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Creative Writing-character building and story development (15-18 years)

An 8 week writing class that will teach the student how to create characters and develop a story.
Jessika O'Sullivan
Average rating:
4.9
Number of reviews:
(1,160)
Popular
Class

What's included

8 live meetings
8 in-class hours

Class Experience

This class will teach the students to create characters and build stories around them. When we work with  characters  we will trigger our imagination to create stories, worlds and other characters. In many ways, this process works in the same way as when children play freely and use their imagination. The difference is that we will write it all down. 

I encourage each student to write with their own style and their own voice. This doesn't mean that we can't get better. Writing is just like a muscle. The more we do it the better we get. In the end of this class my goal is that each student will have started to write a longer story that could be developed into a short story or even a novel. 

Lesson 1 will be all about getting the creativity going by doing short writing prompts. This will get the student a chance to write and share with the others. And also get to know each other a little in a relaxed way. 

During lesson 2 we will work with character building. Each student will create a character and we will flesh them out by doing a brainstorming map with the characters name in the middle. We will include; physical features,age, likes and dislikes, and fears. We will also develop a small family and friends tree for the character.

Lesson 3-6 will be about story development.  

How do we describe every day life to make it feel real?

How do we capture our reader's interest?

How do we introduce drama/conflict into our story? 

How do we propel our story forward? 

How can we utilize memories and dreams in our stories? 

Lesson 7 and 8 I will leave open for now and plan around the group of students I have. Each group is different and I want to be able to personalize the last two lessons after what they need and like to work with.

Other Details

External Resources
Learners will not need to use any apps or websites beyond the standard Outschool tools.
Joined March, 2016
4.9
1160reviews
Popular
Profile
Teacher expertise and credentials
In my creative writing classes, I encourage students to draw from their experiences and thoughts to create unique pieces and share my passion for writing. This passion has been recognized with four awards for a short story and three poems,  which I hope will inspire your students.

I am an immigrant from Sweden with a master's degree in education from Lund/Malmö University.
I am dedicated to forming connections with my students and customizing my teaching to suit their age. I aim to challenge my students while ensuring they never feel like failures. Patience, humor, and kindness are paramount in my approach.

As a teacher, I foster critical thinking through various activities such as research and discussions. The most rewarding part of my job is igniting my students' joy of learning and nurturing their curiosity about the world.

I believe in incorporating play into my teaching whenever possible, as I believe that everyone, regardless of age, has a playful side.


I have previously taught social and political science, religion, and geography and have nearly 25 years of experience working with children of different ages.

My diverse interests include folklore, photography, nature, books, and history, particularly on overlooked historical figures. I hope to share these interests with your students, sparking their curiosity and broadening their horizons.

I eagerly look forward to having your student in my class and am excited to embark on this learning journey together!

Reviews

Live Group Class
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$100

for 8 classes
1x per week, 8 weeks
60 min

Completed by 24 learners
Live video meetings
Ages: 15-18
2-7 learners per class

This class is no longer offered
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