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WOW! Women On Writing
Classes & Workshops
Spotlight: Writing for Children
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Writers,
Do you have a dream of writing for children? Is one of your New Year's resolutions to work on your writing for children career? If it's something you're thinking about, now is the time to make it happen!
Join author Margo L. Dill in her class, Writing for Children: How to Get Started, Get Ready for the New Year, and Take Hold of Your Career, starting on Wednesday, November 14, 2012. This course is geared toward any writer who wants to write for children, from toddlers to teenagers. Whether you want to write a successful YA fantasy e-book series, see your byline in children's magazines, or pen any type of writing for children, Margo will help you with the steps and resources to meet your goals.
Sign up now for Writing for Children and you'll receive a discount of $25 (the class is normally $100, now $75)! This includes access to the class blog, a free critique from the instructor ($50 value), and private e-mail discussions with the instructor as needed. Enrollment is limited to fifteen students, and early registration is recommended.
In the article below, Margo explains what editors and writing coaches mean when they say, "Study the market." Just follow her handy list of tips!
We have a few more classes coming up soon as well, including Journey Through Life's Losses (Nov 12), Get Paid fto Write (Nov 16), Independent Publishing (every Friday), and Food Writing (Nov 29). Our current list of classes can be found below.
Also, we'd love to hear from you! What format of classes would you prefer? (Teleseminar? Webinar? Video chat? Private blog? E-mail listserv?) We're having a discussion about it on WOW's blog, and a poll on Facebook. Stop by either one and share your opinion.
Happy writing!
Marcia & Angela
Marcia & Angela
Classroom Managers
WOW! Classes & Workshops
classroom@wow-womenonwriting.com |
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Photo by Brandi Jordan, Flickr
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Reading Children's Literature to Study the Market
By Margo L. Dill
Being a children's writer, whether you're writing magazine stories, picture books, or novels, is not easy. Just like technology and teaching strategies, the world of children's literature is ever-changing. If you haven't picked up a picture book since The Poky Little Puppy, a children's magazine since a 1970s Highlights for Children edition, or a YA novel since Sweet Valley High, then it's time to dust off your library card or take a ride to your local bookstore and study the market.
If you want to write for children, you have to know what is popular now. That doesn't mean you should write to trends just because it's a trend. But you need to be knowledgeable about the market and find a place for the story that's begging you to write it.
What do editors and writing coaches mean when we say, "Study the market"? How do you study a 400-word picture book or a rebus story in your favorite kids' magazine or the latest popular YA novel? It's simple. Just follow these tips.
1. Read several examples of what you want to write. If you are an aspiring picture book writer, then read twenty picture books. If you want to be the next Suzanne Collins, then find some middle-grade and YA fantasy novels, and get reading.
2. While reading, you need to study and take notes. The things you will write down will differ slightly depending on if you're reading nonfiction, novels, stories, or picture books; but generally, here are the points you need to study:
- How does the piece begin and end?
- Is it told in first-person or third-person?
- What's the approximate word count?
- Is there dialogue? How much? How is the dialogue tagged?
- How many characters are in the story? How old are they? How does the author make them unique and well-rounded?
- What's the main problem? How is it solved?
- If it's nonfiction, are personal examples used? Are experts quoted?
- What makes this piece stand out to you?
- How would you rate this on a scale of 1 to 10 and why? (One being you didn't like it and ten being a favorite.)
3. After reading several examples of the genre you want to write, study your notes. What are the patterns you notice? Does your story idea fit with these patterns?
Of course, it is always great to think outside the box, and there are stories about famous authors who did not "follow the rules" with their first books, such as J. K. Rowling who wrote fantasy when it was unpopular and turned in a first novel that was way too long for her audience. In general, for your first piece, you want to write the best manuscript possible while also keeping trends and guidelines in mind. The important thing is to be aware of your audience and be up-to-date on what they want to read.
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Writing for Children: How to Get Started, Get Ready for the New Year, and Take Hold of Your Career
Instructor: Margo L. Dill
Workshop Length: 4 Weeks
Price: $75 (Sale! Normally $100)
Start Date: November 14, 2012
Limit 15 Students
Course Description: Do you dream of writing for children? Is one of your New Year's resolutions to work on your writing for children career? Are you stuck on how to get started? Then this class is for you. Students will set individual goals for the first week, whether they want to publish picture books for children, write a successful YA fantasy e-book series, or see their byline in children's magazines, for example. The instructor will help students with the steps and resources to meet their goals; provide feedback on one article, story, or beginning of a novel; encourage interaction with other children's writers and participation in discussion; and finally help writers network and set long-term goals. This class is geared toward any writer who wants to write for children, from toddlers to teenagers.
Visit the Classroom Page for a complete listing of what you'll be learning week by week and instructor testimonials. 
About the Instructor: Margo L. Dill is the author of Finding My Place: One Girl's Strength at Vicksburg, a middle-grade historical fiction novel set during the U. S. Civil War. She is also a freelance writer, editor, speaker, and teacher, living in St. Louis, Missouri. Her work has appeared in publications such as Fun for Kidz, Pockets, Sprinkles, Characters, Highlights for Children, Calliope: A Writer's Workshop, Grit, Missouri Life, Byline Magazine, and The Chicago Tribune. She is a columnist, instructor, and contributing editor for WOW! Women On Writing. She is the memoir editor at High Hill Press and the assistant editor for the Sunday Books page in The News-Gazette. High Hill Press will publish her children's picture book, Lucy and the Red Ribbon Week Adventure, and she will also have a picture book out from Guardian Angel Publishing in the next couple years. She writes a blog called, Read These Books and Use Them, for parents, teachers, and librarians. She owns her own copyediting business, Editor 911. She loves speaking to writing groups, teachers, and young writers and has presented several workshops to all ages. When she's not writing or speaking, she loves spending time with her husband, stepson, daughter, and dog--Chester, a boxer. You can find out more about Margo by visiting her website: www.margodill.com. |
Upcoming Classes & Workshops
All the classes operate online--whether through email, website, chat room, or group listserv, depending on the instructor's preferences--so you do not need to be present at any particular time (unless a phone chat is scheduled and arranged with your instructor). You can work at your own pace in the comfort of your own home. If you have any questions, please reply to this email or email us at: classroom@wow-womenonwriting.com Enjoy!
Starts Every Friday (Self-Study Course) by Deana Riddle:
Independent Publishing: How to Start Your Own Self-Publishing Business | $99 or $150 with 1 Hour Phone Consultation
Starts the First Tuesday of Every Month: (Next class: November 6)
Introduction to the Craft of Screenwriting | 6 Weeks | $150 | Limit: 10 Students | Instructor: Christina Hamlett
Introduction to Playwriting | 6 Weeks | $175 | Limit: 10 Students | Instructor: Christina Hamlett
How to Write a TV Pilot | 4 Weeks | $150 | Limit: 10 Students | Instructor: Christina Hamlett
Starts the Third Friday of Every Month: (Next class: October 19)
Get Paid to Write! Become a Freelance Writer | 8 Weeks | $150 | Limit: 15 Students | Instructor: Nicky LaMarco
Published in 90 Days | 12 Weeks | $299 | Limit: 10 Students | Instructor: Deana Riddle
October 29
Food Writing for Blogs, Restaurant Reviews, Recipes, Fiction, Memoir, and More NEW! | 5 Weeks | $175 | Limit: 10 Students | Instructor: Melanie Faith
November 12
Journey Through Life's Losses NEW! | 4 Weeks | $125 | Limit: 10 Students | Instructor: Alice J. Wisler
November 14
Writing for Children: How to Get Started, Get Ready for the New Year, and Take Hold of Your Career NEW! | 4 Weeks | $75 (Sale! Normally $100) | Limit: 20 Students | Instructor: Margo Dill
Click here to see all of our upcoming workshops
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