Class Description
Do you have great idea for a picture book but have never written for this market? Or maybe you’re well on your way, but your result seems more like a short story? Either way, this course will help you whip that picture book manuscript into shape. During the five days of class, we will cover the essentials of picture book writing including format and storyboarding; language and rhythm; character and emotion arc; tension and plot. We will read from a range of recently published picture books, pick apart the texts as writers while examining the interplay of text and pictures, then apply these lessons to our own picture book manuscript projects.
The course will include substantial in-class writing time and an optional homework assignment every evening and will culminate in a workshop session for class feedback on manuscripts. Picture book writing is one of the most challenging types of writing, but you will end this course with a new set of tools to navigate your way.
Did you know that we have scholarships available for all GrubStreet classes? To apply, click the "APPLY FOR SCHOLARSHIP" button in the top right corner of this page. In order to be considered for a scholarship, you must complete your scholarship application and await our Scholarship Committee's decision before registering for the class. Scholarships cannot be applied retroactively.
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 detailed information about GrubStreet scholarships, including how to contribute to scholarship funds for other students, click here.
This class will take place using Zoom videoconferencing. After registering, a yellow Resources tab will appear in this section containing a link to join class. Please note that you will need to be logged into view the Resources tab.
Zoom Participation:
In our experience, the intimate nature of a writing workshop benefits from on-camera participation. Students are of course welcome to turn their camera off whenever they need to, but it is a community norm for cameras to be on most of the time. You can learn more about using Zoom here.
Zoom Accessibility:
You can enable closed captioning at any time during the meeting by clicking the CC button at the bottom of the screen. If you'd like to access the transcript after class, please make sure to let your instructor ahead of time that you'd like a copy.