Week 1
Lesson 1
Hook, Opening Exposition, and Inciting Incident
In this lesson, students will learn about how to write a strong hook that immediately pulls the reader into the story. We'll discuss the dos and don'ts of opening exposition, including the difference between "showing" and "telling." We'll touch on setting and world building. Finally, we'll discuss the importance of an inciting incident. During this class, students will study examples of effective hooks and inciting incidents in popular literature and movies and practice writing their own.
Lesson 2
Conflict and Rising Action
This lesson will focus on what keeps a story moving forward and what keeps it interesting: conflict. I'll talk about different types of conflict and how conflict is what stands between the protagonist and his/her/their goals. We'll discuss story/narrative arc. Students will study examples of conflict and rising action in books and movies and begin outlining their own stories. The class will workshop ideas and offer each other constructive feedback and suggestions for strengthening their stories.
Lesson 3
Climax, Falling Action, and Resolution
In this lesson, students will learn about the biggest turning point in their stories: the climax, when their protagonists resolve (or don't resolve) the conflicts they've been dealing with throughout the story. We'll study examples of climaxes, falling action, and resolution from books and movies. Then, learners will finish plotting their stories and receive feedback and suggestions.
Lesson 4
Character Arc
During this last lesson, we will explore the difference between dynamic and static characters and study character arcs in some books and movies. Students will spend the remainder of class planning how their characters will grow and change throughout the course of their narratives. Some time will be allotted at the end of the lesson for (optional) sharing.