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Young Adult Novel Writing

Start (and finish) your young adult novel in 3 months!

Course is closed.
Young Adult Novel Writing

WHEN 12 weeks, September 19- December 5
Chats Wednesdays, 8-9 pm ET

WHERE Online. Click here for more information.

LEVEL Intermediate

PRICE
$610 ($575 for )
more info

Course Details

Did Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret change your life? Have you come to blows at parties over who's better, Phillip Pullman or J.K. Rowling? 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. We live in the golden age of YA literature, with young people buying books at the fastest rate in decades. 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.

Why not try your hand at this exciting field? All you need is some coaching and a rigorous environment to make that YA or middle grade novel happen. The goal of this class is to finish your YA or middle grade novel in 12 weeks. With serious work and attention to the class, you can finish it.

In this class, you can expect to learn:

  • How to write a teen novel proposal that doesn't end up in the slush pile
  • Tips for generating commercial hooks that will make your novel stand out from the rest
  • What makes a novel truly teen -- it's a lot more than just the ages of the characters
  • Whether or not you need an agent, and, if so, how to get one
  • How to write for teens without being condescending (they can smell patronizing a mile away!)

By the end of class, students can expect to have:
A complete first draft of their YA or middle grade novel.

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

No courses available at this time.

Gayle Forman
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

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