Keep Learning

Courses, workshops, and more beyond the basics

When I started as a picture book writer I did ALL the courses. I was constantly searching for information on how to do this writing thing, how to get an agent, how to sell a book. But my learning didn’t end with selling my first book. I still wanted to develop my career but now I was looking for different resources. So in this week’s newsletter I thought I’d share some of the resources I’ve come across and courses I’ve taken that have helped me keep developing my skills. If you have more recommendations not listed here, share them in the comments.

First, if you’re looking for resources on getting started, check out Vicky’s post on her website. Plus some of our paid posts about illustration, early readers, and chapter books part 1 and part 2.

Courses

When I’m interested in expanding my skills into new areas and deepening my craft, here are some of the places I search for courses:

• SCBWI - you can join webinars from other regions all over the world and chances are there’s something coming up that interests you. This is especially useful to get a taste for a different genre or category that you’re thinking of writing in. Or for developing an area of your writing that you feel you need some extra help in. For example, coming up there are webinars about humor, revision, and our very own Vicky is covering writing across categories.

• Highlights Foundation - Online courses and two-night mini workshops are among the offerings at Highlights. I’ve taken some in the past including a great poetry workshop. I’m eyeing up some of their mini-workshops including one about secondary characters and graphic novels for beginners looks great too.

Hanging out at Highlights

• Gotham Writers Workshop - there are lots of different options for classes including humor, TV, middle grade, memoir, and more.

Contests

Another way I try to stretch my craft is by entering contests. There are lots of options but I’ve been particularly enjoying these flash fiction contests by NYC Midnight. There is a fee to enter but you also get lots of feedback from the judges. In the last one I entered I had 24 hours to write a 100-word story in the suspense/thriller genre, featuring the word “give” and it had to involve an appraisal.

Here are some more contests that run at various times of year:

• Susanna Leonard Hill has contests three times a year so sign up to her blog to get details of the next one.

• Vivian Kirkfield’s 50 Precious Words is in February (and Vicky even designed the logo for it way back when!)

• Kaitlyn Leann Sanchez lists some more contests on her website.

Conferences and Retreats

Attending conferences that have inspiring speakers and breakouts with craft-focused intensives can be a great way to find out more about a subject.

• SCBWI has a national conference in NYC in February but many of their regions also hold local conferences. I went to my regional one a couple of years ago and learned about writing metaphor from Liz Garton Scanlon which was amazing. Particularly look for conferences that have sessions geared towards published authors.

• Kindling Words is specifically for published authors and illustrators (and editors too). Vicky has attended Kindling Words East and says it’s a great place to socialize and talk shop with other kidlit creators.
  Kindling Words West takes place on an island off of Seattle and sounds amazing but sadly a whole week away from home isn’t on the cards for me yet!

Connecting with Soaring20s friends Angela Burke Kunkel, Rajani LaRocca, and Valeria Bolling at Kindling Words East

• I already mentioned Highlights but it’s worth repeating. Vicky and I went for a retreat there a couple of years ago and it was truly amazing. The only thing you have to do is to create. All the meals are taken care of and I loved the cabins, grab and go food, and the opportunity to spend time with other creatives over dinner. Vicky is heading there in a few weeks for a Working Retreat.

Living it up at Highlights

• DIY - we have a whole post about creating your own retreat. It could be a great time to grab some mentor texts, sign up for an online course, and spend some time deepening an area of writing craft.

Continuing and Higher Education

• MFA - Neither of us have MFAs in Children’s Book Writing, and you certainly don’t need one to get published, but friends have said amazing things about the program at VCFA.

• Stanford University - there are lots of online and in-person writing courses at Stanford.

• UCLA - also has lots of online and in-person courses and some free offerings including this one about comics and graphic novels.

This is by no means an exhaustive list! Let us know in the comments any other resources and recommendations you’d like to share and we’ll be back next week with the third part in our paid series about writing chapter books, where we talk about the pitch.