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.

Our program offers a full English curriculum, and yes, we do cover grammar and spelling. While we are not traditional with grammar worksheets (most kids hate those) they learn contextually. As they write, we challenge them to consider how their grammatical choices influence the scene.

We have aligned our courses to CA state standards but you must check with your educational governing body for confirmation

The cost includes a $35.00 class registration fee, the first month’s tuition due at the time of signup, and material costs for books, which may vary depending on the course or grade level. For specific information and costs, please visit our specific program pages for The Encephalon Code and 180 Days Writing.

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 is that video-only students do not receive feedback on their writing from the instructor or a peer review of their full novel. As a result, parents need to be more involved in the revision process for video-only students. While most students choose the live classes, our video-only students can be very successful if they stay involved in our author's platform KWN and they do get help in the self-publishing process when they pay the fee just as live students do.

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.