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New WOW course: Writing the Young Adult Novel...
Writer's Digest's Writer's Online Workshops (WOW) is launching a brand new 8-week course on Writing the Young Adult Novel based on our terrific book by K.L. Going, Writing & Selling the YA Novel. Here's some information about what's covered:
The choices you make as an author—choices about character development, setting, conflict, and plot—are going to be driven by the impulses, interests, and issues relating to a YA audience. In this course, we’ll be paying particular attention to how to write with an eye toward a teen audience. Questions we’ll ask ourselves: What kinds of characters are best suited for a YA novel? How can I develop and deepen the conflict of my novel? What are the limitations and possibilities of YA fiction? And, finally, How do I go about publishing and/or marketing a YA book? The various lessons in this book will introduce you to the YA genre and help you apply specific writing strategies to your work in order to turn the kernel of your idea into a publishable and saleable novel.
I've taught a few WOW courses myself and they're a lot of fun. Students get detailed critiques and advice from instructors on their assignment or works in progress as well as getting input from fellow students.
I'll share part of the course lecture. This begins a discussion on techniques for getting to know your character:
Before you pen even a single sentence of your novel, you should know your protagonist (and other main characters) and know him well. Entire books are written on how to well-develop character, and there’s much to consider. Going writes, “consider what truly defines each of your characters. What makes them unique individuals, different from others?”
This advice is excellent. Before you even begin writing your novel, you should write a character bio for each of your main players. Questions to ask: What is your character’s history? Where did she go to school? What is her favorite color? How many family members does she have? What is her biggest fear? What kind of job does she have, if any? What kind of grades does she get in school, and what is her favorite subject? Does she listen to music? Watch TV? Enjoy movies?
You, the writer, should know all of the answers to these questions, even if these answers do not make their way onto your pages. Why? Because the answer to these questions will reveal your character’s fully rounded personality, and it is this personality, the accumulation of all facets of the individual’s life and experiences, that will determine other aspects of your novel, such as how your protagonist responds to particular events before him.
Going’s chapter on character leaves us with a lot to consider, but let’s, for now, focus on four core elements of character: History, Complexity, Appearance, and Plausibility.
This
Become a Writer's Digest VIP (and Join Our New WD Community)...
I'm a shopper and I love a bargain, especially if it's for something I wanted to buy anyway (like books and shoes). That's why I think our new Writer's Digest VIP program (which just kicked off yesterday) is a pretty sweet deal--lots of good stuff for not much money.
For $49.95 you get a one-year subscription to both WritersMarket.com (which now includes all the info from CWIM) and Writer’s Digest magazine, plus you also get a free webinar recording (which is usually $99), 10% off WOW courses, and 10% off all WD Shop purchases.
If you do the math, it could normally cost up to $198.80 so you can save $148.85. (The best part about finding a bargain is figuring out how much you save.)
Click here to visit the WD Shop and learn more about becoming a WD VIP.
Here's something else new: We've also just launched the Writer's Digest Community on Ning. Stop by, join, and become my friend. (I only have 79 so far. I want more. One can't have too many friends, too
many books, or too many pairs of shoes.)
Visit Writer's Digest Community
I'm Doing a Webinar February 12...
Writer's Digest has recently begun offering a series of webinars as part of Writer's Online Workshops--and the next one will be led by yours truly! These have been popular so far--and pretty exciting. My February 12 session will be my webinar debut. I'll be going over some basics, offering tips, answering questions, and doing first page critiques. I'm kinda stoked about this (although nervous about technical difficulties of my own doing. But I always worry about that and the other editors have had no problems, so, really, things will be fine.)
The marketing copy is below. (Doesn't it sound marketing-copy-ish?) . You can click here to register and click here to see the list of upcoming topics that will be offered in upcoming webinars through the end of March.
You Can Write Children's Books
Thursday, February 12, 1 p.m. eastern time.
Take the mystery out of children's writing! With this 60-minute seminar presented by Alice Pope, Editor of Children's Writer's & Illustrator's Market, get the resources you need to get your work in print. Whether you've written before, or are just getting started, this seminar covers the children's market in a way that makes it understandable for everyone. You'll also get a listing of websites and resources that every children's writer needs to be successful.
Special Bonus! Alice will offer 25 First Page Critiques in live time during the webinar. Writers who register may submit the first page (ONLY) of a manuscript, and randomly chosen first pages will be critiqued from the perspective of an agent or editor reading them for the first time. Alice will point out strengths and weaknesses and discuss whether she feels an agent or editor would be compelled to read on.
Sounds like a great course! I'll spread the word.