A Brave Writer's Life in Brief

Add a dash of enchantment to your homeschool!

You’ll need: 

• One child who enjoys surprises (add more to taste)
• 2 teaspoons of imagination
• 1 heaping pinch of curiosity

Instructions:

Mix gently with a whimsical writing coach. Stir in a swirl of wonder. Flip your fables, trade places with daring dragons, and wander into wild, wondrous worlds—then watch the magic manifest.

Serves:

Dreamers, doodlers, and storytellers of all kinds.

Out of an ingredient? Rusty on technique? 

We’ve got a hack for that!

Step into the Story Switcheroo kitchen to whisk and stir with a seasoned chef (a.k.a. writing coach) by your side. 

Let’s be real for a second: Does the mere mention of a “writing assignment” turn your happy homeschool into a battle of wills?

We’ve all been there. 

The blank stares, the heavy sighs, the “I don’t know what to say,” and—eventually—the tears (yours and theirs). You want to help, but you aren’t sure how to be the coach they need without forcing writing to the page.

Our most popular online course, Brave Writer 101: Guided Writing Process, is designed specifically to rescue your relationship with writing and turn the kitchen table back into a place of connection. It’s a 6-week intensive mission to rebuild your student’s confidence (and yours!) from the ground up.

• For the Student: They’ll go from “I hate writing” to discovering they actually have a brilliant mind-life worth sharing. We move them from raw ideas to a polished “priceless jewel” of a final piece—without the trauma.
  
• For the Parent: You get a professional writing coach in your corner. We don’t just teach your child; we coach YOU on how to be their most trusted ally, giving you the specific tools to support them for the rest of their academic career.

“This class gave me confidence, which was exactly what I needed, for teaching writing. It also gave me specific instructions, tools, and even words to use with my kids. THANK YOU!” —Parent, Kathleen

Don’t Wait for the Next Melt-Down

Our 101 classes are famous for a reason: they work. Because of the high level of individual, one-on-one coaching, our sessions fill up weeks in advance (and many are already marked “Full”).

These six weeks will change your homeschool. Sign up now and secure your spot in an upcoming class!

Don’t let another semester go by feeling stuck or watching your student’s spark fade behind a blank page. Invest in the partnership that will define your homeschool journey.

Around here, we love snuggling up with blankets and books, building forts, pouring tea, and fingerpainting. But your teen needs more than homemade cookies and read-alouds to thrive academically. 

Scary thought?

Deep breath. 

Brave Writer online classes offer warm fuzzies and MORE. Each class is designed to meet Common Core and academic standards. And among those classes, we offer both Essay Prep and Essay Writing courses. Check them out below.

Essay Prep

• Dynamic Thinking
• Reading the Essay
• Research and Citation

Essay Writing: First Year

• 101: Analytic Essay
• 102: Persuasive Essay

Essay Writing: Second Year

• 201: Critical Response Essay
• 202: Timed Essay

Essay Writing: Third Year

• 301: Advanced Composition
• 302: MLA Research Essay
  • Independent Study
  • Reader Response

In an era of rapid-fire information and high academic stakes, the most radical thing a teen can do is become a master of the message—no matter the medium.

That’s why Brave Writer created our online Independent Study Courses. These are:

• self-paced,
• instructor-free,
• and designed to let your student lead their own learning.

Our current courses are designed for teens ages 13-18.

Let’s dive in!

MLA Research Essay

Designed for older teens

Think: “No-stress” college prep. The Modern Language Association (MLA) sets the gold standard for scholarly writing. We don’t just teach your teen how to follow MLA rules to write a properly formatted essay; we teach them how to join a global conversation.

This course empowers your teen to take a stand on an issue they care about and back it up with the authority of expert evidence. We teach a repeatable, high-level process your teen can use to thrive in academic writing courses for years to come.

• The Skills: Analyzing credible sources, using research to enhance thinking, crafting and proving a persuasive thesis, and mastering citations
• The Outcome: A 1,500–2,000-word argumentative paper that fits any academic purpose

Media Literacy

Designed for ages 13-18

Think: “Safety goggles” for the internet. Our teens are swimming in a digital ocean of deepfakes and clickbait. They don’t need “internet rules” (which are obsolete by next Tuesday) to stay afloat. They need critical thinking muscles.

In this course, we turn your teens into media analyzers and then creators. With this approach, they will understand exactly how they are being influenced as consumers.

• The Skills: Analyzing creator bias, “reading” audio and visual inputs, and engaging in persuasive digital storytelling.
• The Outcome: An original Public Service Announcement (PSA) that uses imagery, sound, and scriptwriting to move an audience.

You might wonder how your middler is ever going to be a competent essay writer. They procrastinate. They lack organization. They can’t follow steps. They have zero motivation to write. Like, at all!

Well, we have a secret to share. 

Projects are the perfect stepping stone to academic writing for a middle grader. 

Projects offer:

• A gentle introduction to formats and writing within parameters
• A toe-dip into the world of academic research 
• A chance to move through concrete steps, like planning, revising, and editing
• And the opportunity to share all that hard work with others! 

Projects are also an opportunity for a deep dive.

In Brave Writer’s online class, Middle School Writing: History Projects, we look at the history of one of your child’s favorite things. That’s right, your child will choose their own topic—an ideal way to generate motivation! 

What will it be for your kids? 

• The origins of chess?
• The story of popcorn?
• A deep dive into Morse code? 

So sign up! You’ll find this course is the ideal pre-game academic experience for your middle grader!