Fiction Writing 101: The Basics

In this 4-week course, students will learn how to begin, structure, and develop short stories. We will discuss the basic elements that go into a successful story. Each week, we will meet live on Wednesday afternoon at 4:00 pm CST for 50 minutes. Our time will include a brief interactive discussion using slides or relevant examples, collaborative writing, and the opportunity for students to share their own work. Whenever I lecture live, I enjoy engaging my students with relatable anecdotes that makes the material more memorable. This course is for students who like to write. It is designed for both beginners and more experienced writers who might want a refresher.

Week One: Character
During this session, we will take a look at naming our characters, giving them quirks, choosing the right point of view, and how to create a character sketch.

Week Two: Setting
What time is it? What year are we in? We will help students determine why setting is one of the most important parts of any story.

Week Three: Plot
What happens? We will boil down the stories into their most basic skeletal structure. We will look at popular movies, books, video games, and tv shows to examine the importance of plot in stories. Students will also be introduced to Freytag's Triangle.

Week Four: Conflict
Often, the importance of conflict and tension is overlooked in favor of plot.  However, any good story needs a solid conflict at its heart. We will discuss the most common types of conflicts.