Class

Imagination to Page (for ages 12 to 14)

Welcome to the Loft's Summer Youth program at Open Book! Join us for 4 days of writing and creativity!

SESSION 1:
SPARK NEW IDEAS FOR FICTION WRITING
(for ages 12 to 14, with Kelsey Daly)

Do you love to write, but are sometimes daunted by a blank page? When you're telling a story, do you struggle to come up with new twists and ideas? Do you want to start to build a portfolio of your writing, but don't know where to start? Our week together will be filled with playful writing prompts and activities — serious, silly, and everywhere in between — that will help spark your imagination and get the words flowing from you to the page. Each day, we'll tackle a different craft element — then dive into creative exercises that flex our writing muscles. We'll talk about the writing we love and dissect stunning excerpts from Genie Lo, Elizabeth Acevedo, and Naomi Kritzer. To close our week, we'll talk about the writing life itself: who you are as a writer, how to stay energized creatively, and ways to build and maintain your writing community. Expect to leave class with a notebook overflowing with silly short stories, vivid scenes, and new writing games.

LUNCH AND ENRICHMENT:
We'll break for lunch with more activities that will inspire us to express ourselves while having fun! We may explore Gold Medal Park to seek creativity outside the classroom! Please bring a packed lunch.

SESSION 2:
GET INTO CHARACTER: ACTING 101
(for ages 12 to 14, with John Schaidler)

Drawing on fundamental techniques of Method Acting, students will learn to build great characters piece by piece. Each session focuses on one of Stanislavski’s key principles, guiding students to create authentic heroes from “the inside out.” Step into your protagonist’s shoes; walk away with a proven system for creating memorable characters. Students will learn to create realistic and compelling characters by exploring their interior lives through Konstantin Stanislavski’s groundbreaking approach to acting. Over four engaging sessions, participants will develop characters “from the inside out,” building their motivations, emotions, and actions layer by layer to bring to life on the page.

Explore the Magic If, a powerful tool for putting students in their characters’ shoes. We’ll also learn to identify scene-level objectives and understand how these small, specific goals work toward achieving a character’s super-objective — the driving force behind their story.
By the end of the course, students will walk away with a toolkit for building characters that feel real, dynamic, and emotionally resonant. They will be characters who grow and evolve from the beginning to the end of the story.

Whether for novels and stories, film, or creative nonfiction, this course equips young storytellers with a proven system for bringing memorable characters to life.

Aspiring writers, grab your notebooks and pens, and let’s write at the Loft!