Stories, Scripts & More! High School Creative Writing

Some kids are naturally creative.

Some kids are natural writers.

And even when those both show up in the same kiddo, strong creative writing rarely comes naturally. The vivid details that create a story in our minds, the structure that keeps a reader from straying to those dings coming from their phone, not to mention the bravery to even share their writing…those aren’t things that just happen.

That’s where a great writing program or teacher comes in.

Shopping for homeschool curriculum can be overwhelming. Simplify the process by starting with the ideas below & then see where that leads you.

Who should actually take a creative writing class?

If you have a teen who constantly writes stories, journals for fun, or dreams up characters, it probably feels like an obvious fit. But they’re not the only ones who can benefit from creative writing in middle or high school.

• For reluctant writers who struggle with the structure & expectations that accompany academic essays, creative writing can feel more approachable because there aren’t so many ‘rules’.
• By-the-book, black-and-white thinkers often struggle with the open-ended nature of creative writing. They may resist at first, but learning to play with words and ideas can stretch their thinking and build confidence.
• And STEM-loving teens? Creative writing can encourage their imagination and build communication skills in ways algebra never will.

Homeschool Creative Writing Curriculum

A typical complete language arts course rarely includes more than a short unit on creative writing. Instead, they have the student focus on more typical styles, like research papers and persuasive essays. A standalone creative writing curriculum, particularly ones that come from authors who really love writing fiction, may be the answer.

Is your budding author in middle school? Many of these options could be used for a kiddo in 8th grade, maybe even 7th grade, depending on their skills and the amount of parental involvement available.

1. Don’t Forget to Write

My boys dreaded writing. And then Don’t Forget to Write happened. They became kiddos who begged to do writing every day. There are two things that, I think, set this program apart from other creative writing programs. First, it’s written by an afterschool program that’s all about getting kids excited to write. Second, creative writing activities form the springboard for the writing activity.

What’s a lesson like?  First, no two lessons are going to look the same — not in content, format, or length of time. If a predictable pattern isn’t your thing, keep scrolling because this program will make you bonkers. The activity portion is written to the adult and includes a supply list, an estimate of time, and instructions. Since we adapted the curriculum to a homeschool setting, we found the time estimate to be higher than we needed. After the activity, your student will write a creative piece inspired by the activity.

Parental Involvement: This is not an open-and-go curriculum, nor is it a program you can just hand to your teens. You’ll need to be involved in the lesson, and since it’s written for groups, you’ll also need to make some adaptations to the lesson.

This would make a great addition to a co-op class or other small homeschool group.

2. Oak Meadow

If you’re looking for a traditional, offline program that won’t last all school year, this Oak Meadow program may be a good choice. (The creative writing portion is only in the first half of the program, while the other half focuses on non-fiction writing.)

What’s a lesson like?  Each lesson clearly lays out a week’s worth of activities. After reading the weekly topic & short stories, your student will be guided to examine, plan, and create various aspects of writing, culminating in a complete, final short story.

Parental Involvement: The program is written to the student, so parental involvement is limited to grading, feedback, and guidance.

While we haven’t used this Oak Meadow language arts program, we have used their Hero’s Journey. The format is similar & I expand on some general thoughts on Oak Meadow in this video.

3. The Creative Writer

From Well-Trained Mind Press (publishers of Story of the World), The Creative Writer is a four-book series for middle & high school. Each year-long level builds upon the others, so they aren’t bound by a “grade level.” And while each level is written as a year-long program, completing it at a slower pace could be a good way to add a little something to your teen’s days without it adding substantially to their existing language arts program.

What’s a lesson like? Each week, the consumable book includes a reading & a related activity, followed by a challenge exercise. The activities build upon each other to guide your student to a longer piece of creative writing. The program also includes a section on poetry.

Parental Involvement: While the books are written toward your high schooler, this program is meant for a writing relationship, with tips & guidance for the teacher/mentor. The guidance includes example writings, tips to help a stuck writer, questions to help your writer “dig deeper,” etc.

4. Write at Home

In addition to the creative writing assignments inside their year-long courses, Write at Home offers an 8-week creative writing workshop.

What’s a lesson like?  Your student will write several fictional pieces during their writing workshop. Each week is spent either writing a new draft or revising a previously-submitted piece.

Parental Involvement: Since this is an online class, your student can complete it without any parental oversight. Their writing coach provides timely feedback after their initial draft so that they can improve it before their final (graded) submissions.

Creative Writing Curriculum from TpT

Teachers Pay Teachers is a hit-or-miss experience for me. Still, it can be a great spot to look, especially for shorter or one-off activities. I scoured the creative writing curriculum to look for programs that both receive good reviews and appear adaptable to a homeschool setting. A few that may be worth considering:

• This six-unit, semester-long program
• A 9-week program that includes author study, poetry, and fairy tales
• This semester-long program includes science fiction & fantasy, plus grammar practice

Non-Secular Creative Writing Options

These next programs come from Christian publishers, so I’m listing them separately for those who prefer to stick with secular resources. I typically only recommend secular curriculum here, but good creative writing options are surprisingly hard to track down—so I wanted to share them in case they’re helpful for your family. I’m not sure whether the lessons themselves include faith content—just giving you a heads-up so you can decide what works best for your family.

• Compass Classroom offers video-based, self-paced lessons that use classic literature as a basis for teaching creative writing. (They have a sample of 8 lessons that you can use to check out if the course might fit your student.)
• Writing Fiction [In High School]: Bringing Your Stories to Life! is a text-based, full-year curriculum written by a homeschool mom.
• The One Year Adventure Novel is a popular choice for budding novelists. If you’d like to read a longer review, my friend Cynthia over at Inside Our Normal has written a thorough review, so I’ll point you there.

Creative Writing Classes {live & self-paced}

English teachers who love their craft can be just the thing your student needs to guide them through the writing process. For some homeschool families (ours included!), outsourcing writing is a solid choice. Knowing how to write and knowing how to teach writing are very different skills.

If your teen would benefit from guidance that doesn’t come from mom, an online course may fit the bill.

• Brave Writer: Classes include historical fiction & short stories
• Royal Fireworks Press: Creative writing, a poetry course that includes both reading & writing, plus an option for one-on-one instruction
• Write the World hosts virtual writing workshops every summer.
• Creative Writing @ AIM Academy: Live class that includes practicing literary analysis skills in addition to writing all major genres, plus flash memoir and flash fiction.

• The Page-A-Day Aspiring Authors Club from Blue Tent Academy: Accountability, bi-weekly live gatherings, small groups & online discussion forums
• Kids Write Novels: High school-level classes include one on writing graphic novels, young adult fiction, flash fiction, and short stories.
• Creative Writing Workshops from Blue Tent Academy: In each six-week-long summer session, students create three pieces of writing

tl;dr

• Even if your kiddo isn’t naturally creative or enjoys writing, they can benefit from creative writing in high school
• There aren’t many homeschool creative writing curricula available. An online class may be a better option.
• Don’t overlook short workshops or semester-long classes—creative writing doesn’t have to be a full-year commitment.
• Remember, the best creative writing curriculum is the one your homeschool will actually use.