Story, Voice,
and Purpose
A Writing Course for Real Life
Learn to write with clarity, confidence, and purpose — across every form of writing that actually matters beyond the classroom.
Writing is a life skill, not just a school subject. Your student already has a voice. This course helps them recognize it, strengthen it, and use it on purpose.
About the Course
A writing course that prepares students for real life
Story, Voice, and Purpose is a full-year writing course designed for upper-level high school students who are ready to write with genuine skill, confidence, and intention. It blends creative writing with practical, real-world application — helping students develop the kind of adaptable writing ability that serves them beyond school, whether they are writing college essays, professional emails, blog posts, or their first short story.
This course does not teach grammar drills or five-paragraph essays. It teaches students to think clearly, communicate honestly, and write with a voice that is unmistakably their own. Every lesson is built around real writing tasks, immediate application, and a revision process that develops genuine craft over time.
This course is NOT
- Busywork or endless grammar drills
- About writing “the right way”
- About perfection or performance
- A one-size-fits-all writing formula
- Lecture-heavy and passive
This course IS
- Practical, purpose-driven writing instruction
- Creative and personally meaningful
- Built on honest, authentic voice development
- Process-based with genuine revision skills
- Active — students write every week
The course launches in July.
Join the waitlist for early access and the best available price.
Join the WaitlistThe Foundation
Built on three pillars
Every lesson, every assignment, and every piece of feedback in this course connects back to the same three foundations. By the end of the year, these aren’t concepts students know — they’re habits they practice automatically.
Voice
How writing sounds — shaped by word choice, sentence rhythm, point of view, and honesty. Students discover their own voice and learn to use it across every form of writing.
Purpose
What writing is meant to do. Strong writing knows its purpose before it starts — whether it aims to inform, persuade, connect, entertain, or reflect.
Process
Real writers don’t get it right the first time. They draft, revise, and refine. This course treats revision not as correction but as the actual work of writing.
The Work
What your student will actually write
Students practice across the full spectrum from creative to professional — because strong writers can adapt their voice and structure for any situation. By the end of the year, your student will have written in every one of these forms:
Personal narratives & vignettes
Short stories & flash fiction
Blog posts & articles
Opinion & persuasive writing
Podcast & media scripts
College entrance essays
Resumes & cover letters
Social media with substance
Professional bios & pitches
Course Structure
30 weeks. Two semesters. One complete writer.
The course is organized into thematic units that build deliberately on each other. Semester 1 develops core writing skills, voice, and creative storytelling foundations. Semester 2 applies those skills to professional, academic, and media contexts — preparing students for college, career, and everything in between.
1–3
Purpose & audience • Voice & authenticity • Showing vs. telling • Strong openings & endings
4–6
Story structure & conflict • Character development • Dialogue • Setting & atmosphere • Theme
7–9
Writing for online audiences • Hooks & headlines • Substance vs. clickbait • Ethical online voice
10–12
Informational vs. persuasive writing • Article & op-ed structure • Evidence & counterargument
13–15
Deep revision strategies • Editing for clarity • Semester 1 Portfolio
1–3
Resumes & cover letters • Professional bio • Personal branding through writing
4–6
Podcast & video scripts • Writing for the ear • Pacing & conversational flow
7–9
College personal statements • Scholarship essays • Writing about growth & experience
10–12
Product descriptions • Persuasive pitches • Writing for impact & clarity
13–15
Final revision • Portfolio curation • Reflective essay on growth as a writer
The Portfolio
More than a grade — a body of work
Students build a writing portfolio throughout the year that goes far beyond a class assignment. By the end of the course, your student will have a curated collection of their best work across every genre — ready to use for college applications, scholarship submissions, job applications, or simply as proof of everything they can do.
The Capstone Portfolio includes:
A revised personal narrative • A college essay ready for submission • An article or blog post • A professional resume & cover letter • A script • Social media writing • A before & after revision sample • A final reflection on growth as a writer
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this course, your student will be able to…
Write clearly, creatively, and purposefully across multiple genres
Adapt tone, voice, and structure for different audiences and platforms
Apply storytelling techniques to both creative and practical writing
Revise writing deeply for clarity, impact, and effectiveness
Write a compelling college entrance or scholarship essay
Produce professional documents that create strong first impressions
Understand and use narrative structure in both fiction and nonfiction
Build a professional-quality writing portfolio with real-world applications
Is This Right for You?
This course works well for students who…
Feel like they have something to say but struggle to say it clearly
This course starts with voice — helping students find and trust what is already there, then build the craft to use it intentionally.
Are preparing for college applications in the next 1–2 years
The college essay unit in Semester 2 is built specifically for this. Students finish with a polished, submission-ready personal statement.
Want to write creatively but have never had real instruction
Weeks 4–6 cover story structure, character, dialogue, setting, and theme in a way that gives students real technical tools, not just encouragement.
Need writing credit that is academically rigorous and portfolio-worthy
The course is designed for full high school credit with a grading framework built around growth, effort, and demonstrated skill — not arbitrary performance.
Sound like the right fit?
Waitlist subscribers get first access and the early-bird price when the course launches in July.
Join the WaitlistHow It Works
Flexible by design — rigorous by intention
This course is built to work on your schedule. It is fully self-paced with no live sessions required, and works equally well as a parent-led homeschool course or a fully independent student study. Each unit follows a consistent structure that guides students through the complete writing process without needing a teacher present.
Structured Writing Sessions
Each unit includes guided drafting activities and writing prompts that build skills progressively. Students always know exactly what they are doing and why.
Revision as Practice
Every major piece goes through a full revision cycle. First drafts are exploratory. Final pieces are held to a high standard. Revision is treated as the actual work of writing, not a punishment.
Reflection & Self-Assessment
Students write short reflections after each assignment, building genuine self-awareness as writers over time. These reflections are part of the grade and part of the growth.
Portfolio Development
Work is collected and curated throughout the year. Students finish with a tangible body of writing they are proud of — not just a transcript entry.
Assessment
Graded on growth, not perfection
This course does not use quizzes or tests. Writing is assessed on the work itself — the thinking behind it, the effort invested, and the growth demonstrated over time. The assessment framework is designed to work for both self-paced and parent-led students.
“You don’t need to be born a writer to become a strong one. You just need to practice with purpose.”Story, Voice, and Purpose — Course Philosophy
Your Instructor
Meet Susan Kihleng
Susan Kihleng is an English teacher and homeschool educator with over 28 years of experience teaching and tutoring English — the last three years exclusively online, working with students across the globe. The majority of her students are from China, though she has taught learners from dozens of countries at every level of English proficiency.
She is also a homeschool mom of five, with four graduates and one still on the journey. Story, Voice, and Purpose was developed directly from her homeschool and teaching experience — tried, tested, and refined with real students, including her own daughter, who completed the course in her final year of high school and begins university this fall.
Susan created this course because she couldn’t find a writing curriculum that did what she needed it to do: prepare students for the writing that actually matters beyond school. So she built one herself.
Want personalized feedback from Susan?
Private tutoring sessions are available for students who want one-on-one instructor feedback, guided revision support, or personalized writing conferences. Tutoring is available separately through The Seaside Collective.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
This course is designed for upper-level high school students in Grades 10–12. Prerequisites are strong foundational writing skills and a willingness to revise and reflect. Students don’t need to consider themselves “writers” — they just need to be willing to try.
The course is fully self-paced with no live sessions and no deadlines imposed from outside. Students work through each week’s video lessons, student handout, and writing assignments at their own pace. A recommended weekly schedule is built into the course materials for families who want structure, but there are no penalties for moving faster or slower.
Yes. The course is designed specifically for homeschool use and independent study. It includes a full syllabus, assessment framework with percentage breakdowns, and all materials needed for a parent to administer and grade the course as a full-credit high school writing elective.
Each week includes a video lesson with a complete slide script, a teacher/parent lesson plan, a student handout with activities and writing spaces, and a clearly specified assignment. Materials are provided in both digital and printable formats.
All work must represent the student’s own thinking and writing. AI writing tools may not be used to generate, rewrite, or substantially revise assignments unless explicitly permitted for a specific task. This isn’t simply a rule — it’s fundamental to what the course is trying to do. The entire purpose of this course is to develop the student’s own voice, and that process only works if the student is the one writing.
The base course is designed to be completed independently. For students who want one-on-one feedback, guided revision sessions, or instructor conferencing, private tutoring is available separately through The Seaside Collective. Learn more here.
Grades 10–12, with strong foundational writing skills. Students should be comfortable writing several paragraphs on a given topic and should have some experience with basic essay structure. The course builds from there significantly — it is not a remedial writing course but a rigorous creative and professional writing course for students ready to develop real craft.
Pricing
Choose the option that works for your student
Story, Voice, and Purpose launches in July with flexible pricing options for homeschool families and independent learners. Waitlist subscribers receive early access and the early-bird rate before the course opens to the public.
Semester 1
$97
First half of the course — a great way to start before committing to the full year.
Weeks 1–15 • Semester 1 Portfolio
Full Year
$167
Full access to the complete course at the best available price. Limited time at launch.
All 30 weeks • Both portfolios • Full credit
Full Year
$197
Full access to the complete course at the standard price.
All 30 weeks • Both portfolios • Full credit
Tutoring Bundle — from $297
Full course access combined with personalised one-on-one writing support from Susan. Available separately through The Seaside Collective.
The course launches in July.
Join the waitlist for early access and the early-bird price.
Join the WaitlistNo spam. Just a note when the course is ready.
Ready to start writing with purpose?
Give your student a year of writing instruction that will serve them for the rest of their life — not just through high school.
Join the Waitlist
Full-year course • Self-paced • Works for homeschool & independent study
Questions? Contact Susan directly.