Preview the Material
Weekly Breakdown
Week 1 – The Building Blocks of a Story
Students learn the five foundational elements of storytelling—character, plot, setting, conflict, and theme—and how each one contributes to a complete narrative.
Week 2 – Writing Believable Characters
Students explore how to create complex, engaging characters by developing their goals, fears, flaws, and personal contradictions.
Week 3 – Plot Structure and Arcs
Students break down the classic four-part story arc—beginning, middle, climax, and end—and learn how to apply it to their own writing.
Week 4 – Dialogue and Description
Students learn how to balance dialogue and description to develop character relationships, build atmosphere, and keep the reader engaged.
Week 5 – Perspective
Students compare first person, third person limited, and third person omniscient narration to understand how point of view affects tone, emotion, and closeness.
Week 6 – Beginnings
Students study what makes a strong opening line and practice techniques for grabbing the reader’s attention right from the start.
Week 7 – Conflict, Stakes, and Tension
Students explore different types of conflict and learn how to raise the stakes to make readers care about what happens next.
Week 8 – Theme and Subtext
Students discover how to weave deeper meanings into their stories and use subtext to show what characters won’t say out loud.
Week 9 – Writing the Climax
Students focus on the story’s turning point—where the character must act, choose, or change to resolve the central problem.
Week 10 – Drafting a Full Short Story
Students apply everything they’ve learned to outline and draft a complete, structured short story with a clear emotional arc.
Week 11 – Revision
Students practice self-editing by identifying weak spots in voice, pacing, and clarity—and learn how to revise with purpose.
Week 12 – Final Story
Students polish, refine, and format a finished short story that showcases their growth as a writer from Week 1 to Week 12.