How to Teach Fiction Writing

Every author has an approach to writing fiction. Some plan out every phase of the writing process, while others simply sit down and start. Teaching fiction writing is not about teaching your students one method or another, but about giving them the tools they need to get started so they can decide what works for them.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

1. Take time to get to know your students. Sharing your stories with others can be an intimidating task, particularly for beginning writers. Try to set your class at ease, rather than diving right into the lesson.
2. Explain that the point of writing fiction is the finished story and the methods are just tools. It is easy for students to get caught up in mastering a writing technique and lose track of the big picture. If they want to become accomplished writers, they need to remember that finding your own approach to writing is as important as finding your own voice.
3. Get them into good habits from the beginning. Ideally, each student should be writing every day for at least 45 minutes in a place where he can concentrate.
4. Start with some activities to loosen them up. Get a book of writing activities and assign one every day to get their creative juices flowing. These activities are a great warm-up for writers of all levels.
5. Walk your students through all of the steps involved in pre-writing. Show them how to write a character sketch, a plot synopsis, and a description of the setting. Explain to them that they don't always have to plan out their stories, but that most writers find these activities useful.
6. Do stories of different lengths. Start out with some brief sketches of no more than a page or two describing a single event in the protagonist's life. Progress to longer and longer compositions.
7. Provide plenty of examples. Share stories by different authors to demonstrate characterization, musical language, plot development, and anything else you want to teach your students.