Jumpstart Your YA Novel

Class Description

So, you want to write a Young Adult or Middle Grade novel! Maybe you have an idea, maybe you’ve written a few chapters––or a lot of them––but you’re not sure where to go from here. No matter where you are in the drafting process, this course is for anyone looking for the tools and motivation to get their YA or Middle Grade novel out of their heads, and onto paper. Over six weeks, you will learn the essential aspects of novel writing, and put them into practice to make progress on your own draft.

Each week we will focus on one area of novel-specific craft –– such as character development, scene-building, conflict, and plot––and use what we learn to generate new material each week through a series of exercises and writing prompts. We will also read a novel together and discuss how it employs the skills that we're learning, and how to adapt these same skills in our own writing. You’ll have the opportunity to receive generative feedback on scenes from your novel several times throughout the course of the class, and in the last week, we’ll make a plan for how to continue developing your draft. Novel-writing is a marathon, not a sprint, so throughout the course, we will offer each other feedback and support on our writing processes as well, discussing strategies to keep ourselves motivated, during class and after.

Class Format

This is an Online: On-Demand class that will take place on our asynchronous online learning platform, Wet.Ink. Weekly lessons and assignments open each Wednesday. Students will receive an invitation to Wet Ink before 5pm on the first day of class! All video lectures for Online: On-Demand courses have closed captioning available. To enable, click "cc" on the toolbar of each video lecture.

*Please note that while our handy dandy "Schedule" tab states a 6-7pm class time, there are actually no live meetings for this class! Assignments and deadlines will be given by your instructor. Students will have access to the online class portal starting at 5pm on the first day of class. Instructions for logging onto the online portal will be emailed to registered students before 5pm the first day of class.

Scholarship Information

Thanks to the excellent literary citizenship of our donors, scholarships are available for all GrubStreet classes. To apply, click the gray "APPLY FOR SCHOLARSHIP" button. In order to be considered for a scholarship, you must complete your application at least one week before the start date of a class. Please await our scholarship committee's decision before registering for the class. We cannot hold spots in classes, so the sooner you apply, the better. Scholarships cannot be applied retroactively.

For more more detailed information about GrubStreet scholarships, including how to contribute to scholarship funds for other students, click here.