3376 - Summer Writing School: Mapping Your Story

Delivery Options IN-CLASS

Course Description

The foundation of any good story is… a good story. This 5-day intensive led by experienced novelist and screenwriter Barbara Radecki will help you outline an effective structure for your fiction, memoir, or screenplay, with a focus on fundamentals and essential writing tools.

Summer Writing School courses are applicable to the Certificate in Creative Writing.

Learning Outcomes

How to structure your story in the most effective way.
How to build a workable plot template that will enhance your writing experience.
How to work in collaboration to bring more clarity and impact to your story choices.
How to draft and refine a treatment, synopsis, and one-liner as working tools and for submission.

This course may be applied towards the SCS Certificate(s) in

Creative Writing : Elective Courses

Enroll Now - Select a section to enroll in

3376 - 008

Spring/Summer - 26

IN-CLASS

Available

In-Class

M, T, W, Th, F

10:00AM to 4:00PM

Jul 06, 2026 to Jul 10, 2026

Schedule and Location

View Details

20.0

St. George Campus

IN-CLASS

Flat Fee non-credit

$699.00

Section Notes

Enrolment is open until June 26th. If you have difficulty registering, please contact our Enrolment and Learner Services team at 416-978-2400.

In Mapping Your Story, we'll look at effective storytelling tools and learn how to apply those tools to develop a story idea or a work-in-progress.

This course requires the submission of 6 Major Events from student work to be emailed by 9:00 AM on June 23rd to scs.writing@utoronto.ca. The submission should be a maximum 2 pages, single-spaced, in a standard font. Submissions will be posted on Quercus for your instructor and classmates to view, and distributed one week before the course begins. Please read all submissions and be prepared to workshop before the first day of class.

6 Major Events: Identify some (possible) key events that will be the main focus of your story (idea-stage or in a work-in-progress):

Event 1: Necessary establishing points: protagonist/s (social identity, ambition, dream, problem)? Setting? In what world do we begin?
Event 2: What is the (possible) event that sets the story on its course?
Event 3: What is one significant event that might happen (later in the story) as a result of Event 2?
Event 4: What is one significant event that might happen (later in the story) as a result of Event 3?
Event 5: What is one significant event that happens as a result of Event 4?
Event 6: Which event might mark the beginning of your story’s end?

Summer Writing School Schedule:
Mon 10:00AM - 12:00PM and 1:30PM - 2:30PM Instructor Readings 3:00PM - 4:00PM
Tue 10:00AM - 12:00PM and 1:30PM - 3:30PM
Wed 10:00AM - 12:00PM and 1:30PM - 2:30PM Panel Discussion 3:00PM - 4:00PM
Thu 10:00AM - 12:00PM and 1:30PM - 3:30PM
Fri 10:00AM - 12:00PM and 1:30PM - 2:30PM Student Readings 3:00PM - 4:00PM

Instructions: Your submission must be email to by 9:00AM June 23rd to scs.writing@utoronto.ca with the subject line and file saved as: First initial, Last name_Course Code (ex.: J, Smith_3376-008)

Withdrawal & Accessibility:
Deadline to withdraw from The U of T Summer Writing School is 4:00PM Friday, June 26th. To withdraw, please email learn@utoronto.ca.
For accessibility information, please email: scs.accessibility@utoronto.ca.

Textbooks are not required for this course.

This in-class course uses Quercus (UofT Learning Management Engine) to post course materials.

Go here for information on when you will receive your access information.

For technical requirements, please go here.