Creative Writing Summer Workshop

Brookline MA

21 June, 2021

6:53 PM

Description

Hi! My name is Ashley Xu, and I am a rising junior at The Winsor School in Boston. I am holding a summer writing workshop this July for 6th to 9th-grade students who are interested in creative writing, especially those who are looking to enter the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, the largest and most prestigious writing competition for middle and high school students in the nation (https://www.artandwriting.org/). This workshop will be taught from my personal experience using examples of my own writing. I believe that as a student myself, I can provide practical tips that will help young writers overcome real, everyday challenges that I have personally experienced as well. We will examine my pieces that placed in Scholastic and analyze the artistic choices that made them successful. Students will learn how to choose writing topics, defeat author’s block, plan out their Scholastic submissions step-by-step, and more.Tutor Qualifications Started creative writing in sixth gradeParticipated in the 2018, 2019, and 2021 Scholastic Art & Writing AwardsTwo National Gold Medals in the short story and personal essay categoriesOne National Silver Medal in the flash fiction categoryNumerous Regional Gold and Silver KeysRecognized in the National Bluefire Writing Contest and several literary magazines, such as Stone SoupEditor for Winsor’s school newspaperMore than one year’s experience with one-on-one tutoring for 5th to 9th-grade students in English and writing; designed personalized curriculums that met each student’s needs Workshop Schedule The tentative time is 1:30 - 3:00 pm EST, although it can be adjusted depending on popular need A sample syllabus may be provided upon request Session 1 (7/17): Introduction to creative writing Introduction to the Scholastic Art & Writing AwardsWhat makes a good creative writing topic?Case study 1: writing from a generic promptHomework: Pick a topic out of a provided list and outline your ideas Session 2 (7/24): Developing more complex storylines and finding your personal voiceCase study 2: writing from personal experienceCase study 3: thinking outside of the box Homework: write a first draft of your piece Session 3 (7/31): More advanced writing techniques and the revision processCase study 4: creating a more sophisticated storyStep-to-step guide on how to submit to the Scholastic Art & Writing AwardsHomework: revise your piece Session 4 (8/7): Optional in-person open mic: share your stories with your classmatesNext steps: getting personalized feedback from me Logistics All sessions will be held on Zoom, with the exception of Session 4, which will be held in-person if possible (remote students will be to participate over Zoom). Students have the option of registering for individual sessions or all four, although taking all four is highly recommended. The cost for each session is $15, and all proceeds will be donated to Mass General Hospital. Payments must be made at least a day in advance to the session via this link. Please write a comment with your donation that says “Scholastic Summer Workshop for [your student’s name]”. However, as I believe education should be made available to everyone, please let us know if you have any financial difficulties. Register here: https://forms.gle/ubAHsPMrgQKr2aG37 For further inquiries: please contact me at: Email: [email protected] (attn: writing workshop) WeChat: zhiqizhou2005 Instagram: @aa.tutoring (attn: writing workshop)