The Art of Storytelling

Objective: to help students build their interest and skill in writing by diving into the intricacies of storytelling.

Week 1: Plot

In the first session, students will practice identifying plot elements and the central conflict in a few short stories and discuss how different elements interact. Later courses will also discuss various plot structures and practice fitting short stories into them.

Week 2: Characters

The second session will focus on characters, including topics like flat vs dynamic characters, character relationships, character arcs, and representation.

Week 3: Theme

In the third session, students will practice identifying a story’s theme and message and discuss what elements of the story most significantly contribute to it.

Week 4: Setting

In the fourth session, students will analyze both how writers create an impactful setting and how a well-designed setting impacts the story.

Week 5: Point of View and Literary Devices

In the fifth session, students will look at the “sprinkles of storytelling”–techniques like an interesting point of view and use of literary devices which, although optional, can dramatically impact a story’s character.

Week 6: Independent Analysis

In the final session, students will pick a story from a short provided list and come up with their own detailed analysis using any combination of the techniques covered in class.