Have you ever read a novel or watched a movie and thought, “I can do better than that!”

Or maybe you started a novel only to realize you didn’t know where to go or how to finish it?

Maybe you’ve always been a daydreamer and would love to get the stories in your head to print, but you don’t think you can, that only “special” people can actually create books and other art?

If any of those describe you, then we have something in common. I'm an award-nominated fantasy author with over 1 million words in print, but I once thought I could never be a writer. Becoming an astronaut seemed more feasible that becoming an author! You see, there were two very important things I didn't understand: 1) We're all creators, made in the image of a Creator God, so it's far more reasonable to believe that I could create worthwhile and enjoyable works than not; 2) writing is a skill, which means it can be learned and I shouldn't expect to be able to sit down and write a masterpiece without first studying how that's done. All authors--like all actors and painters and athletes--started as nons, as non-authors (or non-actors or non-painters or non-athletes). But then they started writing and started studying the craft of writing, and kept at it, and became authors.

So that's why I created this course, to help creatives develop their skill and enjoy the learning process. (And I just like teaching and talking about great books and movies and being around other writers. And some of you might be the author of those great books I'm talking about in the future. Don't forget that when things get hard.)

Who is this class for?

This class is for anyone, teen and up. The content is clean, and the material is appropriate for homeschoolers looking for an elective credit.

What are the details of the course? 

Teacher: Elizabeth Kitchens, author and copyeditor

Lessons: 15

Format: Online

Equipment required: Computer with word processor, internet connection

Books recommended: Woe Is I: The Grammarphobe's Guide to Better English in Plain English (Fourth Edition) by Patricia T. O'Conner and Self-Editing for Fiction Writers, Second Edition: How to Edit Yourself Into Print . This course doesn't cover the actual writing but focuses on the overall story (which needs to be right before too much effort is put on the words). Reading these along with the course gives a great foundation for good writing.

(Book links are affiliate links.)

This course is a drip course, with 1-3 lessons releasing at a time, to keep the topics together. You have a week to complete each lesson, or two for each bundle of two lessons, before the next lesson drops.

Course access lasts three years - because I want you motivated to learn but have time to take breaks if needed!

This option includes:

Video access

Assignments

Workbook (download)

--For three years

Mentor option

If you would like instructor feedback (from an award-nominated author and professional editor) on your assignments and short story project, please see the Mentorship option (https://i-write-with-ej-kitchens.teachable.com/p/i-w-r-i-t-e-how-to-write-a-novel-story-track-mentoring) or Class + Mentorship bundle.

Class Schedule

This class runs on a Fall, Spring, Summer schedule.

You can purchase the class at any time, however, but the lessons are available on a drip schedule beginning these dates for 2024 (and similar for future years):

Spring 2024 class: January 9

Summer 2024 class: May 1

Fall 2024 class: August 7

Spring 2025: January 7

If requested, summer can be work-at-your-own-pace rather than drip.

What do we cover in the class? 

The course is outlined according to the acronym I. W.R.I.T.E. I admit I am not a fan of acronyms, but this one came to me out of the blue, and I realized it was very useful, so we’re going with it to guide our study of story elements. We'll look at story world, plot, character, ideas, tension, conflict and stakes, and more. We’ll also look at what readers want in a story so you can create stories with a premise that captures reader interest. There will be assignments throughout the course to help you learn the techniques of great writing, and you'll write a short story (around 20,000 words). Optionally, you will also read two books over the course of the class to strengthen your grammar and writing: Woe Is I: The Grammarphobe's Guide to Better English in Plain English (Fourth Edition) by Patricia T. O'Conner and Self-Editing for Fiction Writers, Second Edition: How to Edit Yourself Into Print .

If you want to learn more about the words aspect, about the dialogue and show/don't tell and more, see the Words version of the course (available late 2024) or the Full version of the course (story + word).

Story Elements and Knowing Your Reader Lessons Overview

I: Introduction Introduction to writing a novel. Learn about genre, tone, book length, story hook, blurb, and author worldview and themes.

I: Ideas Where do we get ideas and how do we decide which ones to use?

W: World The story world (setting) is more than just the place the action happens but influences everything that happens.

R: Readers What do readers expect and want? How should that influence our writing?

I: "I" (Characters) Who is telling the story? Characters and Point-of-View.

T: Trouble, Tension, Ticking Clock, and Tips. Some of the essential elements of keeping the reader engaged.

E: Events (Plot) What happens in your story? Should you outline or discovery write?

E: Editing Developmental editing, self-editing, and the different types of editing.

Wrap up. What being an author is like, jobs for writers, how to get published, how to avoid scams, and references for future study.

Assignments

Weekly assignments are designed to help students learn to analyze the stories they consume for story elements and good writing technique and so learn from them. Students will also work on developing a short story (approximately 20,000 words) throughout the course.

The short story will be a retelling of the classic "Beauty and the Beast" story. Why? Because having a framework eases the burden of starting everything from scratch. Retellings and fan fiction are how many of us started out. Retellings are very flexible, however, so you can do a lot with the idea.

Students will also read two books over the course of the class to strengthen their grammar and writing: Woe Is I: The Grammarphobe's Guide to Better English in Plain English (Fourth Edition) by Patricia T. O'Conner and Self-Editing for Fiction Writers, Second Edition: How to Edit Yourself Into Print .

That’s the class summary. If you’re still with me, you may be wondering about me and why I am teaching the course and what experience I have in writing and teaching. Again, I’m Elizabeth (E.J. Kitchens), and I’m a freelance copyeditor, author of clean YA fantasy novels, and an instructor. I come from a family of writers but didn’t discover my own love of writing until I was twenty-six. Consequently, I have a science background and have taught college microbiology labs and community college biology courses. I enjoy teaching and writing and helping others with their writing.

If you want to check out my writing, you can find my books on my website here: https://www.ejkitchens.com.

See you in the course!