“Nonfiction is a genre that most writers don’t think about when they approach writing for children. That may be because they remember the tedious informational books they had to read when they were younger. Today’s nonfiction, however, is much more engaging than the musty, old encyclopedias you might have read as a child. And nonfiction can be just as creative to write.”
—Tracey E. Dils,
You Can Write Children’s Books Workbook
You want to write for children, but you’re building up a nice little collection of rejections? Consider writing nonfiction! As with writing for adults, nonfiction is much easier to break into than fiction. Look at any magazine for the juvenile market, and you will see that they are mostly filled with articles. And the world of nonfiction books for children reaches far—from biography to history to science to sports. Editors are always looking for writers who can deliver well-researched, interesting nonfiction written specifically for children and teens.
In this workshop, you will work with a published writer of nonfiction for children to develop, research, and write two pieces of nonfiction suitable for publication. This might be a magazine article, a nonfiction picture book, or a beginning chapter in a book for older children.
To get the most from this workshop, you should already have a good grasp of mechanics and composition, as well as an understanding of writing specifically for children (Fundamentals of Writing for Children is strongly recommended as a prerequisite).
This workshop will consist of seven one-week sessions. Each session will include online lectures along with a writing assignment that will be submitted to the instructor for private review midway through each session. You will receive feedback from your instructor on your assignments. During the second half of each session, work will be posted for group review and feedback. Throughout the workshop you will be able to participate in asynchronous lecture discussion and encouraged to take advantage of ongoing informal discussions and posted self-directed writing exercises. The course will help you develop a writing process that will lead to creating nonfiction that children want to read. (1.4 CEUs)
| Workshop length: |
7 weeks |
| Textbook(s) to purchase: |
There is no textbook for this course. |
| Course Developer: |
Karen Gibson |
| Tuition: |
$325.00 |
Workshop Outline
Session One: The World of Nonfiction for Children
Studying the markets. The growing field of Creative Nonfiction. Who is your audience? Finding ideas.
Writing Assignment: Narrative summaries of two article or book ideas you want to develop in this workshop (maximum 250 words each). Indicate the audience each would appeal to.
Session Two: Getting the Facts
Introduction to interviewing. When to use quotes and when to paraphrase. Other research materials. Making a research plan.
Writing Assignment: This assignment has two parts. For the first part, write a brief article or profile up to 500 words based on an interview you did. In the second part, write a research plan. Include a minimum of three sources in your plan (500 word maximum)
Session Three: Structure and Organization
Structuring a nonfiction piece and organizing your ideas. The importance of outlines. Beginnings. What is your lead? How to hook your audience.
Writing Assignment: Write an outline up to 250 words each for both your ideas. Write the beginning of one article or first chapter, up to 750 words.
Session Four: The Body of Your Work
Develop a central theme. Coming up with an appropriate angle or slant. The body of an article or chapter.
Writing Assignment: First draft of the article that you started in the last session (up to 1,500 words)
Session Five: Happily Ever After
Delivering what you promised with the conclusion. Importance of consistency in voice and tone
Writing Assignment: Complete second draft (up to 1,500 words) with emphasis on the conclusion.
Session Six: Fine-Tuning Your Work
Revision checklist. Word choices. How to market yourself and your work
Writing Assignment: This assignment has two parts. For the first part, write a one-page query letter (250 words maximum) to an editor of an appropriate market for one of your ideas. The second part is to submit up to the first 1,000 words of your second article idea.
Session Seven: Keep Writing
Workshop Wrap-up
Writing Assignment: Submit a revised article or chapter (up to 1,500 words) in its entirety. This can be either of the two ideas you have worked on in this class.