Course Details

Did Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret change your life? Were you famous in school for owning each book in the Sweet Valley High series? Can you relate to preadolescents and teens on their own levels, without being patronizing? You might be the next Judy Blume, if only you knew how to get started. Teen novels are recognized as an important money-maker at publishing houses. In fact, 400 are printed each year! Why not try your hand at it? All you need is some coaching and a rigorous environment to make that YA novel happen. The goal of this class is to finish your YA novel in 12 weeks. With serious work and attention to the class, you can finish it. This class also features guest speakers (editors from YA publishing houses).

In this class, you can expect to learn:

• How to write a teen novel proposal that doesn't end up in the slush pile
• What topics are teen cliches, and how to stay away from them!
• Whether or not you need an agent, and, if so, how to get one
• How to get the clips (yes, you need clips!) to prove your skill to editors
• Write for teens without condescending (they can smell patronizing a mile away!)
• How to create a series

By the end of class, you can expect to have:
A full first-draft of your YA novel, and an insider's understanding of the business.

Admission requirements:
Please submit a letter of interest (including a brief work history), and a writing sample (less than 2,000 words).

The online classroom has several interactive components:

• Instructors post lectures once a week. You can read them online, print them, or download them at your convenience.
• Students post completed assignments for feedback and discussion by the instructor and class.
• Weekly chats allow your class to get together via instant message. Transcripts are available for review if you can't attend. 
• Technical support is available from mediabistro staff.
  

Instructor Bio

Gayle Forman's Courses

Gayle Forman is the author of You Can't Get There From Here: A Year on the Fringes of a Shrinking World, a travel book about globalization and subcultures, which was published in April 2005 and was a Booksense Pick. She is also the author of Sisters in Sanity, a young-adult novel due out in 2007 from HarperCollins. She has written for a number of magazines, including The New York Times Magazine, Details, Budget Travel, Travel & Leisure, Elle, and Seventeen.

Testimonials

Gayle's delivery is excellent. In addition to making everyone in the class feel comfortable, she provided both constructive criticism and praise. She also has a great sense of humor. When I attended the online class, I felt as comfortable as if I were having coffee and conversation with a group of friends. -- Bobbi Harrison