Imagine a world where you are surrounded by mythical beings, creatures and mysteries.  There are elves, dragons, hobbits and more.  It's up to you to decide who you want to be!

In this one time class, learners ages 9-14 will be able to learn different creative writing skills to take their mythical characters to the next level.  This class is centered around building an original fantasy character from scratch, similar to Dungeons and Dragons but for the purpose of individual story-writing.  I will provide students important tips to create believable characters to engage their audience and peers.  We will begin class by introducing ourselves and telling the class what why we are interested in writing or a fun fact about ourselves.

Then, we will begin by discussing some examples of famous mythical media and what made the characters successful.  There will be engaging slideshows to demonstrate each writing skill that we are discussing, such as creating a backstory, character flaws, relatable personalities, relationships and mythical classes (rogues, warriors, druids, etc).  Learners are encouraged to take notes so that they can reference them when they are writing in their free time.  I will engage the learners by asking their opinions, ideas and preferences throughout the lesson.  I enjoy having a conversational flow to class and hope to invite that atmosphere into this session.

We will motivate each other to think about the "who", "what", "why", "how" and "when" in our characters backstories in order to create a hero or a villain that readers want to spend time with.

Students will be given 15-20 minutes in our class together to put their newly learned skills to the test.  Students can bring an character that they want to improve (must be appropriate for the theme of the class), or start a completely new adventurer.  I will provide a detailed character sheet for learners to work from, or the learners can come up with their own. The character sheet will help the students create a detailed backstory, visualize their characters appearance, create a unique personality, and eventually they can start a story of their own with this character.  Students may also draw a picture of their character if they want while their peers are sharing their work (this is not the focus on the class, however).

Students can break into groups to encourage each other and share ideas if they desire.  One of the most difficult tasks of being a writer is gathering the inspiration to do so: working amongst peers is one of the best ways I have found to stimulate your creative mind!

After we finish our writing, I will encourage the class to share some of their work and tell us about their character if they feel comfortable.  Sharing is not required but highly encouraged.  We will then offer positive feedback about what we liked in the story, as well as aspects that could use more fine tuning.  This class is inspired by my own experience as a creative writing student in University: it will be a safe and positive workshop environment.  I will also give the students an opportunity to workshop my characters and stories if they are not comfortable sharing.

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!  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.


After class, students may submit their work to me via Outschool messenger.  This is completely optional, but will allow your learner to be provided with individual and private feedback outside of the class.  I will provide encouragement and fresh ideas.  Original work and fan-fiction is also allowed in this class.


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


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 


There will be frightening themes such as vampires, weapons, and action in this particular class.  Please ensure that your learner is emotionally able to handle these extreme themes and supervise them if you have concerns.  Learners will be monitored and provided with prompts to encourage exciting narratives.

If a learner is consistently causing distractions or being disrespectful, I must use the mute button on that particular child.  If they are being extreme and severely offensive/disrespectful to their classmates or teachers, I may remove the learner from the classroom.  This is to protect the integrity and experience of our peers in class.  I will reach out to the learner's parents after class to discuss the incident.