This is the class for serious writers.to learn lifelong writing skills. What separates this creative writing class from other classes is the fact that learners will improve their writing by actually imitating the style of great writers. Learners will do more than just analyzing great works of literature, as is done in most high school English classes.

Each week the class will work on a critical element of classic authors below. While these writers are not necessarily the best of the best writers, all their works are still relevant today. Additionally, and more importantly, their writing process is well-documented in their own writing and first source documents. Each week we will examine a portion of writing (novel, short story or prose) which exhibits the writer's style and imitate the style, literary technique or special nuance of the writing.

Young authors will keep a writing portfolio from week-to-week and assess their own writing progress.

The goals of the class are:
•	Learners will adapt the writing styles of classic writers to improve their own writing.
•	Learners will learn how to revise stories, novels and other creative writing works
•	Learners will learn to read with "the eye of a writer.

This class will be fun with lots of literary conversation and practical writing exercises.

The class will be structured as the following:
•	Introductions and writing progress check-in
•	Brief background of the weekly writers.
•	Description of how to imitate the writing
•	Writing exercise: portion of writing portion
•	Review of the writing
•	Individual sharing of the writing
•	Introduction to next week's writers

This class is a practice class. It is not a lecture class. Learners will be encouraged to share their writing exercise with one another; No one will be forced to share writing. It is hoped learners will develop apply what they are learning to their academic and creative writing. The small intimate nature of the class makes it ideal for learners to develop their writing skills.


Week one (1)
Flannery O'Connor was a southern writer who was an extraordinary essayist, novelist and short story writer. She was one of the first female writers to be taken seriously. Her stories are still being read today.  O'Connor once said, The writer, in order best to use the talents he has been given, has to write at his own intellectual level."  We will be looking at some of the elements of character and setting in O'Connor's works. In particular we will be reading "A Good Man is Hard to Find" and selected portions from her other works. We will also look at the works of Pulitzer Prize winning Gwendoly Brroks and imitate her writing style. 

Week two (2)
Rudyard Kipling , the Literature Noble Prize winner(1907), author of the "Jungle Book" and several other poems will be studied. He was influenced by India's folktales and classic literature. We will examine portions of his prose, including his oft-quoted poem "If" , as well as segments of his novel. This week, we will also look at the works of Phillis Wheatley,   

Week three (3)
Jack London was self-taught creative genius, who believed "writers had to do more than read good writers,' these writers were to be studied. We will delve into Jack London's literary style and his natural writing style. Since he did not receive any formal literary training; in his writing style was developed by studying the qualities of good writers. Jack London's writing still resonates with us and is studied in many schools. In this class we will study the style of London by examining portions of his sort stories and novels. including "Call of the Wild," "Sea We will also look at the works of Langston Hughes who was a prolific writer who learned to write by reading the works of great writers. His writing style is simple, but engaging. 

Week four (4)
We will examine the works of Sherman Alexie, Gabriela Marquez and Amy Tan. We will look at their short stories and portions from their novels.  This week we will also review the writers we have studied and  discuss which writing styles jellies with our individual writing style.