Telling It True: The Art of Storytelling in Narrative Nonfiction 2020 (Was Aug 22-25, 2020)

Please note: this course is full. Please click here to be placed on our waiting list.

Other nonfiction workshops to consider:
Summer Camp In Writing Nonfiction for Children & Teens, July 15-19
Science and Nature Writing for Kids & Teens, August 5-9
Nonfiction Writers Unworkshop with Deborah Heiligman, October 11-14

Join Us To:

Engage children in the lives of others through captivating events and compelling narrative threads. Learn how to carve a storyline through your research that will fascinate and be accurate. Use the tools of the fiction writer to build character, explore theme, and shape a gripping informational story. Submit a chapter of your work-in-progress for roundtable critique, as well as one-to-one feedback from faculty. Study the market for narrative nonfiction with authors and editors working in the field.

What You’ll Learn:

Unfamiliar names may not hook your readers, but a well-told true story can inspire, delight, teach, and enthrall. It’s an exciting time for nonfiction in the children’s book world. Teachers are craving more of it. Authors are experimenting with structure and story-telling technique. And kids are realizing that nonfiction can read with the same page-turning momentum as great fiction. The process starts with the idea and research–lots of it. From there, the art of storytelling takes over. You will:

• Hear faculty and guest lectures on craft and markets.
• Complete hands-on exercises to practice using the tools of the fiction writer to build character, explore theme, and shape a gripping story.
• Learn how to take your mountain of research and carve a storyline through it that will enthrall kids and be faithful to the sources.
• Find out how to weave exposition seamlessly into narrative.
• Engage in faculty-facilitated roundtable critiques of a chapter of your work-in-progress.
• Meet with faculty for a one-to-one feedback on your work-in-progress, with guidance on revision and research.
• Have free writing time to create or revise.
• Network with faculty, peers and special guests.

Attend If:

• You want to stretch! If you’re a short-form nonfiction writer, we’ll help you investigate what it takes to go long-form and weave exposition into narrative.
• You’re a fiction writer with an idea for a true story. Narrative nonfiction is all about using the tools of the fiction writer to tell gripping true stories. This course gives you a head start!
• You LOVE to do research–but you don’t know when to stop. Our faculty are experts at taking research and carving a storyline through it. Lectures and hands-on exercises will let you give it a try.

Agenda

Day 1
Afternoon
Arrival & check in

Evening
Appetizers & Dinner
After dinner: Introductions and welcome; set up of peer roundtable sessions, review of schedule,
and mentor text introductions.

Day 2
Morning
Breakfast
Scene and Structure: Why Nonfiction Writers Should Think Like Screenwriters, Tod Olson
The Editor/Author Relationship, Steve Sheinkin and Connie Hsu

Afternoon
Lunch
Q and A with editor Connie Hsu
Roundtable workshop with Steve and Tod

Evening
Appetizers & Dinner
After dinner: Fireside chat and book signing

Day 3
Morning
Breakfast
Confessions of a Journalist and Screenwriter with special guest, Paula Yoo
Optional writing exercise

Afternoon
Lunch
Roundtable workshop with Steve and Tod
One-to-ones with Steve and Tod/ Independent writing time

Evening
Appetizers & Dinner
After dinner: Fireside chat: When Research Takes Over

Day 4
Morning
Breakfast
What I Do: My Outlining and Writing Process, Step by Step, Steve Sheinkin
Closing panel with Paula, Steve, and Tod

Afternoon
Lunch and farewells

A Note About Highlights Workshop Agendas

Resources

True Storytelling: Tod Olson and Leda Schubert in Conversation
12 Signs That You Are Destined to Write Middle Grade Nonfiction
Theme in Narrative Nonfiction
7 Ways to Make Your Nonfiction Stand Out

Testimonials

“I’ve been to many conferences and workshops and I teach a workshop every summer but coming to a Highlights workshop has been on my bucket list for years. It even exceeded my high expectations. Hard to put into words but the whole experience was magical. Being in a nurturing bubble, totally immersed in writing was amazing. No newspapers, no TV, no laundry to do or meals to cook, just writing. And learning from amazing mentors. And talking about writing. And writing some more… Bliss.”

Scholarships Available

Scholarships are available for this workshop from the James Cross Giblin fund:
Application deadline is January 8, 2020. Scholarships will be announced February 7, 2020.
Click here to apply!
For more information about scholarships, click here.