Write with Jen: Adventures in Creative Writing Drop-In Club

Are you a young writer looking for a supportive community where you can hone your craft and share your work? My weekly writers workshop is the perfect place for you. 

In my class, you’re an author, not a student. We write, we laugh, and we share.

In each session, we will do a deep dive into one specific aspect of creative writing.  You can always find the schedule at the bottom of this page, and I do take requests, so feel free to let me know if there’s a new topic you are interested in. Topics include creating well-rounded characters, bringing settings to life, realistic dialogue, figurative language, and more.

Creative writing involves imagination, logic, empathy, and skill.  I like to think of it as crossfit for the brain.  It’s the perfect combination of freedom and structure.

This is a drop-in, weekly workshop.  Students can join for one class at a time, or continue to come back every week.  

Each class is its own self-contained lesson that will center around a specific writing prompt and a specific skill.  We always start with a five minute warm-up. Depending on the prompt of the week, I will either use mentor texts (examples from literature) or graphic organizers, or sometimes both.  

At the end of our writing time, students will be given the opportunity to share, but I will never force anyone to read. Writing is a creative process, sometimes we want to share and sometimes we don’t. 

Students will be encouraged to use their imaginations while being guided through the necessary steps to complete the prompt.  

If you have any questions, or are interested in a new time, please feel free to send me a message.

The following is a rotating list of weekly topics.  

Week of March 20th/Explode the Moment:  Let's slow the action down in order to describe it.
Week of March 27th/ No Class
Week of April 3rd/The Writer's Prism:  How to look at an ordinary scene and spin a story out of it.
Week of April 10th/POV:   Whose point of view will you tell your story from?
Week of April 17th/Magnify It:  We will break down how to magnify different parts of an object in order to describe it.
Week of April 24th/Dialogue:  Let your characters speak!
Week of May 1st/ No Class
Week of May 8th/Anthropomorphism:  It's always fun to turn animals and objects into characters.
Week of May 15th/ What If…  We will use the prompt "what if..." to brainstorm and write.
Week of May 22nd/Humor: How to use humor in fiction.
Week of May 29th/No Class
Week of June 5th/Fan Fiction: How to use your favorite stories for inspiration.
Week of June 12th/Thinking like a detective:  Writers need to be able to notice details.
Week of June 19th/Setting: There's an art to bringing your setting to life.
Week of June 26th/Figurative Language:  Figurative  language is a great way to connect with your reader.
Week of July 3rd/Showing a character's feelings:  Describing facial expressions and body language can show a reader how your character feels.
Week of July 10th/Prompt City:  We'll create our own prompts and start a story.
Week of July 17th/Explode the Moment: Let's slow the action down in order to describe it.
Week of July 24th/The Writer's Prism:  How to look at an ordinary scene and spin a story out of it.
August/No Clubs in August
Week of September 4th/POV: Whose point of view will you tell your story from?
Week of September 11th/Magnify It:  We will break down how to magnify different parts of an object in order to describe it.
Week of September 18th/Dialogue:  Let your characters speak!
Week of September 25/Anthropomorphism:  It's always fun to turn animals and objects into characters.




FAQ

Q:  Does this class cover grammar and spelling?
A:  No.  This class is focused on encouraging creativity and confidence.  While grammar and spelling are important, editing is a different skill that uses a different part of the brain.  

Q:  How long should my child stay in this club?
A: As long as he/she/they want!  While the topics repeat every 3 to 4 months, I always change the prompts.  This class is designed so that writers can stay in the club for years, or they can join for a week or two.