (Christopher Paolini), and others. However, the students DO NOT need to have read all these books in order to enjoy the class.
Joined July, 2021
Teacher expertise and credentials
In addition to being a published author, I also have an Associate's degree in English, a Bachelor's degree in Applied Linguistics, and a Master's degree in International Education. I have been writing and learning about writing for over 20 years, so I know the ins and outs of it pretty well. I hope to pass my knowledge along to my students in a practical and enjoyable way so that they can step into the world of writing with confidence and joy.Reviews
Live Group Class
$10
weekly1x per week
75 min
Completed by 1 learner
Live video meetings
Ages: 14-18
4-8 learners per class
