College Board
The Departure
Scholars learn about the Hero's Journey as they read Ray Bradbury's "The Drummer Boy of Shiloh." They analyze the story's structure and narrative techniques. Finally, they write summaries of the text's central idea and use their...
Grammar Check
Grammar Check: An Effective Beginner's Guide to Writing Books (Infographic)
This infographic is provided to help students with writing their first novel. Tips for designing a novel, writing the book, and getting the book published.
British Library
British Library: Austen's Emma: Social Realism & the Novel
In the course of the novel's development, Jane Austen was a significant contributor to the emergence of the modern novel as we know it today. The review of Emma in the Quarterly Review (October 1815) makes clear to a modern audience how...
Writing Fix
Writing Fix: Revision Lesson: Re Shaping Narrative Writing
This lesson, inspired by the novel Bronx Masquerade by Nikki Grimes is a fabulous classroom mentor text that helps teach a very powerful revision strategy: rewriting an idea in a completely different genre. Grimes' book shares short...
Caro Clarke
Writing Advice: Where to Start?
This writing tutorial focuses on helping the aspiring author find a good place to start on his or her fiction.
Writing Fix
Writing Fix: A r.a.f.t. Writing Prompt: This I Believe
This writing assignments asks students to assume the voice of a character from a novel they are reading. Focusing on a topic or belief the character shows passion about in the novel, the students write an essay modeled after NPR's "This...
Caro Clarke
Not Stopping the Reader: How to Avoid Stumbling Blocks
This is the eighth article in a series that focuses on helping the new novel author. This article looks at how the author can avoid creating stumbling blocks that disrupt the flow of the novel.
Bibliomania
Bibliomania: Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
This Bibliomania website features the full text of Robert Louis Stevenson's "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde." A summary note about Stevenson's novel of the nature of good and evil is included.
Caro Clarke
Historical Fiction: Who Rules?
This is the fifteenth article in a series designed to help the new novel author. This article focuses on the genre of historical fiction and the role of the author. Is the author a researcher or a story-teller?
Caro Clarke
Loving Your Characters Too Much
This article is the fifth in a series that is designed to help new authors with their new novels. This lesson focuses on your main character and what happens when that character lacks character flaws.
Caro Clarke
Caro Clarke: What Is Conflict?
This is the sixth in a series of articles designed to help the new writer with their novel. This article focuses on conflict and how it effects the characters and the plot of the story. W.11-12.3a Narratives
Caro Clarke
The Doldrums: When the Wind Leaves Your Sails
This is the 16th article in a series that gives advice to the new novel writer. This is a particularly interesting and helpful article on how to deal with periods in writing when your enthusiasm wanes.
Caro Clarke
Caro Clarke: Pacing Anxiety, or How to Stop Padding and Plot!
This is the seventh installment of a series giving advice to the author who is new to writing novels. This article focuses on how to take your characters and use them and their conflicts to develop the plot of your story. W.9-10.3b...
ReadWriteThink
Read Write Think: A Dickens of a Party
Come to a party honoring Ebenezer Scrooge! This WebQuest is a complete "Party in a box," -- with a planning worksheet, specific tasks and roles, rubrics for evaluation and guidelines for presentation and party-going.
University of Virginia
University of Virginia: Main Street
Read the complete e-text of Sinclair Lewis's novel "Main Street". The book is arranged by chapter for convenience.
British Library
British Library: Dickens's Hard Times: Industrialisation
In this activity, students will examine the working lives of those who produced goods in factories, towns, and cities and investigate the social and economic backdrop to Charles Dickens's novel "Hard Times".
Virginia Tech
The Alan Review: An Interview With Will Hobbs
This interview with author Will Hobbs was conducted in 1994. Although not recent, it gives interesting and thoughtful views on the art of writing fiction. If you're thinking of being a writer, or just wonder how a writer works, this is...
TES Global
Tes: Schemes of Work: Prose: Harry Potter
[Free Registration/Login Required] As a resource to be used with J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, students will engage in different writing experiences that are extensions of the novel. The prose activities include...
Nagoya University (Japan)
Nagoya University: Charlotte Bronte: Villette (1853)
This site contains the full text of Charlotte Bronte's novel "Villette."
Nagoya University (Japan)
Nagoya University: Charlotte Bronte: The Professor (1857)
This site contains the full text of Charlotte Bronte's novel "The Professor."
Fantastic Fiction
Fantastic Fiction: w.w. Jacobs: Detailed Bibliography
This site provides bibliographies of science fiction writers, and found here is a thorough bibliography of works by W.W. Jacobs, including novels and short stories.
Annenberg Foundation
Annenberg Learner: American Passages: Migrant Struggle: Upton Sinclair
Muckraker Upton Sinclair is featured in this brief biography drawing particular attention to his novel, "The Jungle," written to alert people to the inhumane treatment of immigrant workers. See "Upton Sinclair Activities" for related...
PBS
Pbs: The American Novel: Literary Timeline: Authors: Kate Chopin
Brief biography of American novelist and short story writer Kate Chopin.
TES Global
Tes: Leaflet Self Assessment to Support Holes by Louis Sachar
[Free Registration/Login Required] Students will create a leaflet that will persuade classmates to read the book Holes, a young adult book written by Louis Sachar. These rubric resources will used for peer assessments and self-assessments.