Young Adult Writers Program (YAWP): Beautiful Compression: Turning Drafts into Sparkling Gems

This class will be hosted remotely! You will be able to participate in class via Zoom videoconference from wherever you’re most comfortable. All you’ll need is a laptop or a phone! About 15 minutes before your class is scheduled to begin, you'll receive an email from your instructor with a link to join the class meeting via Zoom–no need to download anything or sign up for Zoom in advance! If you have questions about remote learning, please feel free to reach out to [email protected] for more information.

Class Description: “I have only made this letter longer because I have not had the time to make it shorter,” 17th-century mathematician Blaise Pascal famously wrote. While the initial process of getting words onto the page can feel like the most important part of our job as writers, most authors will tell you they didn’t even know what their story or poem or memoir was about until the third draft--which might have been one-fourth the length of the original. In this generator, we’ll look at the finished works and drafts of famous writers, complete writing exercises designed to get you in the right frame of mind to whittle your piece down to the essentials and work on tightening some of your existing writing.

Takeaways: Students will leave with beautifully compressed versions of work written beforehand as well as a tight draft of the first scene in a new piece of fiction.

Who Should Register?
For writers ages 13 - 18 ONLY. Writing notebooks are available, but feel free to bring your own.

Remember, parents/guardians must also complete this permission form online before the start of the class. Otherwise, registrations could be voided and the cancellation policy will apply. If the student is 18, simply let us know at [email protected]

*If you are registering on behalf of your teen, add their email information in the “For a Friend or Child?” field on the right-hand side of the screen before you check out. This will send them a direct link and reminder to create their own profile with GrubStreet. 

(After adding the class to your cart, click “Checkout” and click “Add” next to “For a Friend or Child?” on the right-hand side to fill in their email. This is an easy way of linking the class to your child and encourages them to create their own account.)