Writing for middle graders and young adults is not very different from any other fiction writing. However, there are certain perimeters and considerations that are specific to these genres. If you are serious about writing for these audiences, this course will provide that information, and give you the opportunity present your work and get professional feedback. We will address issues, both editorial and industry-based, in preparation for submission to agents and editors in this rapidly-growing field. This is a seminar; students will be expected to review each other’s work prior to attending classes.
If time allows, there may be in-class/at home writing exercises aimed at honing the specific skills of writing for middle graders and young adults. Each week there will be discussion and critiquing, leaving time at the end of class for individuals to ask questions.
Veteran teacher and award-winning writer Nora Raleigh Baskin leads the course. Her goal, she says, is “to create a safe, supportive environment for sharing your work and receiving constructive comments that move you closer to putting your heart out there in the world.”
Open to writers of middle grade and young adult novels.
Dates: Dec 2, 9 (no class Dec 16), Jan 6, 13, 20, 27.
Nora’s Bio:
Nora Raleigh Baskin is the author of thirteen novels for young readers and a contributor to two story collections. She has won several awards including the 2010 ALA Schneider Family Book Award for Anything But Typical. A 2001 Publishers Weekly Flying Start, Nora has published short stories and personal narrative essays which have appeared in The Boston Globe Sunday Magazine and The Writer Magazine. She has taught creative writing to both children and adults for over fifteen years with such organizations as SCBWI, The Unicorn Writers Conference, the Highlights Foundation, Gotham Writers Workshop and The Fairfield County Writer’s Workshop. She often speaks at schools and libraries across the country and abroad on the healing power of writing, in any form. Ruby on the Outside, her latest middle grade novel, was recently awarded the International Literacy Association’s 2016 Notable Books for a Global Society.
Nora’s latest novel, Nine/Ten: A September 11 Story (Atheneum Books for Young Readers) , was published June 28th 2016 and has received starred reviews from Kirkus and Publisher’s Weekly. You can see more about Nora’s titles at norabaskin.com or follow her @noraraleighb