Novel Writing

The novel writing course invites upper elementary and middle school students to develop and refine their creative narrative skills through a long‑term, thoughtfully paced novel project. Throughout the first semester, students will learn how to shape an original story from the ground up by exploring concept development, outlining, character creation, world‑building, and drafting. The course takes a restful approach to creativity: rather than rushing toward a deadline, students are encouraged to work with steady, sustainable rhythms, allowing ideas to unfold with curiosity and delight. Alongside structural skills, the class will study the stylistic elements that make writing vivid and compelling. Students will practice crafting strong narrative voices, using figurative language, establishing mood, developing believable dialogue, and choosing descriptive details that bring scenes to life.

In the second semester, the class will shift into a workshop model focused on editing, revising, and strengthening each manuscript. This stage also follows a gentle, reflective pace. Students learn to evaluate their own writing with patience and discernment, refining sentence‑level style, improving pacing, and revising for clarity, coherence, and emotional resonance. Together, we will prepare every novel for self‑publication so students can share their finished books by May.

Writers may choose to create a short work of around 1,000 words or challenge themselves with a much longer project of up to 30,000 words. No prior experience with long‑form writing is required, though students should feel comfortable typing and working independently. The course is designed to nurture confidence, creativity, and joy in the writing process, offering a calm and supportive environment where young authors can flourish.

• Computer: You will need a stable, reliable computer, running with a processor with a speed of 1 GHz or better on one of the following operating systems: Mac OS X with Mac OS 10.7 or later; Windows 8, 7, Vista (with SP1 or later), or XP (with SP3 or later). We do not recommend using an iPad or other tablet for joining classes. An inexpensive laptop or netbook would be much better solutions, as they enable you to plug an Ethernet cable directly into your computer. Please note that Chromebooks are allowed but not preferred, as they do not support certain features of the Zoom video conference software such as breakout sessions and annotation, which may be used by our teachers for class activities.
• High-Speed Internet Connection: You will also need access to high-speed Internet, preferably accessible via Ethernet cable right into your computer. Using Wi-Fi may work, but will not guarantee you the optimal use of your bandwidth. The faster your Internet, the better. We recommend using a connection with a download/upload speed of 5/1 Mbps or better. You can test your Internet connection here.
• Webcam: You may use an external webcam or one that is built in to the computer. Webcam Recommendations: Good (PC only) | Best (Mac and PC)
• Headset: We recommend using a headset rather than a built-in microphone and speakers. Using a headset reduces the level of background noise heard by the entire class. Headset Recommendations: USB | 3.5mm
• Zoom: We use a web conferencing software called Zoom for our classes, which enables students and teachers to gather from around the globe face to face in real time. Zoom is free to download and easy to use. To download Zoom:
  1. Visit zoom.us/download.
  2. Click to download the first option listed, Zoom Client for Meetings.
  3. Open and run the installer on your computer.
  4. In August, students will be provided with instructions and a link for joining their particular class.
• Scanner: In this class, students frequently submit homework assignments by scanning pages from their workbooks. Students and/or their parents should have easy access to a scanner and the ability to use it.