Oregon Coast Children's
Book Writers Workshop

Course Outline 2007:

Most days will be divided into 1/ presentation time from instructors or guest lecturers (at least two, usually three, lectures a day), 2/ writing time, 3/ sharing time with the class (with the entire class or in small groups), and at least one substantial personal consult with an instructor per day.

Roughly speaking, each day will be divided into thirds: 1-1/2 to 2-1/2 hours a day will be for instructor presentation, 1-1/2 to 2-1/2 hours for writing writing writing (during which time you will meet one-on-one with instructors), and 1-1/2 to 2-1/2 hours for group manuscript sharing (each day will be somewhat fluid in its organization, but will total 6 hours). Every day you should be able to meet with an instructor at least once for roughly fifteen to thirty minutes. This means that you can not only share different manuscripts with instructors if you like, but successive revisions of the same manuscript.

Some of you will come with writing projects that you already have started. And, naturally, many will come with blank notebooks. Manuscript sharing

Manuscript Consult

time will give you the opportunity to read from ongoing work or from just-started work in order to filter it through the opinions of your classmates. In some cases, manuscript sharing will be in small groups; in other cases we will do first page reviews before the whole class at the overhead. Individual time with an instructor will give you the same thing, but with the blunt, real-world feedback of your instructor. The instructors will not be there to flatter (though assuredly they won't discourage). Their specific mission is to give you frank advice on how to make your writing stronger and more publishable.

TOPICS INCLUDE:

YOUNG ADULT AND MIDDLE SCHOOL NOVELS:

Plot — The mainstay of any story. What makes a plot a plot — not just a series of incidents? And how do we know if a plot has enough "meat" in it to sustain an entire novel? How to keep a plot going — and avoid sagging in the middle? And when do you know that the story is "finished?"

Character — Without character there is no plot. And the two go together. What makes a character real, sympathetic, human, three-dimensional? What kind of character fits the plot that one has outlined? Or, to look at it another way: What kind of character calls up what kind of plot and story line?

Description and Setting — Without a place to set the story, there is no story. Each character must act and react within a certain setting — and that setting is essential to the story line, must fit the story line.

Dialogue — Dialogue makes your characters come alive and your story seem real. Dialogue shows differences between characters — from the words they use, how they use them, and from the structure and length of their sentences. Dialogue adds flavor and variation to your story. It also helps your readers identify with the characters and perhaps even dramatize or "play act" when they read the story aloud.

Manuscript Consult

NONFICTION:
There is a huge market for well written nonfiction. Editors can't get enough of it, whether it is short pieces for magazines or book length subject matter. Publishers are now looking for nonfiction even for the very young reader — five and six years old. How can an author cash in on this market?

PICTURE BOOKS: FICTION AND NONFICTION:
Because of their apparent simplicity, many beginners believe that picture books are the easiest genre in which to get started. In fact, there's much much more to a successful, marketable children's picture book than meets the eye. All the invisible, vital underpinnings of this wonderful genre will be covered.

CHILDREN'S POETRY:
Poetry might be called the sinew of prose. And writing rhymed, metered poetry for children is far more subtle and language intensive than it first appears. In the same way that a great juggler makes his craft appear simple, very refined craft underlies this genre. Nor is writing children's poetry the same as writing children's poetry books. We will delve into all of this.

MAGAZINE MARKET:
Many writers reflexively target their writing to the book publishing industry. However, there is a vast, lucrative magazine market that is hungry for appropriate writing. We'll discuss how to successfully target your writing to it.

TALKS BY  CHILDREN'S BOOK EDITORS AND A CHILDREN'S BOOK AGENT:
We have one children's books agent (all she does is sell children's books to publishers) and two children's book editors on staff for summer 2008. Each of them will lecture to the group (also, among the three of them, you probably will be able to have at least two meetings over the course of the week, if you wish). They will talk about the state of the industry, what is sought after now, what distinguishes excellent writing from a publisher's viewpoint,

Manuscript Consult

how to make your writing stand out, how to enhance your chances of publication. Their talks will be filled with the kind of between-the-lines wisdom that no book or on-line source can impart. And they will answer all your questions, including those that pertain directly to your writing.

MARKETING:
No matter how wonderful your story, if you choose the wrong market, you will not make a sale. This is as true in book publishing as in magazine publishing.
As a panel, all the instructors — authors, agents, editor — will discuss the rewards and worries in markets. We will give you cutting edge advice, from all perspectives, specific and general, to help you get published.