Course info

 A 12-Week LIVE course with Aquinas Writing Advantage -- where you learn the

must-have writing know-how and skills for Plot & Structure, Description & Setting, and Characters & Dialogue -- for literary analysis and for your OWN story writing…

Learn all about creative writing and get a jump on what you need for literary criticism and analysis for college writing! In this hands-on fiction writing course, you’ll learn the must-haves for writing your own books and stories as you create and write in stories that interest YOU! Get in-depth how-to knowledge on Plot & Structure, Description & Setting, and Characters & Dialogue, and learn how to transfer exceptional creative writing skills into all of your writing! 

 

How to get the most out of Fiction Writing: Literary Form, Part One, designed by Erin M. Brown, MA, MFA... Read: Before the first class session read through the course instructions here, and glance through the course materials that are open for Week 1. Notebook: Have a notebook ready and available, and take notes during each live session. LIVE Class: Come to the LIVE class and bring any questions! Class Recording and PowerPoint: After class and while completing homework, if you need to revisit information from our live session, watch that week’s class recording and reference the class PowerPoint. Complete Each Week's Work: Complete the week's assignments, quizzes, and any work assigned in the order that it is posted before the next class. Repeat the Learning Schedule Each Week: Read the required materials listed, come to the LIVE class, and complete the assignments, quizzes, and homework in the order they're listed. When the Course is Complete: Once the course is completed to the parent's and professor’s satisfaction, print the Certificate of Completion at the end of this Moodle page for your records. Questions? Contact your instructor at the email listed below!

 

Accompanying Courses: Students are encouraged to take the accompanying course, Screenwriting or The Hero’s Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers (courses alternate each year). These courses can be taken at the same time as the series courses or following the series courses. Students can also sign up for the Authoring a Book Part 1 course available in the Spring, as a companion to the Fiction Writing courses. At any time, you can also access each 4-week section of the course in Unlimited Access.

 

Total Classes: 12

Start Time:

Class dates:

Duration: 55 minutes

 

Prerequisite: Required: Writing Essentials 1: Essential Punctuation and Grammar I (HS 9-1) and Simplified Writing 1: Strong Foundational Writing Skills (HS 9-2). Prerequisites can be taken either live or through Unlimited Access.

An alternative to the prerequisite: a passing assessment from the Aquinas Writing Advantage Assessment service. Please contact homeschoolconnections@gmail.com for any questions on permissions.

Suggested Grade Level: 11th grade; however, this course can be taken at any grade level in high school.

Suggested Credit: One (1) full semester’s credit for Creative Writing, Fiction Writing, or English

 

This course is created by Erin M. Brown, MA, MFA (aka EB Conroy/Erin Brown Conroy).

 

Course Description: “What makes great fiction? And how can I use fiction writing to make all of my writing dynamic, interesting, and strong?” In this course (the first of two successive courses), you’ll understand what makes excellent fiction writing and hone your writing skills as you write your own story using the elements and writing techniques of excellent storytelling. Whether you want to write a novel or want to be a dynamic, successful writer in all that you do — learning great plot and structure, description and setting, and characters and dialogue skills will allow you to write exceptionally well, raise your written communication skills, become skilled in the elements of literary analysis, and be fully prepared for college and beyond. Learn skills, be creative, and enjoy writing! Sign up for Part Two (spring semester), for a complete year of writing credit.

 

Course Outline:

Plot and Structure (Weeks 1 - 4)
The first 4-week segment of the course teaches your student about writing a gripping plot for fiction books of any genre for middle grade, young adult, and adult story plots.

Class 1: Great openings—the opening line, hook, drop into action, and inciting incident

Class 2: Developing your plot—doors of no return, peaks, and the rising plot line

Class 3: Creating tension and intrigue—tricks, tips, and “the plant”

Class 4: Great endings—creating a strong climax and finish

Description and Setting (Weeks 5 - 8)
In the next four weeks, the student will learn how to use excellent description and craft a strong and memorable setting for any fiction work.

Class 5: Description and Setting Foundations

Class 6: Types of Description—the senses, metaphor and simile, figures of speech, and literary techniques

Class 7: Principles and techniques of memorable settings (including examples to learn by)

Class 8: How to integrate description and setting into plot, structure, and character development

Characters and Dialogue (Weeks 9 - 12)

The final four weeks teach the importance of dynamic characters and dialogue for fiction books of any genre—and how to create memorable characters and clear, distinct dialogue.

Class 9: Types of characters, developing characters fully, introducing your character

Class 10: Character arc—your lead character’s inner change

Class 11: Dialogue how-to’s, do’s, and don’ts

Class 12: Showing your character in the dialogue—weaving dialogue with your character and the action

Course Materials: All course materials are provided FREE in the course. Microsoft Word or the ability to convert a document to a Word-compatible document is required. If you do not own Microsoft Word, you can use a system such as Google Docs that converts to Word documents FREE.

Homework: Weekly writing assignments with direct feedback from the instructor, with an estimated three (3) to four (4) hours per week for homework outside of class time that includes reading, writing, and responding to feedback.