*Please pay close attention to the schedule as there are multiple schedule formats. Sections may meet over two, three, or four days, with some sections having consecutive meetings with a 10 minute break in between sections.

This is an intensive creative writing course that will also analyze literature and characterization at a high level. It is the goal of this course to make the content understandable and accessible even though the material and work level is of an advanced nature and in many ways is closer to a college level course.  Students do not need to be advanced writers, nor do they need to be strong readers; however, students should have a passion for telling stories, a love of villains, and a desire to improve their writing.

The two main focal points of this class are telling stories and creating quality villains, making this more of a creative writing class than anything else; however, it is still necessary to research and discuss existing villains and stories in order to better understand how to tell stories effectively and how to create meaningful characters.  Students will participate in a variety of writing exercises as well as discussions in an effort to better understand what creates a good villain, how the villain drives the story, and ultimately create quality villains of their own.


Course outline at a glance:

Class 1
Introduction: What makes a villain a villain? What makes a great villain? Compare and contrast discussion.
Thinking and Writing Activity: creating a simple villain

Class 2
Stock characters and archetypes
Personality types
Thinking and Writing Activity: Villain Chart 1
Value charts 
Isolation, vengeance, obsession,

Class3
The tipping point of a villain
Discuss the graphic novel, "The Killing Joke"
Story charts, maps, and plot outlines
The Hero's Journey and the Villains Journey
Thinking and writing activity: writing a simple story

Class 4
Villain Presentations
Understanding the hero
Compare and contrast discussion
Creating the hero that will oppose the villain