OVERVIEW

Critique-Based Enrollment

Since 2003, our workshop has offered a collegial event for writers at various stages in their development. We’ve focused on craft, the foremost tool that makes the sale. In recent years, many of our alumni have become highly skilled and/or published children’s book authors. Now, in addition to offering masterclass (open clinic) critiques on partials, we offer selected writers an editor or agent critique on their entire novel.

Whole-novel Group A critiques provide continuing feedback on the seeds planted in early chapters; i.e., those most often “workshopped.” These chapters serve multiple purposes—they present a hook; they introduce a dramatic question to be developed and resolved by The End; they make or break a formal submission.

It’s invaluable to examine these opening chapters, which we also do in Group B.
A third track, Group C, are enrollees in the TeenSpeak Novel Workshop. While engaging in their concurrent event, they also join adults to give these writers fresh feedback from target-age readers.

All faculty critiques (Groups A, B, C) are both written and in person. The three tracks converge for novel-crafting focus sessions, as well as for observation of each others’ faculty consults. Regardless of which group you enroll in, expect a smorgasbord of educational and networking delights!

MASTERCLASS CRITIQUES

All of our standard critiques are in masterclass (open clinic) format. Master classes are not traditional at children’s writers workshops. We’ve adapted this collegial format to allow our entire group to observe faculty critiques. These manuscripts are available to read before the workshop.

Read more about master classes.

SPOT CRITIQUES

These are three-minute, public critiques by our editor-agent combo; designed for teens and/or adults who receive no other core faculty critiques. Maximum one manuscript page per writer, available for all to review before the workshop. Available to six writers, or as time permits.

See your story spring to life!

GENRES

Most of our manuscript submissions are contemporary or historical realistic novels. However, depending on our faculty, we may offer critiques for well-crafted, character-driven fantasy novels, “older” chapter books, and stories in verse. Writers of multiple genres can benefit by exploring the character, plot, and theme issues we address at the workshop.

Also see our annotated table of fees.  For an in-depth look at each enrollment group, click here.