Award Winners 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024
Contest information at the bottom of this page
Challenge B Short Stories
for
Classical Conversations
an Online Course
for students, Parent-Teachers, and Directors
Become an author with the Holy Spirit Advantage!
Award Winners 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024
Contest information at the bottom of this page
(That's $59 total for all 15 weeks + a bonus week. I should charge $149, but this is my "give back" to the CC community in appreciation for all I've learned from CC parents over the years.)
Challenge B Short Stories
Worried about your short story assignment?
Not sure what to write about?
Looking for Practical Processes for Writing Short Stories?
Did you notice my alliteration?
My own teens resist writing despite having a parent-teacher who is an award-winning author and writing coach. So, I showed them how to use the rhetorical canon to complete the assignment while writing about something they enjoyed. They got it done with less stress!
Did you notice my rhyme?
I knew how to teach writing to college students, but when I began homeschooling, I had to learn how to teach my elementary student—who said he hated writing!
(The photo above is my oldest who is now 6'4" tall!)
With my degree from a Department of Rhetoric, I know the rhetorical canon and the prewriting-writing-revising process well.
While teaching college students, I excelled at teaching invention tools.
While teaching my boys, we became good at recording our ideas!
With my degree in Scientific and Technical Communication, I knew how to write clearly and concisely.
Not until homeschooling through LTW and Analogies for All of Us did I fully appreciate literary devices.
Now I see literary devices in whatever I'm reading, from The Hiding Place to The Art of War to the Bible!
But God, through His infinite wisdom, taught me as I wrote my own award-winning story how to co-write with His Holy Spirit.
He wants us to be successful, and He gives wisdom to all who ask!
How Do We Make Challenge B Short Stories Compelling?
with our
Holy Spirit Advantage!
Recognize literary devices in the classically written short stories you're reading spring semester
Use writing skills you already know from IEW, LTW, and Analogies for All of Us
Create story plots and characters you care about
Break through writer's block with your Holy Spirit Advantage!
Recognize literary devices in the classically written short stories you're reading
Use writing skills you already know from IEW, LTW, and Analogies for All of Us
Create story plots and characters you care about
Break through writer's block with your Holy Spirit Advantage!
What Does this
Challenge B Short Stories
Online Course Do for Your Students?
Power of the Holy Spirit
I am in Him & He is in Me
Jesus asked, "So if you know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?” (Luke 11:13)
Learn to co-write with God as you collaboratively change the world for His glory.
KEY TO OVERCOMING WRITER'S BLOCK!
Practical Processes
Tools, Tips, Techniques
We know the second semester of Challenge B is challenging.
But I've gathered the best writing techniques from classical writers, modern teaching, and my own experience writing an award-winning memoir.
You will begin to write confidently and to enjoy how God empowered you to write well.
KEY TO GETTING IT DONE!
Professional Prose
Clear, Concise, Compelling
The stories you're assigned to read have survived to today because they were well written for their audiences.
You, too, can write clear, concise, compelling, maybe even comedic or concerning compositions using skills you already know.
KEY TO IMPACTING THE WORLD!
KEY TO OVERCOMING WRITER'S BLOCK!
KEY TO GETTING IT DONE!
KEY TO IMPACTING THE WORLD!
Who?
students (whether neurotypical or not)
parent-teachers
Directors
What? Where?
weekly live Zoom calls 8 pm Eastern time Mondays, recorded
downloadables
links to optional content
checklists
When?
Live classes Mondays 8 pm Eastern Time starting January 5, 2026
All videos recorded for those who can't make the live Zoom
If you're ahead of my schedule, watch last year's videos until we catch up to you (which is usually after President's Day—see course outline below)
Challenge B Short Stories
Click to Play Video Below
Challenge B Short Stories
What Students & Parents Say About the
Challenge B Short Stories
Online Course
About Mrs. Krichbaum
Cheryl Krichbaum
“God wants you to be successful!”
Award-Winning Author, Speaker, Writing Coach
award-winning author
B.S. Scientific & Technical Communication, University of Minnesota Department of Rhetoric
unfinished M.A. Rhetoric and Scientific & Technical Communication with emphasis in instructional technology from the same department
taught professional portfolios to undergraduates
researched writing and web design process and the rhetorical canon during grad school
taught Scientific Writing to college sophomores
taught Technical Writing to college juniors
wrote course websites, online-help system, corporate e-newsletters, training and train-the-trainer manuals
corporate clients included 3M, Ameriprise, Northwest Airlines, Federal Reserve
homeschool mom
researched teaching elementary homeschool students the writing process
researched teaching resistant writers
former Classical Conversations Challenge B Director
parent-teacher of sons who completed Classical Conversations Challenges A, B, 1, 2, 3
Classical Conversations
Challenge B Short Stories
2026 Challenge B Short Stories Course Outline
Mondays at 8 pm Eastern Time
Jan 6 - Apr 27, 2026
All sessions recorded & uploaded that night
Last year's recordings already in the course
Brainstorm—January 5, 2026
Rhetorical Canon & Writing Process
Inventorying Your Books, Movies, and more
Working with Your Holy Spirit Advantage
Create 5 Story Ideas—January 12, 2026
Turning Your Inventory into Ideas
Choose 1 Story Idea—January 19, 2026
(MLK Jr Day)
Focusing on One Story Idea
Writing Your Story Description
Focus & Story Description—January 26, 2026
Writing Your Story Description
Connecting to Mock Trial
Leaving Out Details
Setting—February 2, 2026
Writing Your Setting Paragraph
Character(s)—February 9, 2026
Character Archetypes
Describing Your Main Character
More on Characters—February 16, 2026
(President's Day)
Describing Your Main Character
Showing a Few Details about Other Characters
Overview of Rest of Semester
Plot—February 23, 2026
Freytag's Pyramid
Modern Structure
Plot archetypes
Word Processing
Plot Checklists—March 2, 2026
Plot Checklists
Sample Student Story
First Draft - March 9, 2026
Writing Dialogue
Getting Your Draft Done
Banned Words
Preparing for Peer Review
Peer Review—March 16, 2026
Formatting
Levels of Editing
Asking Questions
Learning to Love Edits
Dialogue—March 23, 2026
Punctuating Dialogue
Editing for American Standard English
Refining After Peer Review
Taking a Break to Celebrate Holy Week
Manuscript—April 6, 2026
Preparing Your Manuscript
Illustrations
About the Author
DIRECTORS: Notes on Publishing Books
DIRECTORS: Sample Front Matter
Illustrations & Author—April 13, 2026
Image Options
About the Author Examples
Formatting in MS Word & Google Docs
Audio Recording Secrets
Q&A—April 20, 2026
Self-Publishing
Answering Remaining Questions
Mrs. Krichbaum's Secret Plan
Q&A—April 27, 2026
Answering Remaining Questions
Writing Contest Deadline May 12, 2026
Enrolled students may enter their story into Mrs. Krichbaum's contest for a small fee of $35 (to defray the cost of producing the anthology)
If Mrs. Krichbaum is impressed, your story will be published as a professionally produced anthology
Superior Challenge B Short Stories Series
award-winners from previous years
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