Frequently Asked Questions

The KWN program is a novel-writing initiative designed to help students plan, write, and self-publish their own novels. The program is aligned with education standards appropriate to each grade level. We are passionate about helping students fulfill their imaginations with a physical product that has value beyond measure.

The KWN program is designed for both aspiring authors and reluctant writers. Everyone is wired for story, and so our approach to ELA standards is through storytelling. It is a scientific fact that every human being has an imagination, even if some are more active than others for sure. Once the connection between imagination to written words is made, there is no stopping them! Trust us, we've seen it happen and it's a beautiful experience.

Kids Write Novels is designed to function as a full English Language Arts curriculum, with grammar, spelling, and writing skills. As students plan, draft, and revise their stories, they’re encouraged to think critically about language and how grammatical choices influence meaning and clarity. The program has been aligned to state standards in California. There are several supplemental assignment options for parents to add to the curriculum to ensure alignment. Every state has individual requirements and must be consulted to ensure compliance.  

KWN is a family-friendly program. The program does not accept horror, any stories depicting extreme darkness or gratuitous violence, or romance that goes beyond basic interactions. Ultimately, however, parents are the authority over their child. If a parent is okay with their student exploring one of the banned topics for their story, students can write it, but they won’t be allowed to share any part of their concept, story ideas, or writing on KWN, in class, or participate in the peer review swap. 

We ask for the first month’s tuition at registration to ensure that families stay one month ahead on payments. This helps us keep the program running smoothly and fairly for everyone. Unfortunately, not everyone lets us know when they decide to stop participating or keeps up with payments after the cutoff date. By collecting the first month upfront, we can avoid disruptions and focus on providing the best experience for all students.

We offer a month-to-month commitment on all courses and families may withdraw on those timelines. We do not offer refunds on any monies paid for materials due to their consumable nature or paid-in-full courses. 

 The primary difference between video-only and live students is the level of instructor and peer feedback. Live students turn in one chapter draft each week and receive feedback on formatting. Live students also have the option of a full novel peer review and instructor guidance throughout the writing process. This regular check-in helps students stay on track and refine their work as their novel develops. 

Video-only students do not receive instructor feedback or peer review on their full novel, including weekly chapter formatting evaluation. Because of this, parents play a more active role in helping with revisions and organization. While most families choose the live classes, video-only students can still be very successful—especially when they stay engaged in the KWN author community.

All students, whether live or video-only, receive general support during the self-publishing process once the publishing fee is paid.

Classes are scheduled based on the grade level and the specific course offerings. We provide a variety of options for our once-a-week courses and the options depend on the course. You can view all the information on each course page. 

Class duration varies by grade level and can diverge from published time slightly depending on the volume of questions from students. 

CW (2-3rd) video only 20 minutes

CB (4-5th) 45 minutes

MG (6-8th) 1 hour

YA (9-12th) 1 hour 15 minutes

GN (graphic novel) 1 hour

SS (short story) 45 minutes

Students in this program must rely on their own imagination, critical thinking, and writing skills to develop their stories and participate in class or KWN discussions. Large Language Model (LLM) tools—such as ChatGPT or other text-generation AI—may not be used for planning, generating details, drafting, or writing any part of student work. This includes brainstorming, outlining, creating story elements, or composing dialogue. The purpose of this program is to strengthen each student’s unique voice and creativity, and the use of LLMs undermines that learning process.

Students may, however, use image-generation AI tools for creative purposes such as designing book covers, character sketches, maps, or other visual elements that support their stories. These tools may be used only for artwork and not for producing written content.

All assignments, projects, and class discussions are expected to be the student’s original written work. Instructors may submit writing to AI checkers to ensure authenticity. While the results may be inconclusive in some situations and we do not assume any student violated this policy intentionally, any work with strong potential to have been created using an LLM will not be accepted and may result in loss of credit for the assignment, removal from KWN, or additional consequences as necessary. Students are encouraged to ask questions, collaborate with peers, and use instructor feedback to overcome writing challenges—these are the tools intended to help them grow as writers.

This policy is subject to change as digital tools and technology continue to advance. We will make every effort to provide effective notice to students and families before enforcing any updated version of this policy.