Have you ever dreamed of writing books for children? This one-day workshop will teach you the skills you need to keep a young audience enthralled by your storytelling. Led by bestselling children’s author Lucy Coats, the course includes practical writing and workshopping sessions, and in-depth advice on how write engaging tales for children (aged 7-12).
Course content
- An overview of the children’s book world – how it works, and a guide to the genres within it
- The archetypes of children’s fiction
- How to build a good children’s book character
- How to plan a perfect plot
- How to use backstory without being boring
- How to write dialogue that makes your story flow
- Advice on improving confidence and sense of purpose
- Practical writing exercises and workshopping of participants’ compositions
- Q&A and group discussion
PLEASE NOTE: Attendees should read or familiarise themselves with as many modern children’s (aged 7–12) books as possible before the course. You will be sent a list of suggested reading one week before the class (or, for late sign-ups, shortly after you purchase your ticket).
This course is for you if...
- You have an interest in writing for children as a possible career, or for a casual source of income
- You want to learn how to create unique personalised works of fiction for your own children or relatives
- You’re a writer looking to move into children’s fiction
You may also be interested in...
- Getting started on your children’s book with Laura Dockrill and Alex T. Smith
- How to write and illustrate children’s story books
Tutor profile
Lucy Coats worked as a children’s editor and bookseller before turning to full-time writing. She’s the author of many titles for all ages including the bestselling Atticus the Storyteller’s 100 Greek Myths, which was shortlisted for the Blue Peter Book Award. Her latest works include the series Beasts of Olympus and the novel Cleo, the first of two books for young adults. Lucy also blogs and writes for publications including Mslexia and Publishing Talk. She tweets as @lucycoats.
Guest speaker profile
Michelle Lovric writes historical fiction for both children and adults. Her novel The Remedy was long-listed for the Orange Prize. Michelle’s latest works include The Fate in the Box and The True and Splendid History of the Harristown Sisters. For the past three years, she has also been a Royal Literary Fund Fellow at the Courtauld Institute of Art.
Testimonials
Both Lucy and Michelle were honest, open and encouraging – and very likeable!
They didn’t tell us it would be easy but they also didn’t make it seem impossible
Lucy was instantly fab and I’m guessing lesser authors would have struggled to cover the ground she did
I felt that the topics covered were all very useful and provided a comprehensive overview of what is involved
Details
Date: Saturday 19 September 2015
Times: 10am-4pm
Location: The Guardian, Kings Place, 90 York Way, London N1 9GU
Price: £249 (includes VAT, booking fee, lunch and refreshments)
Event capacity: 16
To contact us, click here. Terms and conditions can be found here.
Returns policy
Tickets may be refunded if you contact us at least 14 days before the course start date. Please see our terms and conditions for more information on our refund policy.
