Minneapolis Public Schools

Use your writing to present a solid, cohesive message to your target audience. Understand how marketing principles can be applied to written communication to make you and your copy come alive. Complete your registration online: ed2go.com/mplscommed. New class sessions begin monthly.

Grab your instruments (your pen and writing voice). Warm up and find your groove (writing prompts). Riff with your band (classmates). This class is intentionally flexible and interactive. It’s all about stepping into the creative process with no plan, enjoying the ride, and harnessing the sparks of inspiration that ignite when writers hang out together. Prompts are all over the place, wide open to interpretation, and quick enough to keep your imagination and pen moving every which way. Expect sprints, word pools, and short springboards that get you writing pieces you otherwise would not. Riffing happens when we share our writing, chat casually in response, and collect hooks that call to us along the way. It’s amazing how creative energy expands when we’re together, and how it opens doors to interpret ideas in fresh and imaginative ways. Open to all writing levels, whether first timers or experienced sages.

Want to write about your memories but don’t know where to start? Explore your creativity through a variety of writing prompts in a fun and supportive environment. This is not a critique class.

Designed specifically for those with little to no fiction writing experience, find your pathway towards your fiction writing goals. Learn the basic building blocks of story: character, plot and setting. Then find out the different forms of fiction writing and some of the genres you might like to explore. Whether you’ve never written a word of fiction, or haven’t written since high school or college, you will complete the course with the skills you need to get started. Create a new work of fiction, or revive an old one that’s been sitting in your bottom drawer. Courses are online and asynchronous, meaning students may login to the classroom anytime during the course session, day or night, 24/7. For more information, go to our Online Professional Development Certificates & Courses FAQ Class details: Unit 1: The building blocks of story Character Conflict Setting Plot and story structure Short story versus novel Who are we writing for? Unit 2: Character and conflict Protagonists and antagonists Secondary characters Character archetypes Character desires, conflicts and stakes Dialogue Unit 3: Setting and plot Contemporary versus fantastical and historical settings Setting as character Three act plot structure and the hero’s journey Time jumps and flashbacks Prologues and epilogues Unit 4: Putting it all together Strategies for outlining Character-driven versus plot-driven outlines Overcoming writer’s block Researching markets Creating a marketing plan

Do you think you're a budding Arthur Miller, Tennessee Williams, August Wilson, or Lorraine Hansberry? Come join us to explore your idea for your play. It might be an ensemble piece or a one-person performance piece. We will listen to each other's ideas, brainstorm our ideas, and write and workshop five or more pages you've written on the day of the last class. You will also learn playwrighting format.

Learn the definitions of grief and ways we all have and will experience grief. We will read poetry in a variety of styles and from a variety of time periods related to the experience of grief before we write poetry related to our own experiences with grief. Grief is not one thing or another, there is not one way. Grief can feel hard and isolating, it can also feel empowering and clarifying. Poetry can be a very helpful way to begin processing grief and to come back to as a way to connect and reflect. This class is not meant to be an intro to poetry but there is no previous education needed.

Everyone is creative but we seldom believe it. Come join other writers as we experiment and play with a variety of writing prompts to invoke the muse. No writing experience necessary, only a desire to write.

You want to write a children’s book and don’t know where to start? By taking this course, you’ll learn how to target your audience, write relatable characters, and gain knowledge on story organization. You’ll also understand how you can do this in your spare time and on a limited budget. As we go through the guidelines to master your own children’s book, you’ll leave this course with a solid start on your own original story, and advice on pitfalls to avoid. Topics of illustrations, copyrighting, and publishing are also covered. Don’t wait for “some day” to publish your own book.

Join us to write about the personal experiences and life events that have impacted you. We will generate ideas and share with the class; including possible titles, audience for your writing, etc. At the end of five weeks, each person will share five or more pages of their life event writing. Everyone will give you constructive feedback on your efforts. Don't be afraid to go to sad, scary, angry, or hilarious places with your writing. This is a safe space!

Do you have the next "Oppenheimer" or "Fall of the House of Usher" or a great idea for a short film or web-series, but you wonder where to begin? Learn the basics of screenwriting from a logline and synopsis, to screenplay formatting. We will share our work during the final two classes, getting peer and instructor feedback.

Sunny, funny, “happy ending” stories are what we often assume audiences want to read and hear. But the meaning in our lives also lies in our difficult stories: the secrets, mistakes, traumas and crises we’ve survived. How do we write and tell those riskier stories in a way that invites the listener in with honesty and vulnerability? This workshop uses readings, discussion, handouts and writing/telling exercises to approach the challenges of working on difficult personal narratives, shifting the creative process from intimidating to rewarding. Taught by writer/actor/storyteller Amy Salloway.

Writing about your own life can take many forms: personal essay, novel-length memoir, short stories, online blog, even performance monologues. This all-levels class uses writing exercises, readings and discussion to cover the vital tools that make narrative writing compelling and memorable: finding the heart of your story, identifying conflict and action, creating specificity and detail, and building scenes and structure. Taught by writer/actor/storyteller Amy Salloway.

Autobiographical storytelling is a timeless art form, whether those stories appear in print or on a stage in front of an audience. Learn how to find and craft the honest, hilarious, revealing and connective stories in your own life through a range of participatory exercises -- writing, discussing, and even a little improv. We'll focus on the essential building blocks that make up a story, and how to create a compelling voice in writing or in performance...and we'll work towards holding our own very informal "story slam" online the last week of class.

Dr. Seuss once said, “So the writer who breeds more words than he needs, is making a chore for the reader who reads.” In this age of twitter, text, and blogs, brevity is in. Brevity is not only fun and challenging but it can also improve your writing. In this 4-week workshop, we will explore the art of flash fiction, prose poetry and micro-memoir using a variety of fun and engaging prompts to get your imagination going. Be amazed at how much you can say with so little words. Open to all writers. This is not a critique class.

How does an author decide whether to write a novel in first-person, or third-person, or...second person? Is that even a thing? Why do I keep accidentally changing my story from past tense to present tense? Why does this "voice" and "tense" stuff feel so confusing? If you're a writer (at any level!) who enjoys playing with story craft, this is a chance to dig into two really useful but often ignored elements of narrative style through reading, writing exercises and discussion. Taught by writer/actor/storyteller Amy Salloway.

For writers of all levels, interests, and genre, who are looking to reignite the flame. You will use readings and prompts to tap into your creative selves, mine for material within and without, and define your purpose as writers. There will be time for writing, as well as discussion and optional sharing. No critique, only encouragement! If class is full, please enroll for the waitlist as we will likely add additional sections.