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This course is best suited to a group of up to eight students of similar ability level although larger groups can be accommodated with additional adults' support (teaching staff, NTAs etc.). It is normally run as a series of five or six one-hour weekly sessions. It is thus ideally suited to run for half a standard school term. The course can be expanded to a full term of weekly sessions, if desired, to go into the subject in greater depth. The course is best suited to year five students and above. Students should come equipped with an exercise book, writing equipment and a fertile imagination.
This is a highly interactive course and the students are encouraged to contribute their own ideas throughout.
During the course, each student will complete their own story on a specified theme. The theme can be tailored to fit in with any current cross-curricular topics at the request of the students' teacher.
Course structure is as follows. The topics are covered at a pace to suit the students, not necessarily one topic per session and not necessarily in the order listed below.
We talk about what happens before and after you write, and the writing process itself. How, and how much, to plan.
We discuss the initial "what if?" idea. What was the underlying "what if?" idea behind stories we have read or seen recently?
What is your plot and where is it going? Who are your main characters, what are they like and what drives them? Who is your target audience and is the style right for them?
We create "character maps" for our main characters. Are they bold or cautious, thoughtful or rash, kind or selfish etc.?
We draw a chart of the sights, sounds, smell, touch, (optionally) taste and feelings associated with our idea or scenario. How can we use these to bring our story alive?
We discuss the importance of revision, the difference between unconstructive and constructive criticism, how to look upon the latter as vital input and never be discouraged by it.
What are the essential components of a story? We start with a simple statement of our idea, then add detail to the point where it becomes a story.
We identify the essential components of a story - the beginning, the build up, the problem, resolution and the end. We discuss stories we have read recently. What were the main parts and how did they fit this structure?
What are the differences between the written word and film/DVD? What advantages can the written word have over visual media?
All stories must have a good beginning. Unless you captivate your audience in the first few lines, most readers (certainly the professional ones) will give up and go to read something else. We discuss good and bad beginnings. How to make a bad beginning good and how to make a good beginning brilliant
Do we have to start at the beginning? Not necessarily. We talk about starting in the action and the concept of back-story.
We discuss how to paint characters. What makes for good and bad style? Are adjectives the writer's friend or foe? The importance of consistency but avoiding repeating favourite words.
We discuss what is meant by "show don't tell", how important it is and how to achieve it. We examine how dialogue is a particularly good tool for showing, how to write convincing dialoque, how to lay it out on the page and how to avoid repetitive "he said, she said" sequences.
Does it all make sense and is there an acceptable conclusion? Have you tied up all the loose ends or, if you are planning a sequel or a series, have you left enough loose ends? Is it obvious everything worked out? If you have to write "The End" maybe you should have made it more obvious. Do you want to leave a question in the reader's mind - food for thought?
When you think you have finished, read the whole story again in one go. Did you forget anything? Did you repeat yourself? Any silly writing mistakes? Do your characters exhibit the same traits throughout or does someone's character change inexplicably?
Act out your dialogue, preferably with a friend. Does it sound natural or forced? Does each character have their own "voice"?
Other topics that we may cover include Point Of View, punctuation (especially apostrophes), common writing mistakes and layout (especially dialogue). The course can be adapted to reinforce writing topics being covered in class.
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