Creative Writing Syllabus

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Jason spelled with Katlyn at the Growing Kids Therapy Center (GKTC). Katlyn asked Jason, “What do you think about doing the Creative Writing Curriculum?” Jason spelled, “Getting to learn all of that would be awesome.”

This would end up being an eight week focused sessions to go through the material each time Jason spelled with Katlyn. Given that he never had age-appropriate english or grammar classes in school, this would be a fantastic opportunity for him and little did his parents know that he was such a tremendous writer! And so they jumped into the material.

Katlyn asked, “How do you think that using senses can create a strong visual in the reader’s mind?” Jason spelled, “It engages different areas of the cranium.”

Katlyn said, “Write a sentence in which the use of at least one sense creates a visual in the reader’s mind.” Jason spelled, “The rays of light blinded him as he left his dungeon of video games to head to his dreaded job.”

Katlyn asked, “Why do you think creative writing is considered a form of art?” He spelled, “It creates a picture in the reader’s mind rather than on a canvas.”

Katlyn said, “Write a visual description of your surroundings.” Jason spelled, “The sound of autistic uniqueness fills my ears as I poke each letter on a reflective black letter board, surrounded by putrid peach balls.” Apparently, Jason is not the first speller to not like the peach color of the classroom that he is in!

Jason continued with Katlyn on creative writing.

Katlyn asked, “What are your thoughts on the differences between the show and tell sentences? Jason spelled, “It’s more powerful in the way it allows the read to feel the emotions of the character.”

Katlyn said, “The tell sentence is ‘She is my best friend. I can tell her almost anything.’ Write a show sentence.” Jason spelled, “I was giddy as I leaned in to softly whisper my latest crush in her ear. Very excited butterflies swarmed my stomach as we watched and walked by.”

Katlyn said, “The show don’t tell exercise, point out the telling words from the sentence, ‘As I ran toward the door, I heard footsteps behind me. I felt a chill of unease run down my spine. It was terrifying.’” Jason spelled/identified the words, “heard; felt.”

Katlyn asked, “What is another sentence description for “heard?” Jason spelled, “The eerie, creak of the floor boards.”

Katlyn said, “What is another sentence description for “felt?” Jason spelled, “The hair on the back of my neck stood at attention.”

The next exercise used the same sentence (“As I ran toward the door, I heard footsteps behind me. I felt a chill of unease run down my spine. It was terrifying.” Jason had to identify the emotional word, which Jason replied with spelling, “terrifying.” Jason was then asked to change that into a physical reaction and Jason spelled, “heart pounding.”

Katlyn asked, “Write a sentence using body language to show they have a crush.” Jason spelled, “When he walked into the room her cheeks turned candy apple red and her shoulders tensed.”

For the next exercise, the sentence was “I would have stayed there forever if I could have.” Katyn asked, “Write a list of emotions or feelings that you might have wanted your reader to be experiencing in that sentence. Jason spelled, “Comfort; longing; peace.”

For the words from the last exercise (“comfort; longing; peace”), write ways or verbs in ways in which you can bring words to life. For “comfort,” Jason spelled “warmth” then he spelled, “right now I am out of ideas.” For “longing,” Jason spelled, “desire;” and for “peace,” Jason spelled, “ease and silent.”

Jason continued with Katlyn on creative writing.

Katlyn asked him to write a sentence in first person and it can be anything. Jason spelled, “I will use the laminate eventually.” Excellent goal!

Katlyn said, “Write a creative sentence in the voice of a third person narrator.” Jason spelled, “He couldn’t wrap his head around the physics lesson today.”

Katlyn asked, “How do you think dialogue could help to further the plot or develop each character more?” Jason spelled, “It feels more personal and lifelike.”

Next, Katlyn said, “Imagine you are writing a short story about two siblings. Write a short dialogue exchange between them about whose turn it is to do a chore.” Jason spelled, “Dylan, I swear I did the dishes yesterday. I am going to tell Dad if you don’t do them, Jason said. Dylan responded, snitches get stitches so you better not.”

Katlyn said, “Write an alliteration using a ‘b.’” Jason spelled, “Bouncing boy bought bubble gum.”

Katlyn asked, “Write an alliteration with a ‘t.’” Jason spelled, “Tumbling toddlers took turns on their tricycle.”

Katlyn said, “Write an alliteration with a ‘u.’” Jason spelled, “Upside down umbrellas upset the umpire on the unusually sunny day.”

Jason continued with Katlyn on creative writing.

Katlyn asked, “What’s the difference between an alliteration and an assonance?” Jason spelled, “Alliteration has multiple words that start with the same letter, whereas assonance has multiple words with similar vowel sounds in any part of the words.”

Katlyn said, “Write a consonance with the letter ‘d.’” Jason spelled, “The duck dodged a swarm of dung beetles the other day.”

Katlyn asked, “Write a simile about Spring.” Jason spelled, “Spring is as colorful as a contemporary abstract painting.” 

Katlyn asked, “Do you agree or disagree that metaphor is more powerful than a simile, why or why not?” Jason spelled, “They both have their place, but I can see how a metaphor has bigger impact on the reader’s senses.”

Katlyn went on, “Write a metaphor about being a scary situation.” Jason spelled, “His heart was a jack hammer.”

Katlyn asked, “What are your thoughts about this poem or the use of extended metaphor?” Jason spelled, “I think extended metaphor allows for beautiful imagery to paint the reader’s mind while allowing for individualized interpretation.”

Katlyn said, “Tell me another example of onomatopoeia that we didn’t say.” Jason spelled, “Meow or ruff or zoom.”

Katlyn ended with, “How do you feel about continuing this (creative writing syllabus) every time or switching up with different lessons?” Jason spelled, “I am loving it.”

Jason spelled with Katlyn at the Growing Kids Therapy Center (GKTC) and continued on with his creative writing lesson.

Katlyn asked, “Write a sentence in which personification is used?” Jason spelled, “The mattress swallowed him whole.”

Katlyn asked, “What’s the purpose of a hyperbole if it is not literally true?” Jason spelled, “It reflects extreme emotions that might feel bigger than what the situation rationally calls for.”

Katlyn said, “Write a sentence using hyperbole.” Jason spelled, “The bee sting hurts so bad just cut my leg off.”

Katlyn asked, “Choose the type of irony that stands out to you the most and why?” Jason spelled, “The sarcasm that is verbal irony is something that is used in everyday situations. Laughter can often be a result, which is something I enjoy, though it’s hard to do on the letter board, about voice inflection and purposeful eye rolls.”

Katlyn said, “Write an illusion.” Jason spelled, “Spellers are the Einsteins of the alphabet.”

Katlyn asked, “Write a synecdoche.” Jason spelled, “The feet marched forward.”

Katlyn asked, “How would you feel about answering the character development questions?” Jason spelled, “I think it would be an interesting exercise. Let’s start it tomorrow, so I have a little time to gather my thoughts.”

Jason continued the creative writing lesson with Katlyn and started the character development portion.

Katlyn began by asking Jason a series of questions. These questions could be used at a later date in case Jason wanted to turn this into a story.

What is character’s full name? Jason spelled, “Mathias Rutherford Washington.”

Why did the parents choose that name? Jason spelled, “It was a family name.”

What are his parents like? Jason spelled, “Dad is an introvert and strict. He also cares too much about appearances. Mom is a social gossip with a credit card addiction.”

Does he have siblings? Jason spelled, “Boris and Matilda.”

What are the siblings like? Jason spelled, “Boris is the oldest. He is a bit of a bully and excludes his siblings a lot. Matilda is a sweet, quiet book worm.”

What is the order of the siblings? Jason spelled, “Boris, Mathias, Matilda.”

What does Mathias look like in his appearance? Jason spelled, “He is six feet tall but lanky, like he hasn’t grown into his height yet. He is in desperate need of some sun. His hair is dark and disheveled like its his ways to keep from looking like a total nerd. He has glasses that are square and honestly too big for his face. He does have brilliantly aqua eyes hiding behind his glasses.”

What does he do when he gets mad? Jason spelled, “He is a superior debater with a lot of knowledge. He is the captain of his debate team, after all. So he is great at staying cool, calm and collected and debating his way through any argument.”

What does he do when he gets happy? Jason spelled, “He bakes as his happy activity. Also, has a crooked smile which stays plastered on his face.”

Does he have any quirks or nervous habits? Jason spelled, “He tends to push up his glasses with his middle finger and shift his weigh when he is uncomfortable.”

Does he have any close friends? Jason spelled, “His best friends are Maggie and Burt.”

What are his friends like? Jason spelled, “Maggie is beautiful but doesn’t know it. She is also an elite soccer player.”

Jason continued the creative writing and character development lesson. Katlyn continued with the character development questions.

What are his friends like? Jason spelled, “Maggie is beautiful but doesn’t know it. She is also an elite soccer player, but very humble. Burt is a class clown, although Mathias is the only one who thinks he is funny most of the time probably because the jokes go over the heads of the rest of the class.”

What is his worst habit? Jason spelled, “He has a bad habit of letting others walk all over him and doodles on his homework too much out of boredom.”

What is his best habit? Jason spelled, “He organizes his goals into achievable steps.”

What is his biggest weakness? Jason spelled, “Communicating his feelings poorly.”

What is his biggest strength? Jason spelled, “His ability to analyze the world around him.”

What is something that he wants to improve upon? Jason spelled, “His ability to flirt with girls.”

What is something that he excels at? Jason spelled, “Academics and loyalty to the friends he does have.”

Does he go to school or equivalent? Jason spelled, “He is in public high school.”

What is he like in school? Jason spelled, “Valedictorian.”

What does he like to learn? Jason spelled, “He teaches himself a lot of advanced topics because school is too easy for him.”

Is he a rebel? Jason spelled, “Not in the slightest.”

Is he an obliger or people pleaser? Jason spelled, “He is usually good enough at analyzing the situation to remove himself before he has to take on being a people pleaser, but if he gets stuck then he is the ultimate obliger, which is when people walk all over him. His success is school also stems for wanting his parents approval.”

Is he Internally motivated? Jason spelled, “Yes and that he wants to get out of this small town.”

Does he look to others for help in times of stress? Jason spelled, “Only to his best friends.”

What is his stress response? Jason spelled, “In academics he spends too much time overachieving to stay top of his class. In his personal life he can sometimes become withdrawn.”

Jason continued the creative writing and character development lessons. Katlyn continued with the questions.

Does he (your character) logically or emotionally make decisions? Jason spelled, “He is logical to a fault sometimes and his friends often try to get him to acknowledge his feelings for the sake of his happiness.”

Is he able to make decisions clearly when he is emotional? Jason spelled, “He is still level headed. He just removes himself from situations when he starts to feel his emotions and returns calm and logical when a response is called for.”

What are his beliefs on religion? Jason spelled, “He does not believe in the intangible."

Does he have a strong moral compass? Jason spelled, “He is a little too black and white but he always tries to do the right thing.”

What is something that would trigger irrational behavior? Jason spelled, “He doesn’t tolerate ants well and freaks out when one crawls on him. He does have outbursts if someone tells him something along the lines of its just an ant.”

What does he value most in life? Jason spelled, “Knowledge.”

Is he introverted or extroverted? Jason spelled, “An introvert, but that doesn’t mean that he can talk someone’s ear off if he is passionate about the subject.”

Is he a trouble maker or does he play by the rules? Jason spelled, “He only becomes a nuisance if science backs up his opinions but antiquated ideals are still being followed. He has been known to organize protests.”

What’s something that fulfills him? Jason spelled, “A life of learning and educating."

Does he know his life’s purpose? Jason spelled, “Not yet. He is a little short sighted to his education goals.”

Who’s someone who is (covering) his emotional struggles in his life? Jason spelled, “He doesn’t realize it but his attraction to Maggie is affecting his behavior. Everyone knows about his crush but him.”

What type of weather does he enjoy most? Jason spelled, “Any type of stormy weather that gives him an excuse to stay inside and read.”

What are his sleeping habits like? Jason spelled, “He is a sound sleeper but is a grump if he gets less than nine hours.”

What are his eating habits like? Jason spelled, “He is a fries and nuggets type of person.”

Jason continued with the creative writing and character development lessons with Katlyn.

At the beginning of the session, Katlyn asked him about his ideas for helping him transition to the laminate board. Jason spelled, “I totally hear you on the laminate. Don’t give up. Maybe try to do respells periodically.”

Katlyn asked, “In your own words, what is character arc?” Jason spelled, “It is a change in the fundamentals of the character’s personality or approach to life as a result of challenges they face.”

Katlyn said, “What types of things do you think need to be thought about when world building? Jason spelled, “Location, life realities like plants and wildlife, and time period.”

Katlyn asked, “Does high fantasy appeal to you? Why or why not?” Jason spelled, “It does because I enjoy hearing the creative thoughts that someone’s brain created. The vast capabilities each brain has is fascinating.”

Jason continued with Katlyn on creative writing and character development. This lesson focused on sci fi world building.

At the beginning, when asked if he had any ideas about switching to the laminate board, Jason spelled, “Just keep trying.”

Katlyn asked Jason to name one way we speculate about real world problems in sci fi. Jason spelled, “It gives an explanation why that scientific or technological advancement came to be or why they changed the world.”

Katlyn asked, “What thought have you given to what time period your character lives in or what genre you would write him into?” Jason spelled, “That’s a good question. I really wasn’t thinking that far. I just imagined him in our world, but it might be fun to do futuristic sci fi.”

Katlyn asked, “Would you be interested in exploring a template (for developing a Sci Fi World), why or why not?” Jason spelled, “I think I’d rather just let it flow from my head.”

Katyn went on, “Give me one example of where resources and jobs cannot be determined based on a place.” Jason spelled, “It likely a botanist will have a job in space because the people will need sustainable food.”

Katlyn asked, “Where is your character from and where does the story take place?” Jason spelled, “He is from a small town that has become desolate and now lives in an underground bunker below DC.”

At the end, Katlyn wanted to bring Ian, who has been spelling for about 10 years and has been a role model to the new, emerging spellers at Growing Kids Therapy Center (GKTC), to help Jason get over the hump by showing him that he uses the laminate spelling board. Of note, Jason does use the laminate board during his group sessions (which Ian is also in) but has had a tough time overcoming his OCD to use it in the one-on-one sessions. Ian spelled “Hi Jason. How are you?” Jason still didn’t want to use it.

Afterwards, Katlyn asked if Jason wanted to say anything. Jason replied via the stencil spelling board, “Sorry Ian, thank you for trying.”

Jason continued with creative writing and sci fi world development.

Katlyn asked, “How might you describe the environment of where the story takes place?” Jason took about 25 minutes to spell out this answer. “Imagine a beautiful planet with lilac waters with more greenery than you have ever seen and giant flowers that reach towards the dusty pink sky. The animals are dangerously and poisonous to humans if eaten. Safe to eat vegetation is becoming more scarce. Scientists are searching for options even though this planet was never meant to sustain human life in the first place. They thought they struck gold when they crash landed until they discovered the detoxicity of this paradise. The travelers were forced to divide into three occupations: scientists, foragers, and workers.”

What’s the religion in your world? Jason spelled, “There is no religion, only an emphasis on respect for each other and nature.”

How serious do people follow it? Jason spelled, “It’s as though it’s ingrained in their DNA.”

What’s the political structure? Jason replied, “A true democracy. Every’s vote actually matters. There’s a council instead of a single leader.”

What sorts of customs and traditions do these people have? Jason spelled, “They are too focused on survival to worry too much about old traditions but they do have daily breakfast together to have camaraderie and laughs before a long day of work.”

What’s the attitude towards elders and children? Jason spelled, “They really don’t have either. They were left behind since this was an exploratory trip.”

Jason continued with his creative writing lesson and historical fiction as a genre.

Jason spelled, “The main character may be poor. The world seems harsh with the robes being law enforcement. The main character seems a little numb to the powers that be, plus there is probably harsh punishment for those that interfere with others punishment.”

Katlyn asked, “Does historical fiction appeal to you, why or why not?” Jason spelled, “Given that it’s hard for me to look things up, historical accuracy would be more challenging to write and limits creativity to an extent.”

Katlyn asked, “Historical fiction writer’s craft is all a matter of what?” Jason spelled, “Hard work, detective work and empathy.”

Follow on question, “Why do you think empathy is need?” Jason spelled, “There is something to acknowledging the horrors of the experiences of the characters in the story in making them real to the reader that helps to tell the story.”

Katlyn asked, “What is one thing that you should note?” Jason spelled, “Any assumptions that you have about the event or person.”

Follow on question, “Why might that be important?” Jason spelled, “It allows you to see own biases or shortfalls in your knowledge of it.”

Jason continued with his creative writing lesson and focused on historical fiction.

Katlyn asked, “How might you incorporate fictional characters into the world wars?” Jason took about 20 minutes to spell out his response. “I think I would write about a soldier’s experience in the war. I would try to imagine what the soldier was feeling. I think there would be fear and longing for home and family. Plus the body would go through physical changes like muscle building or weight loss from hunger. There would be relationships gained or lost. They would see horrors and possibly kill on command. They may be filled with regret or feel justified and patriotic. I want to encapsulate the things they go through and as I think about it how individual personalities can have a profound impact on the story and affect their reactions and relatability for the reader.”

Katlyn asked, “What is a fictional way that you could veer off the accuracy of the time period or the event?” Jason spelled, “The technological accuracy, like correspondences and how long delivery would take.”

Katlyn asked, “What do you think maybe different about world building a time period in history or historical events than building for sci fi or fantasy writing?” Jason spelled, “There is so much flexibility in sci fi and fantasy that doesn’t have accuracy constraints like historical fiction. I can build a world from scratch and that seems more freeing.”

Jason continued on with creative writing.

Katlyn asked, “How may adding fictional characters inject personality?” Jason spelled, “You can see how the character interacts with different people. It can shed light on various aspects of their personality since people don’t always act the same with one person as they do with another.”

“Pick an historical event or time period and share how you would inject a fictional character into the story.” Jason spelled, “It could be interesting to write about a love interest of John Wilks Booth. It could show changes in his personality leading up to the assassination or things that made him feel disenfranchised by the government.”

“Why do you think umbrella terms are used in many instances?” Jason spelled, “It’s easier to condense a topic for those that have little knowledge of it.”

“Why might fulfilling expectations be important in a genre?” Jason spelled, “For those that enjoy a certain genre, it would be a disappointment if what you led them to expect was really just false advertising.”

“Why do you think it might be ethically complicated (talking about biographical historical fiction)?” Jason spelled, “You could accidentally convolute the true nature of the character.”

“Why might someone want to take thrillers and set them into historical settings?” Jason spelled, “Maybe it can provide myths about history or origin stories.”

Jason finished up his last lesson on creative writing.

Katlyn asked, “What other thing would you like to learn about before venturing into a unique piece written by you?” Jason spelled, “I might want to read more fiction to get a feel for different styles first.”

Katlyn asked, “Which specific genres within fiction?” Jason spelled, “Sci fi, dystopian and fantasy.”

Katlyn said, “What book specifically do you want to start with?” Jason spelled, “Hunger Games, Harry Potter, (Hitch Hiker’s) Guide to the Galaxy, or Dune.”

That led to Jason and his Dad, Geoff, listening to each of the Harry Potter audiobooks when they were in car followed by watching each of the movies in order before proceeding on to the next one!