Course Description
This course walks the aspiring writer through the fundamentals of storytelling and the building blocks of writing a novel. Each lesson will take the student deeper into the creation of a story and will equip the young writer with the necessary tools to finish the job.
The lessons cover a variety of story elements and provide students with worksheets and prompts to help them develop their writing. Facilitator notes are provided to help you guide your student through the process. A guide is also provided for those who wish to make a completed novel a part of the course. Even if the student does not write a novel during this course, he/she will be better equipped to take on the task of writing a full-length novel and will gain a depth of knowledge about story elements and structure that will be helpful in all types of writing endeavors.
This course includes:
7 units
31 Teaching Videos
31 Review Videos
31 Student Worksheets (Review and novel prep)
31 Student Worksheet Keys (for parents)
30 Facilitator Guides (with lesson notes, additional activities, etc. for parents)
31 Review Quizzes
31 Review Quiz Keys (for parents)
1 Mid-term exam
1 Final Exam
1 Six-month (optional) novel writing plan
Approximately 12 hours of video
Course Goals:
Upon course completion, the student will have a firm grasp on the basic elements of a novel. In addition, the student will have a strong foundation and good start to completing a full-length novel. Ultimately, this course is designed to equip young writers to finish their first novel.
Target Audience:
Designed for students with a firm grasp on language, sentence structure, and the basics of story, this course is aimed toward high school and above. Younger students may also benefit. However, some of the material may require outside study of terms, grammar, and story.
In addition, this course can be helpful to adult students seeking to take their writing to the next level.
Course Topics:
Unit 1: Foundations of the Novel
- Introduction and Overview
- You!
- The Reader
- The Idea
- Theme
- Genre 1
- Genre 2
Unit 2: Setting and Character
- Setting
- Characters 1 - Types
- Characters 2 – Details
- Characters 3 – Needs
- POV
Unit 3: Plot Overview
- Intro to Plot
- Plot Overview
Unit 4: The Beginning of the Novel
- The Hook
- The Scene
- A Good Start – Establishing Story
- The Inciting Incident
- The Setups
- The World Change Event
Unit 5: The Middle of the Novel
- Raising the Stakes
- Positives and Negatives
- The Bleakest Moment, Mid-point Climax, and World Change 2
Unit 6: The End of the Novel
- Building to the Climax
- The Resolution
Unit 7 – Editing and Finishing Well
- Editing Overview
- Editing Characters
- Editing Words
- The Beta and Final Edits
- Finishing Well
- Bonus Lesson – Formatting
Everybody has a story to tell. Keep on writing and share your story with the world.
