Pacific Coast Children’s Writers Workshop

10th Annual October 5-7, 2012 Master Class to Masterpiece

Early Bird deadline May 15! (Teens June 25.) Mss. due in summer. Stellar faculty; personalized. Apply now!

SAMPLE ESSAY QUESTIONS

These questions may unearth useful material for your synopsis and/or query letter.

Our application helps us get mutually acquainted. It consists of two parts. Part 1 is info about you as a writer. Part 2 includes stimulating questions about your manuscript, exploring the main character’s “emotional journey.”

These questions may help you determine answers to the following: How well do you really know your story? Are you ready to pitch it to an editor or agent?

QUESTION 1

Write a one-sentence blurb about your novel, distilling it to no more than 40 words. Don’t try to compress every important event into this sentence; just answer: “What’s your story about?” Be as specific as possible. Include protagonist’s age (deleting “years old” saves words); time and place, if not contemporary; and the main character’s urgent, well-motivated need or desire (internal and external conflict).

Examples (one-sentence story summary in 40 words or less)

Provided by alumni of The Pacific Coast Children’s Writers Workshop (PCCWW) and others:

When Seth’s best friend, Matt, illegally shoots a wolf, 12-year-old Seth struggles to determine if their friendship can overcome their philosophical differences. — By multiple award-winning author Mary Casanova, summarizing Wolf Shadows, a then-in-progress novel (now published by Hyperion). More tips included in Casanova’s helpful article accompanying our application. (22 words)
Haunted by her dead baby sister, 12-year-old Bree struggles to exorcise or at least soothe not only the ghost but the guilty memories of her own role in the death. — By PCCWW alum Joni Sensel, summarizing Blank Pages. (30 words)
Living in a 1922 world of poverty, strikes, prejudice, murder, and mine accidents, Toby, 13, musters his inner strength to save an antagonistic classmate trapped in a Utah coal mine. — By PCCWW alum K. Mandel, summarizing Footprints in the Coal. (30 words)
When Justin, 16, spends time with Jinsen, the unusual and artistic new student whom school bullies torment and call Buddha Boy, he’s forced to decide which is more important—peer social order or getting to know someone extraordinary. — Adapted from the book jacket of Buddha Boy (Kathe Koja; Penguin/Speak) by PCCWW Director Nancy Sondel (38 words)

What is your novel’s blurb? Don’t be surprised if this single sentence takes you a few (well-spent) hours to construct!

QUESTION 2

Sales pitch: Imagine you’re an editor presenting this manuscript to your publisher’s editorial board for a vote. Answer the following: What’s the hook that will help us market this book; what distinguishes it from others of its genre? How might this story touch an adolescent’s emotions and cultivate his/her thought processes? Why do you think this novel would appeal to kids, educators, booksellers, and other readers? (Why are you passionate about writing it?)

Limit your pitch to 25-75 words (several sentences). Draw and/or quote from the above questions, as needed. Be matter-of-fact; no self-praise or “infomercials.”

Keep this statement handy when writing your future query letter to agents or editors!

“Good writing has to do with not counting drafts, not keeping track of how many times
you’ve revised something. The only draft that counts is the final draft.”
— Raymond Obstfeld, Novelist’s Essential Guide to Crafting Scenes

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HEADS UP! For maximum critique options and lowest fees at our October 5-7, 2012 workshop (16 enrollees), or concurrent retreat (6 enrollees), inquire early. Teen workshops: click here!

Meanwhile, don’t miss our exclusive faculty interviews; read about our innovative masterclass critique clinics and peruse our full weekend schedule. For more information, contact Nancy Sondel—a Children’s Book Insider contributing editor and the workshop’s founding director.