This is a semester-long course for juniors or seniors. It is offered as dual credit through Doane University; however, students are not required to take dual credit. The primary goal of this course is to improve writing. Students will first study literature and what other writers do to tell their stories and provide depth to their narratives, which should influence how students write and tell their stories. The truth is no writer ever truly writes fiction, as all stories contain some elements of self, whether from personal experience or observation. Students will develop writing skills in both academic and creative nonfiction formats. Students will receive instruction on structuring an essay and using evidence to support ideas, but they will also receive instruction on what works in stories to create good writing. Thus, this course will have two units to examine literature followed by a third unit to put this knowledge into practice.