Writing Workshop: Tell Us a Story! Elements of Narrative Writing

We all have stories to tell, and we each have a unique voice with which to tell them! But how do you go about writing a story? In this multi-day interactive class, we'll walk through the pieces step-by-step with lots of examples and time for writers to ask questions. Outside of class, writers will work on telling their own stories with the tools we've shared! Our goal is to build a safe, supportive place for constructive feedback and new ideas. 

Writing Workshop: Tell Us a Story! Elements of Narrative Writing 1 - Territories
Learners will build an awesomely impressive and personal list of ideas for fiction or nonfiction narrative stories: our "Writing Territories." What ARE Writing Territories? They're all of the things--past events, experiences, trips, ideas, loves, and hardships that are part of our life landscape--that we can claim as our own. We’ll walk through an example list of “Writing Territories,” then students will make their own Territories list, choose an idea they feel passionate about, and begin to write about it! This may be a start to a longer story or a short piece that’s done in this class. By the end, students will have a choice to share their writing if they'd like. Either way, students will feel empowered to write with a voice that’s uniquely and awesomely theirs! 

Writing Workshop: Tell Us a Story! Elements of Narrative Writing 2 - Style
What makes a writer have a certain style? We’ll read two selections from published writers and analyze what makes their writing sound the way it does, then give writing in their style a try. Afterwards, we’ll share our day's writing and what elements we decided to copy, or emulate, in our own writing.

Writing Workshop: Tell Us a Story! Elements of Narrative Writing 3 - Narrative Arc & Brainstorming the Beginning
What are the major parts of a story, or Narrative Arc? We'll go beyond the basics that students may have learned in elementary and middle school to ask: What do authors promise to their reader at the beginning of a story, and how do they create a believable world for their readers? We'll first chart the Narrative Arc, then focus on the fun of who/what/when/where/why/how creation: imagining characters, giving them names, and establishing a setting in which they’ll live. We’ll discuss tense, point of view, level of description, and other important decisions authors make, then have a chance to share those decisions with one another at the end of class!

Writing Workshop: Tell Us a Story! Elements of Narrative Writing 4 - Conflict & Climax in Writing
The stories we love to read have lots of twists and turns: the author introduces conflicts to make it hard on their characters! We’ll learn what universal conflict types exist in literature and name them in example stories. We’ll also analyze how characters can deal with multiple conflicts at once, building to the story’s climax.

Writing Workshop: Tell Us a Story! Elements of Narrative Writing 5 - Resolution
Good stories leave the reader wondering “What will happen next? How will this all end up?” and this class is all about how to move your story from the climax scene to the end in a satisfying way. We’ll ask questions about pacing, the primary conflict, and what feels “undone” or “done” in different stories. We'll also address global versus local revisions for narrative drafts that students will bring to class in Class 6. Writers will be ready to wrap up their own projects to share in our final week!

Writing Workshop: Tell Us a Story! Elements of Narrative Writing 6 - Celebration of Stories! 
This the day to share and celebrate! Students can bring their finished first draft narratives to class and read portions aloud with our group. We’ll talk about what authors do next in terms of pacing, dialogue, punctuation, tense shifts, and proofreading. We’ll also talk about constructive criticism and options for future Open Writing Workshops - ongoing class space to share your work in a small-group forum.