Friday, May 21, 2010

From Cover to Cover: A Picture Book Class

Are you brimming with picture-book drafts after NaPiBoWriWee? Do you have a drawer full of stories clamoring to be completed and polished? Then Liz Mills has the class for you! Together, we’ll explore your ideas for their marketability, review your drafts to make them the best they can be, discuss the importance of making a dummy book even when you’re not an illustrator, and tackle submission guidelines. All in four weeks! The class will be conducted online, with up to eight participants. I will send out an email at the beginning of each week with information, guidance, and writing prompts. Then as you send in your work, I’ll send each of you feedback. We’ll work on one story a week. I encourage all participants to critique as well. We learn best from each other. Come write and revise some stories with me!

Length of class: Four weeks
Cost: $75
Payment by check or Paypal
Start Date: July 5, 2010
Registration ends: June 20, 2010

About Liz : I am a freelance editor and author who acquired, edited, and managed more than a hundred books in all kinds of formats as an editor at Scholastic. I have also written thirty books, including THE EVERYTHING KIDS’ EASY SCIENCE EXPERIMENTS BOOK and TICK-TOCK SHARKS. My picture book, THE SPOOKY WHEELS ON THE BUS, will be published by Scholastic in July 2010. In my spare time, I am the editor of The Chinook, a quarterly newsletter for the Western Washington chapter of SCBWI, and I’m a member of the Northwest Independent Editors Guild. Visit my website, and contact me at jemills1 AT gmail.com.

Monday, May 17, 2010

Romance writing class with Mindy Hardwick

Do you have a young adult romance story you are writing? Or maybe you just want to add a romance into your mystery or fantasy novel. From the first meeting to the final break-up, this class will explore writing about that first love. Mindy Hardwick will teach, Writing the Young Adult Romance, on Monday nights at Hugo House beginning on July 5th and ending on July 26th from 6:30-8:30. For more information check out the Hugo House Summer Course Listings.

Mindy's young adult romance short story, GHOST IN THE BATTING CAGE was published with Bridgehouse Press (UK). She was a winner in the 2009 Seattle Romance Writer's Early Bird pitch contest and has published articles and a short story with the The Washington State History Museum's e-zine, COLUMBIAKids. Mindy holds an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College. To learn more about Mindy, visit her website. Contact her about the class at mindy AT mindyhardwick.com

Sunday, May 16, 2010

Revision class with Joni Sensel

Need revision tools and tricks, motivation, or structure and guidance? Consider the novel revision class Joni Sensel will teach in July through Hugo House. Called "Extreme Makeover: Novel Edition," the class will meet Wednesday evenings over four weeks starting on July 7. For more info, check out the Hugo House online summer catalog or email Joni at senselj (at) yahoo.com.

Thursday, May 6, 2010

Online revision class with Ann Gonzalez

Do you have a completed manuscript that you need to revise? Do you have the first third of a novel written and you need help and a push to get to the end?

Join Ann Gonzalez, MFA and author of Running for My Life, and a group of other writers in an eight-week workshop class where you will learn aspects of craft, receive revision notes and support, as well as an occasional push to help you reach the end.

No one walks away from this class without getting their money's worth since it comes with a money-back guarantee. At $125 for 8 weeks it's possibly the cheapest way to receive editorial notes on your work-in-progress while learning about the craft of writing at the same time.

The next session begins on May 16. Contact Ann at ann@anngonzalez.com for more information or to sign up.

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Illustrating Children's Picture Books


The UW Illustrating Children's Picture Books class really is the perfect way to keep your butt in chair over the summer. I consider it a boot camp for picture books. All levels are welcome to attend. We will be learning about what constitutes a great picture book and making dummies. Even if you think you know it all, are you practicing it in your own work? Or do you get more done if you are accountable to others? I'm happy to account you this summer!

You don't need to be an illustrator to attend: authors will be encouraged to practice paginating their work and thinking more visually. And I'm SO EXCITED to share the book report assignment I've come up with -- yous guys are going to love it.

You don't need to be an author to attend: if you don't have a manuscript to dummy up, I will have some published texts for you to practice on or you can find a song or folktale on your own.

Wouldn't it be fun to spend a few nights a week this summer making your next project shine, surrounded by kindred, picture book lovin' spirits? Listening to some stellar guest speakers -- Julie Paschkis and Paul Schmid? AND DID I MENTION THERE WILL BE CUPCAKES?

Plus, the class is happening during Eric Carle's birthday and the anniversary of the awarding of the first Caldecott Medal. So be prepared to celebrate those if you sign up!

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Three classes for illustrators

Illustrator Craig Orback has three new Children's Book Illustration
classes starting soon. He is the illustrator of over 15 books for
children including the picture books "The Can Man" and "Nature's
Paintbox: A Seasonal Gallery of Art and Verse". He has been teaching
illustration and painting classes locally for 8 years. To learn about
his work visit his website and blog.

Children's Book Illustration

Discover basic illustration techniques as well as a variety of media
commonly used in illustration. This class is a combination of the
history of children's book illustration and the hands on practice of
illustration. Through various assignments to be worked on in class and
finished at home you will learn how to complete illustrations for
young readers. This introductory course is a great way to learn new
techniques and find out more about the business side of illustration,
as well as what it takes to get your work seen by the right people.

Bellevue Community College, Wednesdays, 8 Sessions, 4/10/10-6/5/10, No
Class 5/29, 10am-12:30pm, $145 Call (425) 564-2263,
http://www.campusce.net/bc/course/course.aspx?C=2035&pc=17&mc=147&sc=247

Whatcom Community College, Thursdays, 8 Sessions, 4/22/10-6/10/10,
6:30-8:30pm, $159 Call (360) 383-3200,
http://www.whatcomcommunityed.com/schedule/spring2010/art__evenings.htm

Children's Book Illustration: Level II

Explore further your passion for Children's Book Illustration in this
intermediate class. You will learn step by step how to create a
children's picture book dummy from initial story board to a finished
dummy ready to mail to publishers. Create sketches for your story as
well as a couple of finished illustrations in color. This is the
perfect course if you a friend or relative have a story that you have
always longed to illustrate and potentially publish. Creating your own
take on a popular story or folktale is fine if you do not have an
original story.

Bellevue Community College, Saturdays, 8 Sessions, 4/10/10-6/5/10,
1:00-4pm, No Class 5/29, $149 Call (425) 564-2263,
http://www.campusce.net/bc/course/course.aspx?C=11457&pc=17&mc=147&sc=247

Write a novel in a month

Write Your Novel in a Month
April 14th – June 6th
Wednesday nights, 7 – 9 p.m.
Bellevue College North Campus

Is writing a novel one of your life-long dreams? Join this nine week class and write your novel. The first classes prepare you for the noveling process, with practice in characterization, setting, plot, voice, and dialogue. Then we're off and writing our 50,000 word manuscripts. During the last two classes we will plan for revision. This is a great way to write your novel in a supportive environment. Cost $195.

For more information, contact Lois@LoisBrandt.com or follow this link to the Bellevue College website.

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Online class with Ann Gonzalez

Are you working on a young adult or middle grade novel? Join a group of skilled writers online and workshop your work-in-progress chapter by chapter. At the same time learn aspects of craft, and commiserate and network with other writers committed to writing for children and young adults.

The class costs $125 for 8 weeks and comes with a money-back guarantee.

There's nothing to lose and a publishable ms to gain.

Contact Ann Gonzalez, author of Running for My Life at ann AT anngonzalez.com. The next session starts shortly so contact her today.

Monday, March 8, 2010

Speculative fiction class at Field's End

The field of speculative fiction allows writers to play with talking objects, spaceships, and transformations of the unlikely to the unlikelier. In this workshop, we’ll discuss the basics of story writing and how the considerations of speculative fiction do (and don’t) alter those basics. We’ll also discuss how to build convincing worlds and cultures. In-class writing exercises will focus on sparking creativity, establishing characters, and plotting.

Date: Saturday, March 13.

Time: 10 a.m.- 3:30 p.m.

Tuition: $100.00

Location:
Library Meeting Room
Bainbridge Public Library
1270 Madison Avenue
Bainbridge Island, WA 98110

About Cat Rambo: John Barth described Cat Rambo's writings as "works of urban mythopoeia" -- her stories take place in a universe where chickens aid the lovelorn, Death is just another face on the train, and Bigfoot gives interviews to the media on a daily basis. Her stories have appeared in ASIMOV'S WEIRD TALES, CLARKESWORLD, and STRANGE HORIZONS in addition to her own anthology, EYES LIKE SKY AND COAL AND MOONLIGHT. She has worked as a programmer-writer for Microsoft and a writing instructor at Bellevue Community College. She is currently co-editor of the critically acclaimed Fantasy Magazine.

Register here
.

Thursday, February 4, 2010

Have a children's literature class?

We'll post about it here. Just send the relevant info to chinook AT marthabee.com.