Sharon Watson

Writing Fiction [in High School]: Bringing Your Stories to Life! Sharon Watson

Publisher Marketing: Does your teen love to write stories? Does he or she want to be a positive Christian influence in the world through fiction? Sharon Watson, author of Apologia Press's popular middle school writing curriculum JUMP IN, offers Writing Fiction [in High School], an exciting, new textbook specially designed for your homeschool, private school, or Christian teen. Writing Fiction [in High School] is written to the student in a conversational tone and requires only minimal parental/teacher guidance. It's packed with literally hundreds of age-appropriate, real-fiction examples from classics, best-sellers, and movies so students can learn how to write their own intriguing short stories or novels. Your students will study and practice essential elements of storywriting and learn to critique their own work and classmates', too. In addition, they'll discuss important ideas about fiction in their groups formed from class members, co-op classes, or friends. Writing Fiction [in High School] refers to The Last Book in the Universe by Rodman Philbrick (sold separately) in many of its chapters. Sharon Watson recommends buying that book and using it with the textbook. That way, students can more easily see how a complete novel and its elements work as they discuss characters, characterization, setting, meaningful discriptions, dialogue, voice, plot, scenes, conflict, the hero's journey, and much, much more. A manuscript track is included in the text so students who have written a short story or novel manuscript may work on it during this course. This track is completely optional. Prerequisites: none. Be sure to check out Writing Fiction [in High School]: Teacher's Guide, a practical guide that contains an answer key to the textbook along with suggestions on how to facilitate discussions. Contributor Bio:  Watson, Sharon Angela Parker is an independently published author from south Texas, whom in 2014 shook the e-dust from more than a decade's worth of poems, short stories, and novels in order to finish them and send them out into the world. Much of her work is steeped in darkness and drama; this is in direct contradiction to her life, which she keeps blissfully bright and drama free. She enjoys writing in many styles and genres. She developed her love for writing under the tutelage of a few very important women in her life, including her mother who enjoyed writing poetry, but never shared it with the world. She has incredibly vivid and interesting dreams that provide much of the inspiration for her poems and stories. She sometimes writes about herself in the third person if the standard practice demands it, but she remains adamant that it feels bizarre, and she has yet to establish any level of comfort while doing so.