Young Adult Novel Writing

Write your YA book with the help of a published author

WHEN Materials available starting July 25
Discussions start Thursday, August 1, 10-11 pm ET - Full Schedule

WHERE Online

PRICE
$675 (or $650 for AvantGuild members - details)

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ALSO STARTS: New York - 9/9/2013

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Details

We live in the golden age of young adult literature, with young people buying books at the fastest rate in decades. Think Hunger Games, Twilight, or Harry Potter. YA novels are now respected as important money-makers at publishing houses, and they win honors such as the Printz, Newbery, and National Book Awards.

The goal of this class is to finish your YA or middle grade novel in 12 weeks.

In this class, you will learn how to:

Write a proposal that doesn't end up in the slush pile
Evaluate what topics are teen cliches, and how to stay away from them
Know whether or not you need an agent and, if so, how to get one
Write for teens without being condescending
Evaluate your story arc for a teen audience

By the end of class, you will have:
A complete first draft of your YA or middle grade novel.

Students who have taken this class have published with:
Simon & Schuster, Razorbill, Viking, Random House, Simon Pulse, and Grosset & Dunlap, and sold 4-book deals to Penguin and 2-book deals to HarperCollins.

The online classroom has several components:

Lessons: Learn new skills through written lessons
Discussion: Join a weekly live, interactive discussion via IM and video
Assignments: Complete homework and receive instructor feedback
Forums: Exchange resources, meet peers, and ask your instructor questions

Course Syllabus

Young Adult Novel Writing (PDF)

View a sample syllabus for the class here.

Instructor

Stephanie Kuehnert is the author of the young adult novels I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone and Ballads of Suburbia, both published by MTV Books. Stephanie received her MFA in Creative Writing from Columbia College Chicago, where she teaches young adult fiction. She is also a staff writer for Rookie, an online magazine for teenage girls edited by Tavi Gevinson.

The Chicago Sun-Times said of her young adult fiction, "With her first two novels, Stephanie has created vivid pictures of teenage lives that lie in that borderland that abuts adulthood. It is a fertile, confusing and intense place, and she never holds back. But like a good ballad, she keeps the stories taut and precise, with a touch of heart thrown in for good measure."

Stephanie Kuehnert's Courses
Young Adult Novel Writing – (Starts July 25)