Are great writers geniuses who write the perfect novel in one shot?

No! The truth? Great writers are RE-WRITERS.

Authors revisit their work constantly. Hemingway rewrote the last page of Farewell to Arms 39 times! 

That’s why we put so much stock in showing your kids the revision process. 

The first draft might come in a flash. But the tweaking, the tinkering, the fixing-up, paring down, and playing around… that’s what makes a story sing!

Powerful Fiction Techniques offers a fun exploration into the foundational skills of rewriting.

Class Overview

Made With You in Mind

In revision, the writer might ask

  • Is that the right word?
  • Should I spell this out for the reader?
  • Would some details help visualize this?
  • Does this make sense for this character?

Revision is the writer’s second chance. They return to the first draft as a reader to enhance their vision, finetune the details, or amp up the mood.

Designed for high school students who are passionate about fiction and are ready to explore revision techniques deeply, Powerful Fiction Techniques blends appealing, enjoyable writing with the concrete, tangible skills of revision.

Each week includes two writing assignments:

  • A prompt that asks the student to explore their characters and story in a new way
  • A technique exercise that guides students to revise their earlier prompt

By the way, revision is the finesse work that leads to artful writing—in any genre. We’re beefing up composition and revision muscles. This growth translates to every area of writing including essays, personal narratives, and discussion pieces.

Come and let your teen experience what revision can do to pages of words! 

It’s a cold hard world out there? Not here!

You should know—at Brave Writer®, we don’t just care about the writing. We also care deeply about the writer. Our coach is an instant mentor and ally—investing in each plot line, story idea, or sensory detail. 

We meet your kids where they are, starting with their personal writing goals. Writers have the option to generate new material from an existing story, start from scratch with a new idea, or approach each week as a blank slate.

Writing can be a solitary process! This class doubles as a hangout for a community of teen writers. Students are given space to support each other and have conversations that mimic a ‘real-life’ teen writing group. 

Week by Week

Week One

Students begin with a writing prompt to explore the sense of taste. They then apply a new technique to the original writing as they rewrite in a different narrative mode. 

Week Two

After a writing session where students explore the sense of hearing, they’ll rewrite the piece with a new element of their choice: as if it were a dream, in the passive voice, or using extended metaphor. 

Week Three

The sense under examination this week is touch. With that freewrite accomplished, students will explore a variation on the piece using animism or a character/landscape as animal. Imagination abounds here! 

Week Four

Exploration of the sense of smell will lead students to new arenas of vivid writing. They’ll end the week with a rewrite using language play. Think spoonerisms and anagrams! 

Registration Details

Join Us!

Tuition:
$239 per student
Recommended Ages:

13 - 18

Class Size:
25 students
Class Length:
4 weeks
Class Type:
  • High School

There are currently no upcoming sessions scheduled for this class.

Word on the Street

I feel that I am walking away from this class not only with a new story, but also with a whole new array of tools, shiny and alluring, ready to be put to use.

Amy, 13

All I can say is that being able to complete challenging exercises has given me a lot more confidence in my writing skills.

Katrin, 15

Through using more complete descriptions I felt a shift in my writing, as it moved from flatter and direct to experimental. I felt compelled to use words I never had before and to describe things in more creative ways. 

Maggie, 14

I learned A LOT of new techniques. I have never taken a class that has delved so deep into various techniques. I didn't know about a lot of the things we covered.

Tim, 17

More Information

Sample class login

Want to see how our classroom works? Test drive a sample class complete with real class readings, assignments, and instructor comments!

Follow these instructions:

  1. Navigate to class.bravewriter.com. If you are a current student, you’ll need to log out in the upper right corner before proceeding.
  2. Log in using these credentials:
    Username: [email protected]
    Password: Brave1
  3. Next, you will land on our Family Dashboard. You'll find a Parent icon and a Student icon to represent classes where the parent or the student is the primary participant. Click on Parent to view parent participation classes. To find classes with direct student-instructor interaction, click on Student.
  4. Click on the class name of interest and start reading posts!
How Our Classes Work Download a class summary
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