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We now offering a new class: Writing In Depth: Stories for Children and
Young Adults.
The purpose of this 8-week survey class is to introduce students to all the
genres of writing for children and young adults, including pre-readers,
younger picture books, older picture books, easy readers, chapter books,
middle-grade novels, younger YA novels and mature YA novels. Students will
study “rules” for writing in each category, and general guidelines for form
and length, in addition to books from each category. Students will do crafting
exercises each week focusing on technical aspects of writing for children,
including writing in a child’s voice and writings strong young characters.
Students will also explore issues and trends in writing for children and
complete writing assignments in each category each week.
Lessons, by week:
Week 1: Overview and introduction, issues in writing for children
Week 2: Books for pre-readers
Week 3: Younger picture books
Week 4: Older picture books
Week 5: Easy readers
Week 6: Chapter books
Week 7: Middle-grade novels
Week 8: Young adult and mature YA novels
An explanation of the Online Classroom Experience: For most students who
have never taken an online class before, the classroom experience is
surprisingly easy. The advantage of meeting online is that there is no specific
or set class time. Our classroom is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week – all I
ask is that you check in at least once a week when it is convenient for you,
and post your homework and responses. Students post comments and
assignments, and each student is encouraged to read and respond to each
other’s work. Lessons are designed to be quick and not overwhelming and
there are no grades; we focus mainly on improving your writing skills. When
you register, you will choose a user ID and password that allows you access
to the classroom. Only registered students can access the classroom; it is
not open to the public. In the classroom, each student has his/her own
“project room” where you will post your homework and other comments.
There is also a weekly “assignment room” for lessons and other instruction.
Most students find the online classroom suits their needs better because a)
you can go to class whenever you want and b) we get a lot more done as far
as reading each other’s drafts and commenting.
The following are the lesson outlines for Writing In Depth I, II, and III series.
Each of these classes is eight weeks long and is sold separately. WID
classes must be taken in order. Writing In Depth Advanced may be available
to those who have graduated from the first three WID classes, and operates
on more of a free-form basis.
Writing In Depth: Part One
The philosophy of my Writing In Depth classes is creative intelligence, which I
define as the ability to convert raw ideas and experience into inventive work.
Students are encouraged to break new creative ground for themselves – to
look at writing as a craft with variable levels of skill. We learn to control our
talent while deepening our vision – a process that, in the long term, allows us
to achieve sustained innovation. Creativity must be nurtured and challenged
to grow, and the Writing In Depth classes are designed to provide fertile
space for that process.
The class is designed in a way that students can work at their own pace,
writing a little or a lot. As the teacher, I try to make sure that each idea is
carefully mentored and tended. Ideas are treated as organic experiments –
some fail and some fly, but most are challenged and tweaked and reworked.
The class is meant to be an incubator of raw talent.
Most of all, writers are encouraged to develop their voice – the thing that
makes their work unique. I encourage writers to tell the stories they feel
passionate about, and to tell them in a way that only they could. Our mistakes
are our textbook and if we fail, we learn to fail in new and innovative ways.
Students find motivation in knowing they will have an audience each week.
We work to create stories that will engage our readers
First Class Lessons, listed by week (subject to change)
1. Confidence, Show and Don’t Tell, Writers Group Guidelines, Book
Report In Your Genre
2. Dialogue In Depth, Copyright, Plotting, Writing For No One
3. Expensive Writing, Point Of View In Depth
4. Fictional Characters in Action, Creating Fresh and Useful Writing
5. Divine Detail, Strong Nouns and Verbs, Good Writing Always Finds an
Audience
6. Query/Cover Letters, Agents, Deus ex Machina,
7. Introducing Characters, Pacing, Difference between rewriting and
Editing, Stop telling the story
8. Publication Lesson, Salable Writing, Contests, Dealing with Rejection
Writing In Depth: Part Two
The philosophy for WID II focuses on craft writing, which is the concept of
doing short craft writing exercises on various technical topics each week.
(Craft writing will be explained further during the first week of the new class.)
Second Class Lessons, listed by week (subject to change)
1. Craft Writing, Describing Facial Expressions, Book Report in your
genre, Editorializing
2. Crafting, Describing Voices, Grammar
3. Crafting, Detail Disruption, Melodrama
4. Crafting, Character Movement, Momentum, racism
5. Crafting, Direct Reference, Starting a New Story, add Choosing a Story
6. Crafting, Style, Human Element
7. Crafting, Tone, Tightening
8. Crafting, Mature Structure, Writers Block
Writing In Depth: Part Three
The philosophy for this class is to find out what published writers have to
teach us about how to break into this business. We will do a lesson each
week, but we will also try to learn from the best by getting advice from
authors in their own words. We will spend some time each week finding out
what published authors have to say about how to get where they are.
Third Class Lessons, listed by week (subject to change)
1. Crafting, Writers on Writing, Avoiding Clichés, Trust Your Reader, Book
Report in your Genre
2. Crafting, 2001 WFYR Conf., Time Transitions, Bell essay, “Nice is
Dangerous”
3. Crafting, 2002 WFYR Conf., POV Transitions, Women and writing,
4. Crafting, Carol Lynch Williams Notes, Exaggerating, Writing with
Passion
5. Crafting, Susan Kroupa Notes, Thought Dialogue, Comma Lesson
6. Crafting, ivillage interviews, Inventive Sentence Structure, Poetry
Scam, Racism
7. Crafting, Powell’s interview, Memorable Characters, Intimacy in
Characterization
8. Crafting, Uncle Orson’s Writing Class, Metaphor, Falling in Love with
your words
If you have questions, please contact us.
Young Adults.
The purpose of this 8-week survey class is to introduce students to all the
genres of writing for children and young adults, including pre-readers,
younger picture books, older picture books, easy readers, chapter books,
middle-grade novels, younger YA novels and mature YA novels. Students will
study “rules” for writing in each category, and general guidelines for form
and length, in addition to books from each category. Students will do crafting
exercises each week focusing on technical aspects of writing for children,
including writing in a child’s voice and writings strong young characters.
Students will also explore issues and trends in writing for children and
complete writing assignments in each category each week.
Lessons, by week:
Week 1: Overview and introduction, issues in writing for children
Week 2: Books for pre-readers
Week 3: Younger picture books
Week 4: Older picture books
Week 5: Easy readers
Week 6: Chapter books
Week 7: Middle-grade novels
Week 8: Young adult and mature YA novels
An explanation of the Online Classroom Experience: For most students who
have never taken an online class before, the classroom experience is
surprisingly easy. The advantage of meeting online is that there is no specific
or set class time. Our classroom is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week – all I
ask is that you check in at least once a week when it is convenient for you,
and post your homework and responses. Students post comments and
assignments, and each student is encouraged to read and respond to each
other’s work. Lessons are designed to be quick and not overwhelming and
there are no grades; we focus mainly on improving your writing skills. When
you register, you will choose a user ID and password that allows you access
to the classroom. Only registered students can access the classroom; it is
not open to the public. In the classroom, each student has his/her own
“project room” where you will post your homework and other comments.
There is also a weekly “assignment room” for lessons and other instruction.
Most students find the online classroom suits their needs better because a)
you can go to class whenever you want and b) we get a lot more done as far
as reading each other’s drafts and commenting.
The following are the lesson outlines for Writing In Depth I, II, and III series.
Each of these classes is eight weeks long and is sold separately. WID
classes must be taken in order. Writing In Depth Advanced may be available
to those who have graduated from the first three WID classes, and operates
on more of a free-form basis.
Writing In Depth: Part One
The philosophy of my Writing In Depth classes is creative intelligence, which I
define as the ability to convert raw ideas and experience into inventive work.
Students are encouraged to break new creative ground for themselves – to
look at writing as a craft with variable levels of skill. We learn to control our
talent while deepening our vision – a process that, in the long term, allows us
to achieve sustained innovation. Creativity must be nurtured and challenged
to grow, and the Writing In Depth classes are designed to provide fertile
space for that process.
The class is designed in a way that students can work at their own pace,
writing a little or a lot. As the teacher, I try to make sure that each idea is
carefully mentored and tended. Ideas are treated as organic experiments –
some fail and some fly, but most are challenged and tweaked and reworked.
The class is meant to be an incubator of raw talent.
Most of all, writers are encouraged to develop their voice – the thing that
makes their work unique. I encourage writers to tell the stories they feel
passionate about, and to tell them in a way that only they could. Our mistakes
are our textbook and if we fail, we learn to fail in new and innovative ways.
Students find motivation in knowing they will have an audience each week.
We work to create stories that will engage our readers
First Class Lessons, listed by week (subject to change)
1. Confidence, Show and Don’t Tell, Writers Group Guidelines, Book
Report In Your Genre
2. Dialogue In Depth, Copyright, Plotting, Writing For No One
3. Expensive Writing, Point Of View In Depth
4. Fictional Characters in Action, Creating Fresh and Useful Writing
5. Divine Detail, Strong Nouns and Verbs, Good Writing Always Finds an
Audience
6. Query/Cover Letters, Agents, Deus ex Machina,
7. Introducing Characters, Pacing, Difference between rewriting and
Editing, Stop telling the story
8. Publication Lesson, Salable Writing, Contests, Dealing with Rejection
Writing In Depth: Part Two
The philosophy for WID II focuses on craft writing, which is the concept of
doing short craft writing exercises on various technical topics each week.
(Craft writing will be explained further during the first week of the new class.)
Second Class Lessons, listed by week (subject to change)
1. Craft Writing, Describing Facial Expressions, Book Report in your
genre, Editorializing
2. Crafting, Describing Voices, Grammar
3. Crafting, Detail Disruption, Melodrama
4. Crafting, Character Movement, Momentum, racism
5. Crafting, Direct Reference, Starting a New Story, add Choosing a Story
6. Crafting, Style, Human Element
7. Crafting, Tone, Tightening
8. Crafting, Mature Structure, Writers Block
Writing In Depth: Part Three
The philosophy for this class is to find out what published writers have to
teach us about how to break into this business. We will do a lesson each
week, but we will also try to learn from the best by getting advice from
authors in their own words. We will spend some time each week finding out
what published authors have to say about how to get where they are.
Third Class Lessons, listed by week (subject to change)
1. Crafting, Writers on Writing, Avoiding Clichés, Trust Your Reader, Book
Report in your Genre
2. Crafting, 2001 WFYR Conf., Time Transitions, Bell essay, “Nice is
Dangerous”
3. Crafting, 2002 WFYR Conf., POV Transitions, Women and writing,
4. Crafting, Carol Lynch Williams Notes, Exaggerating, Writing with
Passion
5. Crafting, Susan Kroupa Notes, Thought Dialogue, Comma Lesson
6. Crafting, ivillage interviews, Inventive Sentence Structure, Poetry
Scam, Racism
7. Crafting, Powell’s interview, Memorable Characters, Intimacy in
Characterization
8. Crafting, Uncle Orson’s Writing Class, Metaphor, Falling in Love with
your words
If you have questions, please contact us.
Writing In Depth.com
Class Descriptions