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ABOUT
The San Jose Area Writing Project launched its Teen Novel Writing Certificate Program in the 2018-2019 academic year; the only program of its kind in the nation geared toward teen novelists.
The first year of the writing certificate program is comprised of two semester long classes taught primarily online to be taken in the fall and spring quarters. The second year of the program is designed to support students in seeing their novels through to completion under the guidance of published authors. This program is designed to be flexible and accommodating of students with already busy schedules who wish to pursue their passion for novel writing in a community of supportive peers.
Because most of the novel writing cohort’s work together occurs online, students can access course materials throughout the day at times that suit their individual schedules. However, concurrent enrollment in the fall and spring Saturday Seminar Program will be required of all writers enrolled in the program, and is included in the tuition costs of the writing certificate program.
As this program is designed to nurture our most serious writers of fiction within a supportive community, an application with 5-10 novel pages from an original manuscript, a statement of intent, and a sample paragraph of written feedback for peers will be required for admission consideration.
Teen Novel
Writing
Program Overview
WHO
Grades 8-12
WHAT
Writing Certificate Program Year 1
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Course 1 (Fall) – Novel I: Novel Beginnings
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Course 2 (Spring) – Novel II: Into The Middle
Writing Certificate Program Year 2
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Course 3 (Fall) – Novel III: The Powerful Lead Up & Explosive Climax
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Course 4 (Spring) – Novel IV: The Aftermath
Writing Certificate Program Year 3
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Course 5 (Fall) – Novel V: After the End
WHEN
Round 1 Application Deadline (early admissions): August 1, 2023
Final Application Deadline: August 26, 2023
Term 1: September 4, 2023 - November 26, 2023
Term 2: February 5, 2024 - April 28, 2024
WHERE
Online (asynchronous lectures & writing submissions + 3 live writing classes per term via zoom)
COST
$800 per Semester Course. SJAWP is dedicated to making our programming accessible and as such all students are encouraged to apply regardless of socio-economic status as scholarships are available to students who need them.
FALL SEMESTER YEAR 1
Novel I: Novel Beginnings
In this course students will study dynamic novel launches from a variety of texts in order to analyze the skills that writers employ to craft captivating first pages. This course is all about exploration and explosive creativity in order to support students in writing stories that incite passion and spark interest. Topics of study will include crafting the ordinary world of the protagonist, what makes a scene, and effective narrative launch devices. A particular focus will be taken on the life and schedule of a writer in order to support students in creating sustainable writing habits. As such the program will host guest authors of published fiction to gain insight into their writing lives and career trajectories. By the end of the course students should have a working draft of the first 30 pages of their novel, though it should be noted that students can expect to write at least twice these pages to fulfill course requirements.
SPRING SEMESTER YEAR 1
Novel II: Novel Writing
Into The Middle
This course will take up where Novel Beginnings left off: by exploring what happens to characters when they leave their ordinary worlds behind and launch into journeys that forever change the trajectory of their lives. Whereas the first novel writing course focused on crafting the ordinary world of the protagonist, this course will additionally focus on exploring secondary characters and subplots in order to create complex and dynamic worlds. A particular focus will be on writing fast and writing strong in order to hit the ground running in the early middle of the novel and to continue structured practice of the habits that allow writers to blast through the initial drafts of their novels.
FALL SEMESTER YEAR 2
Novel III: The Powerful Lead Up and Explosive Climax
In Novel II, young authors created strong, believable characters with defined storylines. In Novel III we turn up the heat on those characters, pushing through the final obstacles and adventures to craft an emotional, dramatic dark moment and moving to an explosive and satisfying climax. Novelists will learn how to turn up the tension by focusing on character’s goals and motivations and raise the stakes of their worlds with complications and obstacles. Novel 3 will also focus on the writing life, teaching and exploring best practices to integrate writing, school, extra-curricular activities and life.
SPRING SEMESTER YEAR 2
Novel IV: The Aftermath
In Novel IV, young authors will learn how to steer their explosive climaxes into emotionally satisfying endings. A particular focus will be on whole-novel and character arcs, making sure young authors are creating dynamic characters with complete emotional arcs and storylines are thorough and lack plot holes. After novel completion, we’ll have a strong focus on self and peer editing, guiding novelists to look at their finished products with a critical eye while not losing their personal voices in the editing process.
FALL SEMESTER YEAR 3
Novel V: After the End
Now that you’ve finished your novel, it’s time to polish it up! Novel V picks up right after Novel IV, with young authors putting the finishing touches on their books, including editing and reworking scenes and storylines with an eye toward publishing. In this course, novelists will use techniques that authors and editors use to polish up their finished works, including workshopping and self-editing. Young authors will learn how to balance their storylines, tighten up technique, and read and critique with an editor’s eye.
About the
Instructors
Jane Gilmore
Year 1 instructor Jane Gilmore is an Associate Director of the San Jose Area Writing Project. She is a teacher with over a dozen years of experience in both the classroom and leading professional development for teachers. She has a Masters in education and two teaching credentials (in English and Social Studies) from the University of California at Santa Barbara and a Certificate in Novel Writing from Stanford University Continuing Studies. Aside from working on her own manuscripts, Jane’s favorite endeavor is supporting students in developing their own novels and creative talents. More likely than not, your students have played her original creative writing games at a Saturday Seminar, and she looks forward to helping nourish and flourish the careers of some of our brightest young writers.
Hannah Jayne
Year 2 instructor Hannah Jayne is the author of the UNDERWORLD DETECTION AGENCY CHRONICLES from Kensington books and the young adult thrillers TRULY, MADLY, DEADLY, SEE JANE RUN, THE DARE, and THE ESCAPE, available from Sourcebooks, Inc. When she’s not battling the demons of the Underworld or tackling a murderer at Hawthorne High, Jayne kicks her feet up in her San Francisco bay area home with her rock star husband, daughter, and their three enormous cats.
YEAR 1 NOVEL WRITING STUDENT
Sydney
This program has helped me develop so many useful writing skills! I love being able to interact with people who enjoy writing and reading as much as I do. It’s such a great community!
YEAR 1 NOVEL WRITING STUDENT
Riya
The Novel Writing Program is an excellent way for aspiring writers to learn the skills to really develop/perfect their budding novels. Although it goes in depth and teaches in a very detailed way, it is concise and easy to understand, and the program runs in a way that you can mold to fit your schedule, rather than strict due dates that you otherwise may not be able to reach every week.
NOVEL WRITING PARENT
Terri
My son Brandon loves the Novel Writing Program, he has been interested in writing fiction for a long time, and this program has been a great way to focus his efforts. This is his favorite extracurricular activity, and he’s making great progress on his novel.
FAQ
How does a student apply for the program?
Students can access the online application here. Please note that the application requires several documents to be uploaded: 5 novel pages (12 point Times New Roman, double spaced font) and a brief synopsis, a statement of intent that introduces the student and outlines his/her goals for the program, and a paragraph of written feedback on a writing sample provided within the application packet.
Why do students need to provide a paragraph of sample feedback for a peer?
Our program is dependent upon a community of dedicated writers who support one another throughout the writing process. As such, it is imperative that students develop positive and constructive relationships with one another. The San Jose Area Writing Project expects that all students conduct themselves in a positive manner and maintain respectful interactions with peers and instructors at all times. Giving and receiving feedback is sensitive in nature and students must demonstrate the ability to communicate feedback in a compassionate yet constructive manner in order to be considered for admission into the program.
Will students get feedback from the instructor as well as peers?
In addition to peer feedback, students will receive written feedback from the instructor on the pages that they submit every two weeks. Students will also receive individual guidance at the end of each quarter giving them direction and goals for novel progress in between courses. In addition to bi-weekly discussions that focus on feedback for specific students who have signed up to workshop their writing, students may opt to sign up for an additional individual online chat of up to 30 minutes with the instructor to develop plans for novel progression and improvement.
What is the weekly time commitment of the program?
The Novel Writing Certificate Program is designed to accommodate students with already busy schedules. Students can choose to complete the coursework in their own time, as long as due dates for specific assignments are adhered to. Students can expect to spend 2-4 hours per week on coursework including but not limited to reading lectures, articles, and mentor texts; responding to discussion questions; crafting original novel pages for their manuscripts; providing peer feedback; and engaging in online discussions via Google Hangout and/or Zoomt.
Are scholarships available for students in need?
The San Jose Area Writing Project wants to encourage all students who are interested to apply, regardless of socioeconomic status. We are currently working on an application to offer merit-based scholarships to a select number of students in need. Any student who is interested in applying for financial assistance should indicate so on his/her/their application. In addition to the merit-based scholarships, SJAWP always offers discounted admission to students who qualify for free and reduced lunch. To qualify for reduced admission students must submit a letter from their school district stating that they qualify for free and reduced lunch.
My student just found out about the Novel Writing Program. Can (s)he/they join the program mid-year?
Our program depends upon a community of dedicated writers who follow each other’s novel writing progress closely and work to support one another throughout the process. As such, a new cohort of students will be introduced on an annual basis and admission only occurs once a year in the summer.
What happens at the end of the year?
At the end of the year students will be awarded a Level 1 Certificate in Novel Writing from the San Jose Area Writing Project. SJAWP hopes to add a second year curriculum starting in the Fall of 2019 so that students who wish to be considered for re-admission into the project can continue working with their cohorts on their novel manuscripts.
What should my student do in between courses? How should they keep up with their novel writing projects?
Students are encouraged to stay engaged with their writing cohorts throughout the year, even when courses are not in session. During the summer, students who are able should enroll in SJAWP’s summer programming, including the Writing Workshop and the Teen Writers Institute.
Who should I contact with additional questions about the program?
Please refer any inquiries to Jane Gilmore, Associate Director of SJAWP in charge of the Novel Writing Certificate Program. Jane can be reached at jane.gilmore@sjsu.edu.