New Course! An Introduction to Writing Middle Grade and YA Fiction

• Siobhan O'Brien Holmes

I’m so excited to be launching a new course! An Introduction to Writing  Middle Grade and YA Fiction covers so many of the questions I’ve been asked by new and emerging kidlit authors over the years and addresses lots of the most common mistakes and challenges I come across when editing manuscripts.

If you’re thinking about writing novels for children or teens, this course will help clear up confusion and misconceptions around middle grade and young adult fiction so you can sink into your story without worrying you’re heading in the completely wrong direction! Whether you’re brand new to writing or an experienced author trying out a new age category, An Introduction to Writing Middle Grade and YA Fiction will leave you more confident in your knowledge of the market, publishing conventions, agent guidelines and reader expectations.

It includes a 48-minute pre-recorded webinar, an interactive PDF workbook with quizzes, a cheat sheet for planning a middle grade or YA novel and a course completion certificate.

Here’s some more info from the course page:

What we’ll cover on the course

This webinar and workbook will give you a solid introduction to the world of middle grade and young adult fiction and how to get started if you’re thinking of writing for this really awesome audience. Whether you’re a total beginner who’s never written a word or you’re a seasoned pro switching from a different audience, you’ll come away from this course with a solid understanding of the middle grade and young adult space and what you need to consider before writing books for children or teenagers. Here’s a rundown of the topics we’ll cover:

• An overview of the various age categories in publishing from board books to adult fiction
• An explanation and definition of ‘middle grade’
• An explanation and definition of ‘YA’
• The key differences between middle grade and YA
• The key differences between YA and adult
• A discussion of child characters in adult books
• Golden rule #1: think like a child
• Golden rule #2: don’t make your hero an adult
• Golden rule #3: don’t lecture your readers
• Quiz: match the book to the audience
• Quiz: identify three excerpts as middle grade, YA or adult
• Quiz: a list of 20 book titles to test your knowledge

The course costs £55 plus local taxes. Enrol in An Introduction to Writing Middle Grade and YA Fiction today!