Working on a YA novel? I have a new online seminar this spring with Tin House and we are now accepting applications! Apply now! Admissions are rolling. The scholarship deadline has been extended to April 12!
Details:
Tin House Workshop: Online Seminars
Character Craft in YA Fiction with Nova Ren Suma
Genre: Fiction
Cost: $600
6 sessions on Sundays (online in Zoom)
April 21, May 5, May 19, June 2, June 16, June 30
11:00am-1:30pm Pacific
12:00pm–2:30pm Mountain
1:00pm–3:30pm Central
2:00pm–4:30pm Eastern
Teenage protagonists can be such fickle creatures. Sometimes they get away from us. Sometimes they stare back at us stone-faced and refuse to engage, let alone reveal their secrets. This online writing seminar taught by New York Times bestselling YA author Nova Ren Suma is for those who want to go beneath the surface and delve into writing riveting character-driven stories for the young adult space.
This generative fiction seminar will be held over six sessions in Zoom, meeting every other week for three months. Each session is themed and aims to offer tools that will aid YA writers in embodying compelling and complex young characters and building organic plots that stem from these characters’ wants, fears, histories, and needs. In-class exercises, spotlights on excerpted reading, and writing prompts will focus on elements of character craft such as voice, perspective, motivation, specificity, coming of age, and transformation. There will be multiple opportunities for volunteers to speak about process and share new work aloud with the group, creating a community during our time together.
Writers should come to the first session with a YA project and a character already in mind who you’d like to deepen and explore. You can be at any stage of the writing process—first-drafting or revising a novel, imagining the early bits of a story—so long as you’re open to generating fresh scenes and possible new story avenues during our time together. All experience levels and all genres of YA and YA-crossover are welcome.
Apply now! Scholarship deadline extended to April 12!