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Writing for Children
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Are you interested in writing for children?
If you've been considering writing short stories, articles, poems, or fillers for children's magazines and publications, this class is for you! Margo L. Dill is a fabulous instructor and a contributing editor for WOW! Women On Writing. The class starts next Wednesday. Enroll today to ensure your spot.

WRITING FOR CHILDREN: Everything You Need to Know About Short Stories, Articles, and Fillers

INSTRUCTOR: Margo L. Dill

START DATE: Wednesday, September 30, 2009

DURATION: 7 weeks

COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This class will teach the basics of writing for children's magazines, crafting short stories, nonfiction articles, poetry, and fillers. The student will come away with a short story and cover letter, nonfiction query letter, and a filler or poem. She will also have a list of potential markets, fitting her manuscripts. The instructor will also share an organizational tool for submissions and information on finding other children's writers and networking.

WEEKS AT A GLANCE:

Week 1: Overview of writing for children's magazines: We will discuss different types of manuscripts that magazines accept, how to read magazine guidelines, setting goals and expectations for the seven weeks, answering questions, and breaking myths about children's writing.

Assignment: Find three markets (and their guidelines) that you would be interested in submitting to and sharing them with the other members of the class through the Google group.


Week 2: Crafting short stories: This week will focus on writing a short story for the children's magazine market. You should have a market from week one's assignment that will help you write a short story while having a market in mind. We will discuss creativity vs. marketing your story.

Assignment: Write a short story for a children's magazine.


Week 3: Cover letters and submissions: Now you have a short story draft. You will learn this week how to write a cover letter for your short story; how to format your short story manuscript; and what to include in your submission package.

Assignments: 1. Upload your short story to the Google group. 2. Critique (using the critique form the instructor provides) your partner's short story. 3. Create a cover letter for your short story. 4. Revise your short story to turn in next week.


Week 4: Nonfiction articles: This class will discuss writing nonfiction articles for children's magazines, which are easier to sell to magazines. We will discuss possible topics, how to narrow and focus topics, ways to begin magazine articles, outlining, and researching topics.

Assignments: 1. Upload your cover letter and short story to the Google group. 2. Come up with a topic or two for a nonfiction article that targets one of the markets from week one. Include your angle, beginning of article, and any sources you will use. Create a brief outline.


Week 5: Query letters and submissions: Once you have your topic for a nonfiction article and a rough outline, you are ready to query a magazine to see if editors would be interested in the article. We will look at sample query letters and talk about the different parts of a query letter. We will also talk about what to include in your submission packages for a nonfiction query proposal.

Assignment: Write a query letter to a children's magazine.


Week 6: Fillers and Poetry: Children's magazines use a lot of recipes, activities, crafts, quizzes, puzzles, jokes, and poems. These are often called fillers, and they pay and provide clips! We will discuss these, some tricks to the trade, and how to submit them to magazines.

Assignments: 1. Upload query letter to Google group. 2. Critique partner's query letter. 3. Write a filler or a poem for your target magazine.


Week 7: Tracking Submissions, Organization, Support and Networking for Children's Writers: When you write for magazines, it is important to keep track of submissions, wait times, and rights. We will discuss different organizational systems. We will talk about what to do if you do not hear back from an editor after an acceptable amount of wait time. We will also discuss how to find support and networking opportunities for children's writers from SCBWI to local groups to social networking.

Assignment: Fill out the evaluation


Margo L. DillABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR: Margo Dill has written for children since she completed a course from the Institute of Children's Literature nine years ago. Her children's writing has won awards, including honorable mention in the annual Writer's Digest contest. She has had articles, short stories, poetry, activities, and recipes accepted and published in various publications such as Fun for Kidz, Pockets, Cuivre River Anthology III, Characters, Highlights for Children, and Calliope: A Writer's Workshop. She has taught children's writing at the University YMCA in Champaign, IL. She has spoken to writing groups on subjects such as writing articles, networking, and short stories, and she is the children's writing coordinator for Saturday Writers in St. Peters, MO.

COST:
$200,
which includes access to a Google group, ability to upload work to Google group for discussion with instructor and other class members, a free first-page critique from the instructor and a free query or cover letter critique from instructor, private email discussions with instructor as needed. (7 weeks, starting 9/30/2009) LIMIT: 15 STUDENTS. Early registration is recommended.

We are also offering other workshops that you may be interested in (by starting date):

October 2, 2009: New Class!
THEME POWER! POETIC EXPLORATIONS by Melanie Faith


September 21, 2009: New Class!
ONLINE AUTHOR AND BOOK PROMOTION by Annette Fix


October 5, 2009:
CREATING A CHARACTER SKETCH by Janie Sullivan


October 15, 2009:
MAGAZINE WRITING SUCCESS by Wendy Meyeroff


October 20, 2009:
GET PAID TO WRITE: BECOME A FREELANCE WRITER! by Nicole LaMarco


October 27, 2009:
INTRODUCTION TO SCREENWRITING by Christina Hamlett


November 3, 2009:
SHORT FICTION WRITING by Gila Green


November 9, 2009: New Class!
WRITING "REAL LIFE" FOR MAGAZINES by Linda DiProperzio



Personal Attention from InstructorsHow the courses work: All of the courses operate online--whether through email, website, chat room, or listserv, depending on the instructor's preferences--and are taught one-on-one with the instructor. The flexibility of the platform allows students to complete assignments on their own time and work at their own pace in the comfort of their own home. It's a wonderful experience and an excellent way to further develop your skills, boost your income, or to try your hand at something completely new!

If you have any questions, or would like to suggest a course topic you are interested in, we'd love your feedback. Email us at: [email protected]. We'll be updating our classroom page periodically with new classes and workshops, so please check back often. Write on!
 
Warmest,
 
Angela, Marcia & Team WOW!
WOW! Women On Writing
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