Class Description
*Note: Parents/guardians must complete this permission form online if your teen is under 18.* Unlike previous forms, you only need to fill this out ONE TIME, not for every class. If you cannot remember whether you have already filled it out, please email [email protected] and we will check for you!
If you do not complete the form, registrations could be voided and the cancellation policy will apply. If the student is 18, simply let us know at [email protected]
Class Description:
Just in time for the bittersweet horror that is Valentine's Day, this class will explore the idea of romance in literature and writing.
How do these relationships oversimplify plots and take our focus away from bigger and more complex relationships and themes in our writing? In this class we're going to probe the conventional romantic story arc for its weak spots and then explode it!
We'll explore the various ways romance moves a plot, and how to keep its trajectory fresh and interesting, as well as learn how to utilize both romantic and platonic relationships in ways that we typically don't see in traditional literature. With examples from our readings, prompts, and lots of discussion, we're going to breathe life into old tropes, shake up the love story, break up stale mechanisms, and create new structures for one of the most classic character motivations and cheat codes used in fiction. We'll mess with Shakespeare, fool around with Carmen Maria Machado, and cheat on all those fairy tales that end with someone kissing someone.
Takeaways:
You'll leave with the beginnings of several new stories as well as several analytical and tactical tips to approaching romance in your work.
Want to learn more about GrubStreet's teen summer writing fellowship and spend some time working on your application? Come early to our February YAWP Saturday for a brief info session and submit-a-thon! Be sure to sign up here so we can get a sense of numbers.
Who Should Register?
For writers ages 13 - 18 ONLY. Writing notebooks are available, but feel free to bring your own.
Remember, parents/guardians must also complete this permission form online before the start of the class. Otherwise, registrations could be voided and the cancellation policy will apply. If the student is 18, simply let us know at [email protected]
*If you are registering on behalf of your teen, add their email information in the “For a Friend or Child?” field on the right-hand side of the screen before you check out. This will send them a direct link and reminder to create their own profile with GrubStreet.
(After adding the class to your cart, click "Checkout" and click “Add” next to “For a Friend or Child?” on the right-hand side to fill in their email. This is an easy way of linking the class to your child and encourages them to create their own account.)
Thanks to the excellent literary citizenship of our donors, scholarships are available for all GrubStreet classes. To apply, click the gray "APPLY FOR SCHOLARSHIP" button. In order to be considered for a scholarship, you must complete your application at least one week before the start date of a class. Please await our scholarship committee's decision before registering for the class. We cannot hold spots in classes, so the sooner you apply, the better. Scholarships cannot be applied retroactively.
For more detailed information about GrubStreet scholarships, including how to contribute to scholarship funds for other students, click here.
This class will take place using Zoom videoconferencing. After registering, a yellow Resources tab will appear in this section containing a link to join class. Please note that you will need to be logged into view the Resources tab.
Zoom Participation:
In our experience, the intimate nature of a writing workshop benefits from on-camera participation. Students are of course welcome to turn their camera off whenever they need to, but it is a community norm for cameras to be on most of the time. You can learn more about using Zoom here.
Zoom Accessibility:
You can enable closed captioning at any time during the meeting by clicking the CC button at the bottom of the screen. If you'd like to access the transcript after class, please make sure to let your instructor ahead of time that you'd like a copy.