This three-day camp combines my popular You Are A Warrior Cat! and You Create A Warrior Clan! classes with a brand new activity on plot development, You Tell A Warrior Story! Each day utilizes my "Warrior Cat Twenty Questions" method of guided, prompt-based note-taking, providing students with all the building blocks they need to write complex narratives with interesting, well-rounded characters. Students are not expected to write a complete story during this class. This course focuses on character design and plotting, allowing authors to work outside of class at their own pace to write their stories.

Day One:  You Are A Warrior Cat! Students can choose from three cat templates (long hair adult, short hair adult, and kit) to design their character. Each template includes a whole body image, a beautifully detailed head shot, and a paw print, which students can color digitally or with crayons, colored pencils, or markers in any pattern to represent a wide range of cat markings and battle scars. Contact me in advance, and I can even help students customize the templates to create cats with missing eyes, ears, limbs, or tails. Along with the physical appearance of their cats, students will also develop a backstories for their characters. Will your cat be an apprentice, a warrior, a medicine cat, a deputy, or even a clan leader? Perhaps your cat walks the lonely path of a rogue or lives the soft life a kittypet. Once your cat is complete, you have a unique new character just ready and waiting for a clan!

Day Two: You Create A Warrior Clan!  Name your leader, claim your territory, make allies and enemies, and explore everything the world of Warriors has to offer your clan. Students can download the clan family tree template to track the names, roles, and appearances of their clan cats, and are encouraged to decorate the outer border (before or during class) with scenery befitting their clan's territory. Short prompts will encourage students to write about their original clans' origins, members, social dynamics, environment, and more! Once your clan is complete, you have a new setting and cast of characters to use in your original Warriors fiction.

Day Three: You Tell A Warrior Story! With characters and clan in hand, learners are ready to tackle plotting and narrative. We will discuss the traditional linear narrative arc, "A" and "B" plots, lone protagonists versus ensembles, and how to resolve the central conflict of a story. Short prompts aid writers in identifying the central conflict(s) of their stories, deciding which character(s) will serve as the protagonist(s), and how they will guide their character(s) through the introduction, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution of their story. We will also touch on what makes a great antagonist. Once your plot is complete, you are ready to use your outline to write your original Warriors story!

Time is allotted at the end of each meeting for learners to share their characters, clan, and plot outline.