WRITING CLASSES

WRITING CLASSES FOR KIDS AND ADULTS

These courses are for writers aged 8 to 80 and beyond.

Even though the name of the course might be the same, the content varies depending on the age of the student. There are courses for:

1. Kids aged 8 to 10

2. Kids aged 11 to 18

3. Adults

All courses  have the flexibility to fit in with work and study commitments.

Each course has six modules/sessions including comprehensive notes and examples plus a writing activity at the end.

Once you complete the writing activity and send it back,  you’ll receive feedback on this piece of work with the new module/session.

The feedback provided is ONLY on the writing activity at the end of each module and not on the entire story.

If you require feedback on the whole story, this is a manuscript assessment and incurs extra charges.

THE COURSES

More courses will be added later, but for now here are five courses for you to choose from.

SPARK YOUR IMAGINATION – STORY IDEAS

Week 1 – I remember – Use something that happened to you or someone you know as the starting idea for your story?

Week 2 – Newspaper articles – Look at newspapers or online publications for headlines, words or events that spark great ideas for stories

Week 3 – People pictures – Use a photo or painting of a person to spark a story idea.

Week 4 – Word play – Use two words that don’t go together and other word combinations to spark great ideas for stories.

Week 5 – Secrets – Letter, key, message in a bottle

Week 6 – What if? – Start with a story problem and keep asking yourself, ‘What if?’ to help you think up ideas for your story.

HEROES AND VILLAINS – CREATE GREAT CHARACTERS FOR YOUR STORY

Week 1 – Hero vs Villain – What’s the difference between a hero and a villain?

Week 2 – Character inspiration – Where the inspiration for characters comes from

Week 3 – Get to know your character – Create a profile for your character

Week 4 – My Hero – Create a dashing hero

Week 5 – My Villain – Create a dastardly villain

Week 6 – My Story – Put your hero and villain into your story

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT? – PLOT A BEGINNING, A MIDDLE AND END FOR YOUR STORY

Week 1 – The big idea – Brainstorm your story

Week 2 – How it happens – Put your ideas into a usable sequence

Week 3 – Where do I start? – Create a strong beginning

Week  4 – Getting from start to finish – Create a memorable middle

Week 5 – Raise the stakes – Make your story even more exciting

Week 6 – Where will it end? – Decide where to finish your story and how to tie up all the loose ends.

PETS & ANIMALS – YOUR PET CAN STAR IN YOUR STORY

Week 1 – Observation – Find out as much as you can about the pet or animal you want to use in your story.

Week 2 – Who is this character? – Find out what motivates your pet/animal and where your story idea might come from.

Week 3 – Other characters. – Who else will be in your story? Why are secondary characters important?

Week 4 – What’s the problem? – Come up with conflict for your story.

Week 5 – Turning action into a story. – How do the secondary characters contribute to your character’s problem? How will your character overcome their problem?

Week 6 – Ending your story. – What happens to your main character in the end?

EDITING & SUBMITTING YOUR STORY

Week 1 – Hooked – Does your story hook the reader in straight away?

Week 2 – Action-packed? – Does your story have enough to keep your reader interested?

Week 3 – Where am I? – How well developed is your setting? Will your readers be able to imagine themselves in the world of your story?

Week 4 – Watch your language? – Have you used the best words in your story? How to make your writing work harder?

Week 5 – The technical stuff – Have you used consistent tense? Does your story say what you want it to?

Week 6 – The road to publication – Where and how to submit your work

Buy classes buttonCOST:

Course costs will include all materials and feedback related to the course. The costs will fund the ongoing production of new materials for this blog and will enable us to continue to run our FREE writing competitions.

6 week course for kids – $240

6 week course for adults – $240

Each course has six sessions and individual feedback is provided on the response to the writing activity at the end of the session. If you require a complete assessment of an entire piece of work, the cost is $80 USD per hour.

Please feel free to email me, Dee*at*deescribe*dot*com*dot*au if you would like to know more or have any questions you might have about these courses.

WHY I OFFER ONLINE CLASSES

I wanted to offer affordable courses that kids and adults can do from anywhere in the world.

I also want them to be flexible to fit around homework, work and other commitments.

TESTIMONIALS

What people have said about my classes and workshops

I enjoyed planning stories and inventing interesting plots – Elizabeth

I found the non-fiction story pyramid really useful – Ginnie

A lot of great information – Eric

I really enjoyed the scenario building – Jess

It was great using the pictures to create characters – Ashlee

I enjoyed asking my character questions and finding out more about them – Bill

I liked learning how to plot stories and characters – Phoebe

THE WRITING SHOP

Courses can be bought online  from The Writing Shop.

If you have concerns about whether the course will be suitable for your child please email me, Dee*at*deescribe*dot*com*dot*au

 

Comments

  1. Hi there,

    I have 2 kids who are interested in the 6 week writing course. I would like to know they would have to complete a story by the end of that 6 week block. I think that theyare really motivated to write a complete story.

    :-)Jean

    • Hi Jean,

      Thanks for your enquiry. The “What Happens Next” course involves writing a complete story from start to finish. It looks at story beginnings, middles and endings.

      Please don’t hesitate to ask if you have any other questions.

      Dee:)

  2. I’m interested in more information for my 6th grader. thanks.

    • Hi Jane,

      Thanks for your enquiry. The courses have 6 sessions each that can be done over a six week period or longer to suit the commitments of the students.

      Each session includes notes, tips and an activity. The completed activity is sent back and the student receives individual feedback on their piece of writing, and is then sent the next session.

      The course you choose depends on the interests of the writer. There’s one about pets and animals for kids who like animals, there’s one for kids who are looking for things to write about “Spark Your Imagination”, a course for developing characters “Heroes and Villains” and one that looks at how to plan and structure your story. “What Happens Next”.

      An outline of each course is available at the ‘Writing Classes’ Page http://writingclassesforkids.com/products/writing-classes/ and courses can be purchased online through Paypal at ‘The Writing Shop’http://writingclassesforkids.com/products/

      Please don’t hesitate to ask if you have any further questions.

      Dee

  3. Hello:
    I have a second grader and three 3rd grader that I am looking for a writing class for them. Any suggestion? we live in Gilroy, CA

    • Hi Wennifred,

      I’m actually in Australia so I’m afraid I can’t recommend any writing classes in your area. The classes I offer are online. Maybe you could look up and see if there is a Society of Childrens Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) group in your area. They might be able to advise you of an author who takes writing classes in your area.

      Kind regards,

      Dee

    • shweta sehgal says

      hi i am from india .My daughter is 7 and she is not too comfortable with creative writing .
      Just wanted to know whether she can join the courseand which one ????

      • Hi Shweta,

        To be honest, I wouldn’t recommend one of the courses for a 7 year old. At this age you want to encourage them to explore their imagination and have fun with story writing.

        If you make it a fun activity, your daughter will become more comfortable with it. I found when my kids were young that it was fun to create a story with them. We created stories together, so we’d think of a topic and then I’d think of what happened next and then my kids would.

        If you and your daughter are looking for ideas for a story, you can find story starters here: http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/story-starters/

        I hope this helps.

        Kind regards,

        Dee

  4. Hi Dee

    My soon to be 13 year old has asked for a creative writing course for her birthday. She’s in an accelerated learning program at school and I was wondering if the kids writing course would be suitable for her or whether it would be too ‘young’ for her.

    She recently borrowed “Juicy writing : inspiration and techniques for young writers” by Brigid Lowry, which she is enjoying. Any recommendations for which course would suit her best would be greatly appreciated.

    Thanks in advance for your help.

    • Hi Karin,

      Thanks for your enquiry. That’s wonderful that your daughter is such an enthusiastic writer.

      I really don’t think the kids’ writing courses would be too ‘young’ for her. They are quite complex and have the flexibility for the writer to take on as much or as little information and interaction as they want. There’s also a lot of flexibility with the writing activities. If your daughter is quite advanced, she’d probably enjoy the What Happens Next course which goes through the shaping of a story from creating a beginning that hooks to reader to writing a strong finish.

      I hope this helps. Feel free to ask if you have any further questions.

      Dee

  5. Hi,

    I have a 7 year old child, who wants to do a writing course. We live in UK. Please let us know,
    can you offer us a course online. Please reply to my Email ID.

    Thanks
    Sudha

  6. I’m interested in more information for my 6th grader. Any classes in Jersey City, NJ? or nearby?

    • Hi Lana,

      Thanks for your enquiry. I’m actually based in Australia, but I have quite a few students in the USA who do my classes online. If you want to know if there are any authors teaching classes in your area, you could look up your local SCBWI (Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators). They might know someone who takes classes locally.

      I hope this helps.

      Dee

  7. Hello Dee. I just signed up and paid for your adult writing class ‘What Happens Next?’ I paid with Paypal but I failed to find a place for me to register. Please help me get started. Thank you.

  8. Hi, My five yr old wants to write, she already made couple of story books, I hope I can help her.she does not have enough vocabulary and the sense of spellings completely.Is there a book I can get some ideas to help her write .Thanks

    • Hi, it’s great that your five year old wants to write. To be honest, I’d be reluctant to give her any books on writing or formal instruction at this stage because you wouldn’t want to stifle her creativity. You can develop her vocabulary by reading lots and lots of books to her and introducing her to new words that way. I wouldn’t be worrying about her spelling at this stage. This is something she will learn at school. I hope this helps:)

      Dee

  9. Peju Olawepo says

    Hi Dee,

    I would like to sign up my 8 year old daughter for your Writing classes for Kids course. Is it still running? We live in Lagos,Nigeria. Please let me know.
    Thanks,
    Paige

  10. Hi …my daughter is nearly 7 and is interested in writing stories . We live in the uk . . When u say online …is the child able to see you ? Please let me know .
    Thanks Raj

    • Hi Raj,

      Thanks for your enquiry. The online classes are done via email so the child isn’t able to see me. I decided not to run them based on Skyping because sometimes people’s internet connections aren’t good, and also doing them by email allows for more flexibility.

      To be honest, I wouldn’t normally recommend that a 7 year old do the courses unless they are very keen to do them. The courses are quite complex with a lot of information and tips and a set task at the end of each session, and I’d hate to think of a young writer feeling pressured by this and having the stress of it affect their creativity and enjoyment of writing. But if you feel your daughter is up to the challenge, and you have more questions, feel free to email me Dee@deescribe.com.au

      If you think the courses might not be for your daughter, you can encourage her to write by reading to her and talking about what she likes about the stories and why she likes them. You can use characters or lines from a book as story starters to help your daughter write. The main thing to keep in mind is that stories have a beginning, a middle and an end. Don’t be disheartened if your daughter has trouble thinking of endings for her stories. Writing endings is quite hard and it’s not usually something that kids master until they are quite a bit older than your daughter.

      You can also look online for story starter ideas.

      I hope this helps.

      Kind regards,
      Dee

  11. hey im 12 and i really wanna be a writer but im not so sure

  12. Hannah Chan says

    Hi Dee, I cam across your website while browsing. My 9 year old daughter is a very keen writer and is constantly being commended at school for her writing. However, I feel that she needs to have some help with developing original ideas and write down a more engaging story.
    Apart from the 6 week course you are offering above, is there more structure for other courses apart from just heroes and villains? Or the course is just six weeks and finishes after that? If she wants to continue, can she go on further? Will there be marking of her work for each week?

    • Hi Hannah,

      Thanks for your enquiry. It’s great that your daughter is a keen writer. I also have a ‘Spark Your Imagination’ course that’s good for helping young writers think up new story ideas. The way the courses work are that I send out a session which your daughter will work through. There’s an activity at the end of each session that she will complete and send back to me, and I provide feedback on it. In June, I plan to start a new program called Story Steps where students will be able to work through an entire story over a number of sessions and I will provide tips and feedback on their work. More information about Story Steps will be available on this blog in coming weeks.

      I hope this helps.

      Please feel free to ask if you require more information.

      Dee

  13. My daughter loves to write, do you have any short courses happening in Nedlands. Thanks

    • Hi Wilfred,

      I’m based in Australia and all my courses are run online. I provide information and tips about writing, an activity for each session and feedback on the writing activity completed.

      Kind regards,

      Dee

  14. Hi Dee

    I was browsing to look for an online writing course for my 10 year old son who is passionate about writing stories and has always excelled in writing creative stories. But from his assessment paper I noticed that he is less advanced in exposition/argument type of writing and he also admits that when there is an argument among his friends, he usually always loses it to some other boy who seems always win. Also his stories usually start very engaging but ends kind of poorly. I want him to have a more systematic training and planning on how to plan and finish his stories, also be more logical and convincing maybe?

    Which course do you recommend? He is in Grade 4 now and we live in Hong Kong.

    Thanks very much

    • Hi Diana,

      Thanks for your post. It’s always great to meet an enthusiastic young writer. My current classes are based around developing certain writing skills like creating characters, planning the story and editing.

      I’m looking at introducing a new course in June which may suit your son better. It’s called Story Steps and has more flexibility in that it allows writers to work on specific areas of need. It’s a little more expensive because it involves more one-on-one interaction and individual lesson preparation. If you’re interested, let me know and I can send you more details. Feel free to email me Dee@deescribe.com.au

      Kind regards,

      Dee

  15. Catherine Ferrell says

    Hi Dee, My son is 8 and will be in 4th grade in the fall. He struggles with writing and gets extra support at school. I am looking for ways to get him writing over the summer that will be fun and engaging. He is smart and creative and has great ideas. It’s mostly a struggle to get those ideas down on paper. Spelling is especially difficult for him but he loves being on the computer so I’m hoping that word processing might take away some of the frustration for him. The expectations in 4th grade are going to be high and I don’t want him to go the whole summer without writing. What are you thoughts about signing him up for your 8-10 program?
    Thanks, Catherine

    • Hi Catherine,

      To be honest, my 8 to 10 program might not be the best way to go because it sounds like your son needs something to build his confidence and he might feel a bit disheartened if he can’t write about the things he wants to. Word processing is definitely a great way to take away some of the frustration. If he’s a fast thinker, having someone type his stories to start with, might also help to boost his confidence.

      At the moment I’m working on introducing a new course/program to help kids like your son. It’s called Story Steps and it would involve individual sessions working at encouraging him to celebrate his strengths and work on developing areas that he has trouble with. Have you read any books by Jackie French? She’s a well known Australian children’s author who writes fabulous books and she has dyslexia. I always use her as an example to show kids how you don’t have to be a good speller to be a great writer, you just need a good editor.

      Feel free to email me Dee@deescribe.com.au if you have any questions or want more information.

      Kind regards,

      Dee

  16. yuan ling says

    Hi

    I am a working adult, I would like to enrol the writing class for adult.

    Can you provide me details of the adult writing course?

    Thanks

    Best Regards
    Yuan Ling
    012 372 9330

    • Dear Yuan,

      There are four different courses that adults can take. They are ‘Spark Your Imagination’, ‘Building Characters’, ‘What Happens Next’ and ‘Editing and Submitting’.

      All courses are completed online via email.

      Each course for adults costs $80 and has six sessions.

      The way the sessions work is that I send you out the notes and you work through them and do the activity at the end which you email to me and I send my feedback on your writing with the notes for your next session.

      More information about each course can be found here: http://writingclassesforkids.com/products/writing-classes/

      If you have any further questions, please feel free to email me Dee@Deescribe.com.au

      Kind regards,

      Dee

  17. Hi Dee –

    I have a 10 year old niece who isn’t that comfortable with writing – maybe because she’s left-handed. I’m not sure. She’s a good speller, very articulate and a darn good storyteller. But she’s had some problems with reading comprehension (she did attend summer school and did well). Now it’s almost time to head back to school and I want to see her become more confident about her writing – and enjoy it.

    I’m intrigued by the idea that you offer courses for 8-10 year olds. And I’m particularly interested in your course on pets and animals – a topic my niece loves (we have a dog and a cat). Is that course appropriate for her age group? Or what would you recommend. It just seems that this is a good time to help my niece with her writing as she’s going into the 5th grade, before the pressures of middle school and beyond.

    Thanks for any help you can give us:)

    Karen

    • Hi Karen,

      I’m sorry it has taken me a while to get back to you. I’ve had a few urgent writing deadlines.

      Your niece is very lucky to have an aunty like you who cares about her and wants to encourage her love for storytelling.

      It sounds like the Pets and Animals course would be very suited to her, particularly as she loves animals.

      The course does look at elements of story like characters and plot and story problems, so this might also help her with comprehension – because it could encourage her to consider what the author is doing in stories she is reading.

      I found with my own children that activities at primary school tended to stifle their creativity and love of storytelling – and in fact this is what prompted me to set up the courses in the first place.

      Please let me know if you have any other questions.

      Kind regards,

      Dee

  18. Hello Dee
    I cannot find the ‘story steps’ course which you have mentioned in previous comments. Is it part of one of the other courses?

    And is there a reduced rate if you buy more than 1 course?
    Thanks
    Stephanie (on behalf of my 12yo)

  19. Hi Dee,

    I would like to say thank you for offering such a wonderful online writing classes. My son, Keith, just finished his first course, SPARK YOUR IMAGINATION – STORY IDEAS. I could say that all the weekly notes and writing activities gave him a big help. He enjoyed doing the writing activities and reading your personal comments in the past 6 weeks. We will come back for another writing class soon!

    Thanks & best regards,
    Grace

  20. Jane Stewart says

    Hi Dee

    My daughter and a few of her friends are very keen to undertake your courses this year. I am looking at enrolling my daughter in all of your 5 courses for kids and was wondering of you had a recommended order to undertake them in.

    Thanks

    Jane

    • Hi Jane,

      Thank you for your enquiry.

      It’s always great to hear about enthusiastic young writers.

      The order I’d suggest taking them in would be:

      1. Spark Your Imagination – this course is designed to help writers find inspiration for new ideas for stories.
      2. ‘Heroes and Villains’ and ‘Pets and Animals’ are both courses designed to help build characters to use in a story so I would recommend doing one or both of these next. This is how I work as a writer – I develop my characters first and I decide what’s going to happen to them (I plot my story.)
      3. What Happens Next – This is all about planning the story and writing a strong beginning, middle and end.
      4. Editing – This is the course you would do once you have written the story, and want to polish it to enter it in a competition or submit it to a publisher.

      I hope you find this helpful.

      Feel free to email me if you have any questions.

      Kind regards,

      Dee

      • Jane Stewart says

        Thanks so much Dee. I’ll book her in for the first one. I assume I purchase one after the other rather than all at once.

        Jane

        • Hi Jane,

          Yes book into the courses one at a time is a good idea that way the student doesn’t get too overwhelmed.

          I see you’ve bought the lesson plans.

          These are a good introduction to the writing courses.

          I hope your daughter enjoys them.

          Kind regards,

          Dee

          • Thanks Dee. I have received the email of the lesson plans and first course but none of the links are working. They say the link has expired. Do they have a time frame to them?

          • Thanks for letting me know, Jane.

            I will check the links tomorrow.

            In the meantime, I will email the lesson plans to you.

            Kind regards,

            Dee

  21. Thanks so much Dee – for your quick responses and great help. My daughter is really looking forward to the writing lessons.

    Jane

  22. Hi, My daughter is 8 and in year 4 and accelerated into a 5/6 composite class for English because they do not believe that year 5 is enough extension for her. She is reading and comprehending at a 12 year old level. Should she do the 8-10yo courses or the adult ones. I know she will lose interest if it is not new to her?

    • Hi Rebecca,

      Thanks for your enquiry. The courses are designed for young writers with advanced skills like your daughter so she should find the 8-10yo course challenging.

      I noticed that you emailed me as well. I will respond to your email in more detail.

      Kind regards,

      Dee

  23. Hi I am shreya and 10 year old. I need some help in creative writing basics to advanced writing.

    Kindly advise how to go about it. I am based in Singapore

    • Hi Shreya,

      Thanks for your comment on my blog.

      I have writing online writing classes you can take. Each course has six sessions. At the end of each session, you complete a writing activity and email it to me.
      I give you feedback and writing tips based on what you have written. Then I send you out the notes for the next session.

      The first course I recommend is ‘Spark Your Imagination’. This course helps you think up ideas for stories.

      You can find out more about my online writing classes here: http://writingclassesforkids.com/products/writing-classes/

      Please let me know if you have any questions.

      Happy writing:)

      Dee

  24. Hi,
    My home-schooled 13 year old daughter is passionate about creative writing. She has taken a few other on-line writing classes that she has loved! We are just looking for something new and a little more affordable 🙂 How are the online classes set up? Is there an online “class-room” or does she email you her work and then you give feedback? Do the classes start on any given day? Or is there a start and end day? Thank you for any info.
    Anna

    • Hi Anna,

      Thanks for your enquiry. It’s always great to hear about enthusiastic young writers like your daughter.

      The way the classes are set up is that there are six sessions in every course. After payment is received, I send out the first lesson. It has information and tips about writing and a writing activity at the end which the young writer completes and then sends back to me. I send them feedback on their writing with notes for the next session.

      Please let me know if you have any further questions.

      Kind regards,

      Dee

      • ok great! This sounds like a good option for us! Set-up a little differently than what she has been doing, but much more affordable, and sometimes different is better! 🙂 Do you recommend one class over another for a 13 year old who has done some writing classes in the past? Thanks again.

        • Hi Anna,

          Apologies for the delay in replying to your comment.

          I usually suggest students start with Spark Your Imagination. But if they already have lots of great ideas then they can start with Heroes and Villains, which is all about developing characters for stories.

          Kind regards,

          Dee

  25. Hello

    Which town and country are the classes held?

    Thanks

    Leesa

    • Hi Leesa,

      Sorry for the delay in responding to your comment.

      The courses are held online. They have been specifically designed so that students can take them from anywhere in the world.

      Kind regards,

      Dee

  26. Hi Dee,

    I’m looking to purchase a class for my twin boys they are 9 years old and need help with their writing skills. Would I be able to buy one class for both of them or would have I have to purchase two classes? Thanks. Lisa

  27. I am looking for classes for my 8 year old, she is going to 3rd grade in sept.
    Let me know about other details of your classes like venue, cost, duration, content etc

    • Hi Shweta,

      Unfortunately, the only classes I’m currently offering are online.

      There are six sessions in each course.

      Each session is emailed to the student. The session contains information, tips and a writing activity at the end for the student to complete and send back to me.

      I email my feedback together with the notes for the next session.

      The six sessions can be taken over six weeks or longer depending on the needs and other commitments of the student.

      More about the courses can be found here: http://writingclassesforkids.com/products/writing-classes/

      Please let me know if you have any questions about this.

      Kind regards,

      Dee

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