StoryWriting Camp
In StoryWriting Camp we learn how to craft a story like “real” authors — who are no more “real” than ourselves! Really!
Kids ages 8+ spend the week following a narrative arc, setting scenes by showing vs. telling, building tension by focusing on just the right details, creating credible dialogue, and more. And we do it all the LitWits way: making big literary ideas tangible, sensory, and FUN!
Here’s a huge list of amazing things learned,and CCSS met while “just” having creative, memorable fun!
We inspire young writers in creative, kinetic ways:
- Sensory props from great stories: sounds, tastes, odors, objects, and images
- Inspiring excerpts by masterful storytellers
- Fun activities and games that show why certain techniques work
- Engaging art projects that connect us to our own characters and stories
While having all that hands-on fun, we learn
- Narrative arc components and pacing
- Powerful description techniques
- How to effect mood and tone
- Interesting characterization methods
- How to increase and resolve tension
- Intriguing metaphors and similes
- How to emulate the masters
- The power of our own voices
Just look at all these smiling kids and their beautiful handmade books filled with their very own fabulous stories!
We’re always so impressed at how well kids followed the narrative arc, and so pleased that they pick up on the tips and tools we embed in our sensory props, activities, projects, and other fun.
Instructors: Becky and Jenny, sisters and LitWits founders. Jenny has a BA in English literature and an MFA in creative nonfiction and poetry writing. She’s been a K-6 teacher and a K-12 language arts tutor, and her scholarship, essays, and poems have appeared in several journals. She’s the author of MINE, a creative biography set near her home. Becky is a literature-based homeschool teacher and a journalism major who spent four years as a staff writer for The Register Pajaronian. She’s writing the biography of another fascinating woman of Bay Area history.
Hours: 9am – 12pm, Monday through Friday. This camp meets online, via Zoom.
Ages: 8 and up. Our activities are geared to accommodate a range of ages simultaneously.
Cost: The camp cost of $290 includes all supplies, which will be mailed ahead of time. There’s a sibling discount of $10 each that gets deeper with each additional schild.
LitWits is an approved vendor for Ocean Grove Charter School.
Cancellation Policy: If you cancel at least 30 days before the camp, we’ll be happy to issue a full refund. Within 30 days we’ll refund 50%, as we’ve incurred per-child costs by then. Unfortunately, we can no longer offer makeups.
