Come Write Your Dreams!

I have a fun approach to writing! Focusing on your interests will make the writing process feel more engaging and personal, and with your guidance on structure, we can make sure everything stays cohesive and compelling. Whether it's a novel or short stories, I'm excited to see what ideas you'd like to develop.

What types of genres or themes are you most interested in? The great thing about writing is that the structure is already provided and we get to bring it to life. 

This lesson plan is to give your insight on lessons, but not definitive of our lessons.

Week 1: Sensory Details
Sensory details make writing come alive. By tapping into sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch, you can make your scenes more vivid and immersive.
Exercises:

Describe a familiar setting using all five senses.
Take a moment from your story and enrich it with sensory details. Consider how a character might react to the world around them using their senses.
Example Focus: If your character is walking through a forest, don’t just say "The forest was quiet."

Sight: “The trees loomed like ancient giants, their twisted roots crawling over the ground.”
Sound: “The crunch of fallen leaves beneath my boots was the only sound, broken only by the distant call of a bird.”
Smell: “The air was thick with the scent of damp earth and pine needles.”
Touch: “My fingers brushed against the rough bark, sending a jolt up my arm.”
Taste: “The air tasted slightly bitter, like rain on the edge of a storm.”

Week 2: Developing a Character
Character development is crucial for making your story relatable and emotionally impactful.
Exercises:

Write a character’s backstory in one page—focus on a moment that shaped them.
Create a character profile (age, occupation, goals, fears, relationships, etc.).
Have your character face a small decision, then a larger one. How do they change?
Example Focus:

A protagonist might start off as an optimistic idealist but become more cynical after experiencing betrayal.
Think about how their history and relationships influence their choices, language, and emotions.

Week 3: Developing a Setting
The setting is more than just a backdrop—it's a living part of the story that can reflect the characters’ emotions, influence their actions, and even shape the plot.
Exercises:

Pick a location (real or imaginary) and describe it in detail—what makes it unique? How does it affect your character?
Use your setting to reflect a theme or tone in your story (a crumbling city could symbolize decay or despair, for example).
Example Focus: If your character is in a bustling city:

Describe the noise of traffic, the smell of street food, the huddled crowds, the skyscrapers towering overhead, the way the light shifts at sunset.
How does the setting impact the character? Is the city a place of opportunity or overwhelm?

Week 4: Science Fiction Writing
Science fiction is a playground for imagination, but it's important to ground it in believability.
Exercises:

Create a futuristic world or alien society with its own rules, technology, and culture.
Focus on how characters navigate the challenges of this world (think about the ethical dilemmas or societal changes brought about by technological advancements).
Example Focus:

A character may struggle with the ethical implications of using AI to solve a personal crisis, such as erasing painful memories.
Consider how technology impacts relationships, identities, and personal freedoms.

Week 5: Writing with Figurative Language
Metaphors, similes, personification, and other figurative language can deepen your writing and convey emotions more powerfully.
Exercises:

Take a plain sentence and rewrite it using a metaphor or simile.
Use personification to give life to an inanimate object or setting.
Experiment with different figurative techniques to enhance description and mood.
Example Focus:

Instead of “the wind was strong,” try “The wind howled like a wolf, ripping through the trees.”
Instead of “he was nervous,” try “His heart was a trapped bird, fluttering against his chest.”
I think this structure will give you plenty of opportunities to refine your skills while still allowing you to explore the creative aspects of writing. You can apply these techniques to short stories, a novel, or even exercises that later feed into your larger work.