This summer camp/workshop is designed to help beginning or tentative writers learn important vocabulary and develop confidence in their writing through focused daily in- and out-of-class activities. Students write with guidance from prompts during class time, and will be given access to additional prompts to practice at home. 

Day 1 covers all the material from my Fiction Writing Crash Course! class and prepares students for four days of guided writing. Students will learn literary terminology for characters, point of view, perspective, the components of a story (such as plot and narrative structure), and other key terms that they will use during this camp. 

Day 2 ushers students straight into writing, as we focus on character development and play with point of view. Students will choose from character-centric prompts to work on during class time, and may practice at home with some or all of the remaining prompts. 

Day 3 brings the action through a focus on active vs. passive language, verbs, and “five senses” descriptive language. Students will choose from action-oriented prompts to work on during class time, and may practice at home with some or all of the remaining prompts. 

Day 4 introduces dialogue as a device for developing characters and enhancing action, with a focus on writing dialogue that sounds natural and helps move the story forward. Students will choose from dialogue-based prompts to work on during class time, and may practice at home with some or all of the remaining prompts. 

Day 5 puts it all together. During class time, students will write a scene that incorporates characters, action, and dialogue. With encouragement and peer support, students should finish this camp feeling more confident with their writing skills and ready to tackle additional writing classes!

Learners can also take this camp as a two-class series, Fiction Writing Crash Course! (a single class) and Fiction Writing for Beginners (a four week session).