Imagine a world where life as we know it has come to a complete halt-- supermarkets ransacked, vehicles stranded in the street.  Electricity and fresh water is considered a luxury. Danger lurks around every corner.  The sun doesn't seem to shine as bright as it used to.  It's every human for themselves.  

In this weekly writing club, learners ages 12-16 will be able to learn different creative writing skills to take their horror stories and characters to the next level.  

 We will begin class by introducing ourselves and sharing our interests in writing in this genre. Then we will move onto the discussion portion of the class: covering how make our characters more realistic, the plot more interesting, and how to avoid common mistakes when writing horror.  There will be engaging slideshows to demonstrate each writing skill.  

We will also share what we are working on for the week and brainstorm any ideas that we may be stuck on if learners are working on an already existing piece.  The learners can work on a longer project, such as a novel, or a shorter piece.  Each week, the projects are reviewed with feedback and commentary provided.  

Students can bring an existing story or character that they want to improve or start a completely new project.  I will provide unique writing prompts for those who are writing a new story of their own. 

We will motivate each other to think about the "who", "what", "why", "how" and "when" in our storylines in order to create a more realistic world.

After we finish our writing, I will encourage the class to share some of their work if they feel comfortable.  Sharing is not required but highly encouraged.  We will offer positive feedback about what we liked in the story, as well as aspects that could use more fine tuning. I will also give the students an opportunity to workshop my characters and stories if they are not comfortable sharing.

Each week we will cover different writing techniques that can amplify these narratives, all based around the apocalyptic genre and its subgenres. The lesson that is covered each week is largely learner directed, and is chosen based off of the skills that would suit the current interests and needs of the class.  Some of the topics we cover are: 

-Dystopian governments, writing horror & character descriptions
-Zombie Apocalypse & world building
-Nuclear Wastelands & reader hooks, why should your reader care?
-Medical Pandemics & sensory details, show don't tell
-Sentient Robots & Cybergeddon, action scenes, pacing
-Natural Disasters & suspense and conflict
-Alien Invasions, point of view and narrators

All your student needs is a pencil, paper (or the ability to type on their computer) and a little bit of creativity!

This will be a very comfortable and low-pressure environment where young writers can feel safe sharing their ideas and interests.  It will help them improve and make time for their hobby of writing.  This is NOT a class focused on grammar; all the best writers start with a rough draft and edit later!  However, I will offer private grammar feedback after class if your learners wish to share their document with me.  This class is meant to help your learners find their imagination again and enjoy a fun environment with peers.  All skill levels are welcomed in this class, but basic writing ability and general knowledge of literary terms like "plot", "climax", "characters", etc. will be beneficial.


IMPORTANT EXTRAS FOR PARENTS:

Class Refund requests:  You may refer to Outschool's refund policy here.
https://support.outschool.com/en/articles/16379-outschool-s-happiness-guarantee-and-refunds