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Writing Coaches
Shu-Hsien & Royd
Summer 2025 Camps
The following classes are currently available for enrollment.
We'll be posting more confirmed summer camps soon.
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 10th
- A daytime phone number for us to reach you.
- Allergies we should be aware of
Either Writing Coach Shu-Hsien Ho or Royd Hatta will respond as soon as possible.
Ages 8-11
Talking Toucans & Devious Dragons
An Online Zoom Fantasy Story Workshop for Ages 8-11
June 11 - July 16, 2025
6 Weekly Zoom Sessions
Wednesdays 2 PM - 3PM Pacific Time
(On 7/9 we’ll meet from 2:30pm - 3:30pm)
Taught by Writing Coaches Royd Hatta
Minimum 5 students
Maximum 12 students
Tuition includes weekly feedback on students’ stories:
$395 per student for 5 students
$350 per student for 6+ students
This course leaps into the wonderful world of Fantasy. There, toucans crack jokes, monkeys rant about pesky banana-eating bluebirds, and dragons recite poems with their charred-scented breath.
The secret of fantasy is making the impossible believable, with colorful characters who have Wants, Hopes, and Flaws just like human beings.
Join us as we explore Animal heroes and villains like you’ve never seen before!
As always, our workshop will walk students through all steps of the creative process:
• generating first ideas
• writing new scenes
• organizing the plot
• integrating details
• revising for clarity and logic, and
• editing towards a final draft.
On the last day of the course, students will be invited to present readings from their stories.
To register, please contact: [email protected]
Magic and Mayhem
An In-Person Story Workshop for Ages 8-11
July 21 - 25, 2025
Monday - Friday 1 PM-4 PM
Taught by Writing Coaches Royd Hatta & Shu-Hsien Ho
Hosted by parent Emily Z. in her Mountain View backyard
(near Cuesta Park & Grant Rd)
Minimum 6 students
Maximum 12 students
Early Bird Tuition: $395 per student if a $200 deposit is received by May 1st.
Regular Tuition: $465 per student
Imagine stepping into the mouth of a giant, or 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'll 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 adventures
• 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 9-12
Jump into Our Roaring Time Machine
An In-Person Story Workshop for Ages 9-12
July 28 - August 1, 2025
Monday - Friday 1:30-3:30pm
Taught by Writing Coaches Royd Hatta & Shu-Hsien Ho
Hosted by parent Luise S. in her Redwood City home
(near Whidbey Lane & Shearwater Pkwy)
Minimum 6 students
Maximum 10 students
Early Bird Tuition: $395 per student if a $200 deposit is received before May 1st.
Regular Tuition: $465 per student
What would you do if you could meet Cleopatra, shake hands with Martians, or tame a T-Rex?
All three would be amazing, first-hand encounters!
Oh, if we could only travel through time!
Well, we can through stories.
If you've ever been intrigued by our mysterious past or the potential to explore our technological future, this workshop is the perfect opportunity to discover a fantastic world.
We invite students to experiment with their imagination and ideas through writing and illustrating their own adventure tales.
We’ll provide a highly interactive, playful environment to inspire students to brainstorm ideas and create their own stories of time travel, historical fiction, science fiction, or anything in between.
Our workshops will walk through every step of the creative process:
• understanding the structure and the power of a compelling story
• embedding historical or scientific details and facts
• generating and organizing ideas
• writing with momentum
• revising for clarity and logic
• editing towards a final draft
Each student will be invited to present a reading on the last day of class.
To register, please contact Royd at: [email protected]
Ages 10-13
When a Phoenix Lands on Mars
An In-Person Fiction Writing Workshop for Ages 10-13
JULY 7 - 11, 2025
Monday - Friday 11 AM-1 PM
Taught by Writing Coaches Royd Hatta & Shu-Hsien Ho
Hosted by parent Susan T. in her Los Altos backyard
Minimum 6 students
Maximum 12 students
Early Bird Tuition if a $200 deposit is received before May 25th: $395 per student
Regular Tuition: $475 per student
What might happen if a phoenix found herself suddenly teleported to the harsh, red landscape of Mars?
Would she encounter alien insects who welcome her into their hidden, underground caverns?
Or would she be surrounded by menacing space rats?
Our workshop invites students to create characters who must navigate a rollercoaster of challenges and special worlds in their stories. All genres are welcome, including realistic fiction, sci-fi, fantasy, historical fiction, comedy, and graphic novels.
Our course will walk through every step of the creative process:
• brainstorming unique characters and unexpected adventures
• understanding the structure and the power of a compelling story
• world-building through specific, scientific, and/or fantasy details
• 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: [email protected]
High School
Writing Successful College Admissions Essays
An Online Workshop for Rising High School Seniors • Ages 16-18
July 8 - August 5, 2025
Tuesdays 4:30pm-5:30pm Pacific Time
Taught by Writing Coach Shu-Hsien Ho
Minimum 5 students
Maximum 12 students
Early Bird Rate Before May 1st: $415 per student
Regular Tuition: $495 per student
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.
We 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
Register Today to reserve a seat!
A maximum of 12 seats is available.
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 AltosTo register, please contact Royd at: [email protected]