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! |
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CARRIE
I loved spending time with teen/tween enrollees and commenting on adult manuscripts. I am grateful for the experience of seeing their manuscripts professionally critiqued. I also learned a lot about writing in our TeenSpeak breakout sessions—very useful and fun. The TeenSpeak extracurricular activities (bonfire s’mores, making pizza, making “ice cream” out of frozen fruit, doing facials, watching movies) were a great balance. I definitely want to return next year (my third)!KYOKO
AUDREY
Writing is good. Reading is good. S'mores are good. Beaches are good. But writing and reading while eating s'mores on a beach is just beyond good. It's amazing. And if you get do it with friends, it's just amazing squared. SAM
NORA
ROBBIE
Wisdom: What makes a great novel is the author’s ability to connect with the reader on a topic that is relevant in the reader’s life. Hobbies: tennis, photography, creative writing/journalism. RACHEL
Wisdom: To me, a novel is always irresistible if it pushes the boundaries of mainstream fiction to the breaking point, and dares to delve deeper, push harder, and fight stronger than do any others. No one wants to read the same old plot: Boy meets girl. Boy and girl fall in love. Boy and girl break up. Boy and girl get back together and live happily ever after. But people do want to read that plot if it’s shaken up, different, yet still pertains to real life. Hobbies: dance, horses, writing. Rachel is also a TeenSpeak Critique Services graduate. CARRIE
Wisdom: Each character should have a distinctive voice. Even without a name attached to the lines, readers should be able to tell who’s speaking. Hobbies: flute, track team (running), writing. Carrie is also a TeenSpeak Critique Services graduate. MEGAN
Wisdom: Real-life drama makes a novel irresistible Hobbies: I am writing my life story—hoping to publish it, then write more books. I enjoy reading and critiquing others’ work, or just reading in general. I also have a passion for adventures among hills and beautiful landscapes.
Teen Readers and Writers:
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Readers and Writers: To help you envision how you may enjoy our workshop, browse this sampling of teen feedback—and add 
I loved the latest TeenSpeak Novel Workshop; it was so much more in-depth than last year (which I also liked). I wish this one had been longer. How would I describe it to friends? “SUPER FUN! COME!!” 
I really liked the combination of master classes and individual critiques. I learned to improve my writing, and about writing fiction in general. My favorite session was about archetypes. I’d never really thought about how characters play those roles. It was fun to do the archetypes improvs. I also liked learning about three-act story structure—now sometimes when I read, I find myself trying to find subplots and turning points. This workshop was so fun! I hope I can come again! 
It was so much fun!!! I loved hanging out with Paige, Carrie, and Kyoko! Funny, I met them at the workshop Friday morning and it already feels like we're bffs!!! We all watched movies, made s'mores, and did facials. The critique and focus sessions were so fun! I learned a lot, and I loved getting feedback on my own work! 
The TeenSpeak workshop taught me a lot about writing fiction, through my faculty critique and reading peers’ stories. For example, I learned to foreshadow plot so that readers will have hints about what the story involves—but will still be surprised by certain important events. I also learned how to flesh out relationships between characters and add more conflict. And I learned to create stronger settings to give readers a better sense of the characters’ surroundings. Overall, I improved my language usage as well as character and story development. I greatly recommend this workshop.
Instructor Mandy Robbins Taylor is a brilliant critic. The instant you sit down with her, you know she’s read your story enough times that she’s familiar with the characters (she even tells you which one’s her favorite). She cracks jokes about your characters with the ease of someone who is really involved. Mandy is a fantastic judge of where you are, and where you need to focus more, in your piece. She doesn’t talk down to you, even when offering criticism. She’s not timid in her critiques; she knows how to tell you to gently, but firmly murder your darlings. She’s a huge help, and a really nice person.
Workshop: I loved the teen sessions. My faculty critiques were wonderful—instructors read with a teen’s eyes and wit! I’m ready to write at a deeper level than ever before. 
Workshop: This workshop is too good to miss. I’ll never forget the experience of hearing professional critiques by an editor, agent, and award-winning author. This was also my first time getting my work critiqued—for real! The townhomes were nice and the view was great, I loved the bonfire and s’mores. I also enjoyed hanging with peers who, like me, LOVE to write! 
Workshop: This workshop stimulated me to use my brain in fun ways. I learned about the importance of creating fiction scenes, and much more. I am also grateful for this opportunity to get my memoir critiqued and expressed. Everyone was so supportive. It has truly meant a lot to me. 
