Coronavirus Actually Writing Workshop for Teen Dystopian Novels
Photo:"Graphic Novel Making Contest 2016" by San José Public Library is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0
April 7, 2020 at 2:56 pm
The world seems to be falling apart over the spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19), however, the students in Professor Max Apple’s Advanced Fiction Writing class are not at all concerned. According to interviews, the class reported that they are thrilled about their creative writing workshop, COVID-19, and swear it will make them into better writers of teen dystopian fiction.
When asked for a comment, Divergent fan and self-identified Dauntless Emma James (C’ 22) wrote, “when I think about how incredible Veronica Roth’s work, Divergent is, I just—” she squealed and waved her hands frantically. “I used to think that I would never be able to create a masterpiece as good, but now, with the COVID-19 workshop, I can really imagine what it would be like to live in a world where you can never see the light of day. It’s inspiring!”
Student Steph Washington (C’ 21) echoed James’ sentiment, “when I read The Hunger Games, I was blown away. People forced to kill each other in an enclosed space. The drama! The suspense! The COVID-19 workshop has really helped me make strides towards writing at that level. I’ve found that I can really get the ideas flowing if I sit in the paper products section of the grocery store for about 20 minutes each day. Witnessing the passionate struggle unfolding right in front of me really helps me with my own novel. See? I took this dialogue straight from something I actually witnessed!”
Person 1: The sign says you can only take one of each item. You have two rolls of paper towels in your cart.
Person 2: I’m sick and tired of the government telling me what to do!
Person 1: It’s for the good of our society. There’s no other way to stop the spread of this horrible disease. The government wants what’s best for us
Person 2: Why do you go along with them? If I can’t bring two rolls of paper towels home, I don’t know what I’ll do. We have kids to take care of.
Person 1: Do what you have to do. Just don’t let them catch you.
We are ecstatic to hear about the phenomenal effects of the COVID-19 workshop on the genre of teen dystopian novels and can’t wait to read the rest of Washington’s intriguing novel. When asked for a quote, Professor Apple provided some encouragement to people struggling with the workshop, “I know it can be hard to pick up a pen and start writing, but the COVID-19 workshop is proven to greatly improve dystopian writing, but the only way to get there is through practice and active participation. Instead of playing on your phone all day, look around at all the inspiration right in front of you. You never know, you could be the next Ally Condie or James Dashner”