One Year Adventure Novel

[Kimberly in Sedona]

Anyone have experience with this?

 

One Year Adventure Novel

 

 

Thanks!

 

Kimberly

[Veronica in VA]

I don't know anything about it, but it looks great - especially for boys!

 

Veronica

[Kathleen in VA]

I just got an email from TOS about this and wrote to the author to find out more. I have a daughter who loves to write stories - none of them are particularly outstanding but she just loves to write. I asked him if he thought his program would work for a girl who likes Jane Austen/Charles Dickens types of stories. He responded the same day and said that his program was intended to be plot-driven (hence the word "Adventure" in the name), as opposed to character-driven. My daughter loves character-driven stories such as Pride and Prejudice. He said that one of the students in the trial group produced a very well-written story that was character-driven in spite of the program's not really being aimed in that direction.

 

Also, I searched his website and couldn't find anything that designated how many credits his course was worth, (I probably just overlooked it), and he replied that it is worth one high school English credit.

 

I also asked him how his course compares to Learn to Write the Novel Way. Here is his complete answer (easier than paraphrasing :)):

 

We do know about the Learn the Novel Way curriculum. The OYAN program is based on my experience as a writer. I can't speak about the other program as I have not gone through it personally. It might be excellent for some students. OYAN is unique (as far as we know) in that it focuses on teaching kids the elements of story that communicate truth and generate interest. I earned an MA in creative writing from the University of Kansas, and wasn't taught what this course teachers. Not that it is a substitute for college, of course.:)

 

With OYAN, you spend the first semester creating an outline for a 12 chapter novel while learning the basic elements of a story. We approach everything from a creative angle, rather than an analytical angle. For instance, we don't talk about characterization, we talk about creating "Someone to Care About." We look at what makes the reader care about a protagonist (or Hero, as we call him in class). We learn that clear moral choices made under pressure are far more revealing of who someone really is than their eye color or what job they have. The point isn't one of semantics--it's to help kids approach the process of creating something original in a creative way. These principles help kids to see the technique of storytelling as it is used in modern books and movies AND as it is used in classic literature. During the first semester we also read and study excerpts from classic novels and read all of The Prisoner of Zenda. We also create several pieces of key scenes that will be used in the second semester.

 

During the second semester, we continue studying techniques of storytelling as we write a rough draft of a novel, one chapter per week. Students are quizzed at the end of every week. By the end of the school year, they have a complete rough draft of a novel. More importantly, they have a tremendous grasp of how novels--and good stories in general--work. They can identify what makes a scene or chapter effective and they are much better equipped to see how truth intersects with fiction.

HTH,

 

Kathleen in VA

[Kimberly in Sedona]

I ended up ordering the sample DVD...it is very impressive, we plan to order it and use it next school year!

[Nan in Mass]

Thank you for all the info!

[langfam]

Thanks for the info. I have 3 DC who love to write...I ordered the free DVD!

[LaurieM]

I also ordered the sample DVD. After watching, my ds who doesn't usually enjoy creative writing decided he would also like to try this next year. Thank you for posting about this program!

[Gooblink]

I'm investigating this as an option for our next school year and am curious, since this thread is almost 2 years old, how OYAN worked out for those who've used it?

 

Thank you!

[mims]

OYAN is great as far as I am concerned. My daughter is learning a ton. It is definately improving her writing, will help with literature analysis, and help her in all her other writing. I am amazed how much she learns and the quality of the program.

[Gooblink]

Thank you, mims. I've yet to read anything bad about it, so I'm thinking we might give it a go. I've got two boys who love to read and write; the youngest has started a novel, but is having trouble with structure. This looked like a really good program for boys who like to tell stories. :)

[Holly IN]

Would love to hear more opinions on this. I saw their booth at the Midwest convention this year.

 

Holly

[my2kidsmom]

:bigear:

[jennthmg]

Has anyone NOT liked this program?

 

Jenn in IN

[ChemMommy]

It has been a HUGE hit at our house with our student who loves to write. I don't think this would be a program for a reluctant writer, though. I have been blown away with the support from the authors, the forum, and the layout of the program.

[dcurry]

We bought this a couple years ago and my son is loving it- however, he got stuck (perfectionist) and hasn't progressed with it. He is involved on their forum, though, and gets tons of ideas and writing experience there...

 

I really would like to put him back on a schedule with it and take away forum privileges unless he has completed the week's assignments. The content is good- the first semester is putting ideas down on paper and learning about themes, characters, plots, etc. and the 2nd semester is actually writing the novel. If I were more consistent with enforcing it, he'd be done by now. But I saw this as an "elective" course, so haven't pushed it.

[fischerl]

I bought this program for my bright, creative-writer 8th grader, and after a couple of months decided it wasn't working for us. It may just be that I over-estimated her capabilities (it is meant for high school). It required more parental involvement and assistance than I was able to give. I still think it's probably a great program for many families: it seems very thorough and well-laid-out.

 

I must say that I was very impressed with the customer service, too. I corresponded with the creator by email; he graciously agreed to refund my purchase even though I was past the "30-day return" point. He was genuinely interested in why it wasn't working for us.

 

We may try it again in a couple of years.

[Caroline]

May I ask how long your student spends working onthis program each week? I think my oldest would love to do something like this program, but I don't know if he really has the time. Thanks.

[regentrude]

I am usually looking for secular curriculum. The OYAN websites states "biblical world view". Those of you who have used it, could you please give your opinion whether you think that this would work for secular homeschoolers?

How biblical is the curriculum?

[ChemMommy]

I'd say that my dd writes at least an hour a day. But, she loves to write and doesn't consider it work. She also hangs out on the forum and edits other people's work, so the whole OYAN experience can take up a lot of time. Sometimes, she "bans" herself from the forum to get stuff done on her own novel. She is currently editing her first novel and writing her second.

[ChemMommy]

My dd says that the author encourages kids to use the Bible for names or character attributes. But, she said that it is not overwhelming. Of course, she's 14 and a Christian, so she might not notice how often it is done. Many of the kids on the forum are overtly Christian, but many are not. I wish I could comment more, but my dd has done the whole shebang herself.

[kiana]

I am usually looking for secular curriculum. The OYAN websites states "biblical world view". Those of you who have used it, could you please give your opinion whether you think that this would work for secular homeschoolers?

How biblical is the curriculum?

 

I haven't used it myself, but check the sample lesson.

 

http://www.oneyearnovel.com/samples/OYAN_Lesson_18_Textbook.pdf

 

Most of the other sample problems have nothing similar, but I assumed it would be too pervasive to use and crossed it off. Shame, really, because the idea's fantastic, and the followup on science fiction writing also looked really interesting.

 

Any secular equivalents? :bigear:

[Hilary in MI]

Kiana, that was the lesson I was going to post. It really killed the course for my son. After that lessson, he decided to work on the novel on his own.

 

I hadn't seen that sample lesson when we bought the course, although I spent a great deal of time on the website. Perhaps it was posted more recently, and perhaps I missed it. In any event, the course is Christian. Definitely not secular or neutral.

 

So, it's a program that fits students who agree with the author's viewpoint, expressed in the sample lesson Kiana posted.

[dcurry]

I am usually looking for secular curriculum. The OYAN websites states "biblical world view". Those of you who have used it, could you please give your opinion whether you think that this would work for secular homeschoolers?

How biblical is the curriculum?

 

 

I guess it would depend on how "anti-Christian" the secular homeschoolers were. My son says that he hasn't seen any overt Biblical teaching, but he is also not very far into the course. He says on the forum there are mostly Christians (many denominations), but some atheists as well. I suppose if one was not anti-Christian, they could focus more on the writing skills and ignore the rest. He says in the webinars that occur monthly, there is some mention of God, but students can choose whether to attend or not and the topic is posted.

 

It's hard not to have your world view come out when you are teaching a course. I think he was just telling people before they paid money for it what his beliefs were.

 

I have not looked at the course in depth, but have liked what I have seen in terms of the lessons.

[regentrude]

I haven't used it myself, but check the sample lesson.

 

http://www.oneyearnovel.com/samples/OYAN_Lesson_18_Textbook.pdf

 

Most of the other sample problems have nothing similar, but I assumed it would be too pervasive to use and crossed it off. Shame, really, because the idea's fantastic, and the followup on science fiction writing also looked really interesting.

 

Any secular equivalents? :bigear:

 

Thank you - that pretty much answers my question.

I am not anti-Christian (I am actually Christian myself, but married to an atheist), but I don't want a curriculum to tell my student that there is no meaningful literature without underlying religious conviction.

Too bad, it sounded really cool.

[Kareni]

Regentrude,

 

I've heard good things about these NANOWRIMO free resources for children and young adults: Young Novelist Workbooks Perhaps they might be of interest to you.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Hilary in MI]

I am not anti-Christian (I am actually Christian myself, but married to an atheist), but I don't want a curriculum to tell my student that there is no meaningful literature without underlying religious conviction.

Too bad, it sounded really cool.

 

Yep. :iagree:

 

Secular does not equal "anti-Christian" (or anti-religion).

[ColoradoMom]

Thank you - that pretty much answers my question.

I am not anti-Christian (I am actually Christian myself, but married to an atheist), but I don't want a curriculum to tell my student that there is no meaningful literature without underlying religious conviction.

Too bad, it sounded really cool.

 

I'm not sure that's what he said. From what I read it appears he was trying to differentiate between people who believe in meaning and people who don't. He even specifically said not religious meaning, but general meaning and then pointed to secular humanists who do not believe in meaning but when writing books insert meaning into their stories because stories without meaning are pointless.

 

He says:

 

"Without the basic assumption that something is more than just itself, that the person is more than a bag of meat, a sacred text more than just words on parchment or paper, a treasured heirloom more than a lump of silver, the events of one’s story lose their power. They can’t signify any real theme. They can only give the illusion of doing so, which is a kind of lie."

 

I think the point of the lesson was to teach the student author that people relate to the underlying meaning of a story and not just the characters or plot and if you want your reader to care about the characters and plot, you make it happen with significance and purpose.

 

The part I think you may be objecting to is where he states secular humanists do not believe in "meaning". I'm really not familiar with the dogma of secular humanism, so I can't really comment on that.

 

Edit: Oh, and I am totally getting this for my son next year! Of course, he doesn't know it yet but it sounds like so much fun. I'm really not a religious person but it still looks fantastic. I sent for the sample DVD. I figure if he really hates it and refuses to cooperate I'll do it myself! :)

Edited March 8, 2011 by ColoradoMom

[regentrude]

The part I think you may be objecting to is where he states secular humanists do not believe in "meaning". I'm really not familiar with the dogma of secular humanism, so I can't really comment on that.

 

 

What I had a hard time swallowing were statements like:

secular novelists employ the techniques of meaning to create the ILLUSION that their story is meaningful, or that university writing programs can not teach their students to write a story their audience will love because that would "undermine their deeply held quasi-religious view of the world."

 

I find this preposterous.

 

And statements such as saying that for secular humanism "Right and Wrong are illusions we design to advance personal agendas" are highly insulting to me.

 

But enough... don't want to go into a discussion about religion.

I just find it sad, as a Christian, that curricula must be that exclusive and polarizing.

[ColoradoMom]

What I had a hard time swallowing were statements like:

secular novelists employ the techniques of meaning to create the ILLUSION that their story is meaningful, or that university writing programs can not teach their students to write a story their audience will love because that would "undermine their deeply held quasi-religious view of the world."

 

I find this preposterous.

 

And statements such as saying that for secular humanism "Right and Wrong are illusions we design to advance personal agendas" are highly insulting to me.

 

But enough... don't want to go into a discussion about religion.

I just find it sad, as a Christian, that curricula must be that exclusive and polarizing.

 

Well, it's all an illusion, right? Especially in a story. The job of an author is not so much different than an actor. You make stuff up and try and get people to care about your made up stuff. That's how I take it. I'm not offended by stuff like that but I can see where some people might be.

 

And I don't find it polarizing even though I'm not religious - just take this stuff with a grain of salt. In fact, it would present a good opportunity to talk about it with the kids, I think. I'm willing to use lots of different things for teaching and there is just no way I can agree with most of it.

 

When we did Apologia science we skipped over a lot of stuff, but it didn't bother me that he presented his point of view. I just presented mine along side of it and sometimes I said - "Well, that's a bunch of crap..." And then sometimes I said "Well, I can see where he's coming from but this is how I would say it different..."

 

I'm willing to give this program a go because I think his incidental Christian stuff will not get in the way of the main lessons which is how to create an adventure story, character arc, theme, etc.. Even in that lesson about secular humanism it really isn't the point - in fact it really doesn't add to his main point very much because in order to be meaningful things have to be assigned meaning first. Pretty obvious, that one.

[ColoradoMom]

What I had a hard time swallowing were statements like:

secular novelists employ the techniques of meaning to create the ILLUSION that their story is meaningful, or that university writing programs can not teach their students to write a story their audience will love because that would "undermine their deeply held quasi-religious view of the world."

 

I find this preposterous.

 

 

 

And yet, from what I can gather - the purpose of secular humanism appears to be the validation of all things by science and logic. So, he's kind of right even though he's says it in a sort of demeaning way. If you only believe what you can prove, well then you're not going to have an easy time convincing people to give a crap about your fiction because nothing about fiction is logical and provable...because it's fiction.

 

So I think his point was that "successful" secular humanist authors MUST insert meaning into their stories by attaching non-validated...emphasis (for lack of a better word) to it. Which, if what he says is true and they don't believe in "meaning" (and I'm not sure that is correct) then he'd be right. They are creating the illusion of meaning.

 

Yes, it IS convoluted and I can see your point. But this is such a small thing to me. Just not enough to get my hackles up.