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Writing Coaches
Shu-Hsien & Royd
Summer 2024 Classes
The following classes are currently available for enrollment.
Please note that we also teach small private classes that are not listed here.
If the offerings below do not fit your schedule, feel free to email us, and perhaps we can find a class for your young writer.
To register, please send an email to [email protected].
Please provide:
- The title of the course
- Your child's name
- Your child's age as of June 15th
- A daytime phone number for us to reach you.
Either Writing Coach Shu-Hsien Ho or Royd Hatta will respond as soon as possible.
For the safety of all, we recommend masks during our in-person sessions.
Ages 7 to 11
Math Fun & Story Writing Camp
Full-Day Camp for Rising Gr. 3-6 (Ages 7-11)
July 15 - 19, 2024
9:00 am - 12:00 pm: Math Games Camp
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm: Supervised Lunch & Recess
1:00 pm - 4:00 pm: Adventure Story & Illustration Camp
Location: Bridges Community Church, Los Altos
Tuition:
Early Bird Rate before April 25: $695 per student
Regular Tuition: $795 per student
Math Games Enrichment Camp - Mornings
Taught by Math Educator Amelia Chan
Get ready for a wild ride through solving math with your camp buddies! Have you ever pondered which Uber driver will reach you first for your trip to the airport? Let's find out together. Plus, we'll dive into some seriously cool 3D geometry with balloons, toothpicks, and gumdrops. Are you curious to explore a math-tastic adventure where learning is all about fun? Join us for a week of hands-on games with friends.
Story Workshop - Afternoons
Into the Belly of the Whale: A Story & Illustration Workshop
Taught by Writing Coaches Shu-Hsien Ho & Royd Hatta
Imagine being in the presence of a enormous creature. Is it friendly or is it foe? Or, somewhere in between?
This workshop invites writers, whether prolific or reluctant, to discover the joys of creating their own world, as their hero and allies test their courage with thrilling adventures!
We will provide a highly interactive, playful environment to inspire students to brainstorm ideas and create their own unique tales. We'll address opening scenes, rising conflicts, climaxes, and resolutions.
As always, students will walk through every step of the writing process: generating first ideas, developing characters and plots, organizing, writing first drafts, revising, editing, and publishing. All genres are welcome.
Students will be invited to read an excerpt of their stories on Friday afternoon.
To register, please contact Royd at: [email protected]
Ages 9-12
Into the Belly of a Whale
An In-Person Story Workshop
for Ages 9-12
Photo by NOAA
August 5 - 9, 2024
1pm - 3pm Pacific Time
Taught by Writing Coaches Royd Hatta & Shu-Hsien Ho
Hosted by parent Kelun in her Los Altos backyard
Minimum 6 students
Maximum 10 students
Early Bird Tuition if deposit received before April 25: $365 per student
Regular Tuition: $450 per student
Imagine stepping into the mouth of a giant, and diving through a black hole. Or, envision jumping out of a classroom and transforming into a caped superhero.
Just as Pinocchio entered unexpected and sometimes dangerous worlds in his quest to become human, this workshop will invite writers to travel with their characters and tackle the twists and turns of their thrilling adventures.
We will provide a highly interactive, playful environment to inspire students to brainstorm ideas and create their own unique tales. We'll address opening scenes, rising conflicts, climaxes, and resolutions. All genres are welcome.
Our course will walk through every step of the creative process:
- brainstorming unique characters and unexpected plot twists
- understanding the structure and the power of a compelling story
- generating and organizing ideas
- writing with momentum
- revising for clarity and logic
- editing towards a final draft
Students will be invited to present a reading on the last day of class.
To register, please contact Royd at: [email protected]
Ages 10-12
Red Capes and Wild Escapes
An In-Person Tween Story & Illustration Workshop
for Ages 10-12
June 24 - 28, 2024
10am - 12 noon
Taught by Writing Coaches Royd Hatta & Shu-Hsien Ho
Hosted by parent Janne I. in her Redwood City backyard
Minimum 6 students
Maximum 10 students
Early Bird Tuition if deposit received before April 25: $375 per student
Regular Tuition: $450 per student
Imagine being mailed an ornate wooden box with mysterious symbols inscribed on it. You reluctantly open it and pull out a delicate gold chain with a ruby amulet. It sparkles like the red Antharia star you see in the night sky.
As you slip the necklace around your neck, the ruby begins to glow. A surge of energy you've never felt before pulses through your chest, arms, and hands. You hold your palm out to the ground and a fiery braid of plasma blasts a hole in the ground.
This workshop will dive into the small details of what makes a hero and a story compelling enough to keep our audiences glued to our every word - a super power we can use in our everyday lives.
We will provide a highly interactive, playful environment to inspire students to brainstorm ideas and create their own unique tales.
We'll address opening scenes, rising conflicts, climaxes, and resolutions. All genres are welcome.
Our course will walk through every step of the creative process:
- brainstorming unique characters and unexpected plot twists
- understanding the structure and the power of a compelling story
- generating and organizing ideas
- writing with momentum
- revising for clarity and logic
- editing towards a final draft
Students will be invited to present a reading on the last day of class.
To register, please contact Royd at: [email protected]
Teens
Spies, Lies, and Alibis
An In-Person Teen Fiction Workshop, Ages 12-18
Taught by Writing Coaches Royd Hatta & Shu-Hsien Ho
Mountain View CA: Hosted by Parent Deborah V. in her backyard. (near W. Dana St & Calderon Ave)
June 17 - 21, 2024
1pm-3pm
Minimum 5 students
Maximum 8 students
Early Bird Tuition if deposit received before April 25:
$375 per student
Regular Tuition: $450 per student
Agents-in-training, missing treasure, counter-spies. Deceit, tricksters, and devious deeds are all part of the game in any satisfying, suspenseful story. Alex Rider, Harriet the Spy, and Nefarious are just a few who venture out to solve puzzles where lives are at stake.
Join us to invent your own stories in a genre of your choice. We’ll provide a highly interactive, playful environment to inspire this creative process.
Our workshops will walk through every step:
- brainstorming unique characters and unexpected plot twists
- understanding the structure and the power of a compelling story
- generating and organizing ideas
- writing with momentum
- revising for clarity and logic
- editing towards a final draft
Students will be invited to present a reading on the last day of class.
To register, please contact Royd at: [email protected]
Victoria Rain from pexels.com
Writing Successful College Admissions Essays
An Online Workshop for Rising High School Seniors
Taught by Writing Coach Shu-Hsien Ho
Via Zoom
June 18 - July 16, 2024
Tuesdays 4:30-5:30pm Pacific Time
Open to 5-12 students
Early Bird Rate Before April 25: $395 per student
Regular Tuition: $495 per student
Course Description:
- What are college admissions officers truly looking for in application essays and personal statements?
- What makes an essay stand out in a large pool of applications from other smart, talented high school seniors?
- How do you represent who you are and what you care about on paper?
This workshop will provide the answers to these questions as well as a step-by-step process to writing successful college essays.
This workshop will discuss:
- the 5 key elements of every successful college admissions essay
- frequently asked essay questions used by colleges and universities
- multiple brainstorming exercises to bring out skills, strengths, and interests
- specific, concrete feedback for first drafts and revisions of personal statements and essays
Feedback from Students and Parents:
“Thank you so much! This workshop helped stimulate new ideas and clarify some broad questions I had. You definitely helped point out some important topics and possible essay ideas.”
~ Eve Survilo, Freestyle Academy, Mountain View, Accepted Early Decision into NYU
Dear Shu-Hsien,
Thanks to you, my son got accepted into 9 out of 11 colleges, including UC Berkeley, UC San Diego, UC Davis, Vanderbilt, Davidson, Grinnell, Washington and Lee, Miami, and University of Alabama.
He has full tuition from Miami and Alabama and scholarships from UC Davis and Grinnell. So many possibilities. It's hard to choose. Any words of wisdom?
~ Natalie, parent of high school senior, San Jose
Thanks so much for all the work you did with Sarah on her college essays. You really helped her explore her options as far as what to write about and how to present it. She thoroughly enjoyed working with you - and is very happy to have been accepted to one of her top choices, UCSB! Thanks again for sharing your expertise with Sarah!
~ Marlene, parent of St. Francis HS senior, Los Altos
Register Today to reserve a seat!
A maximum of 12 seats is available.
To register, please contact Royd at: [email protected]
Photo by Himal Rana on unsplash