Writing the Unreal: The Whole Novel Workshop in Fantasy & Speculative Fiction May 10-17 2020 Cancelled

Join Us To:

Have the entire draft of your fantasy or speculative fiction novel read and critiqued prior to the workshop. Have a one-to-one meeting with your mentor to further discuss your manuscript and map out a revision plan. Hear lectures on craft and the marketplace. Make connections with fellow writers. Have free time to write or revise.

What You’ll Learn:

Before you arrive at the workshop, faculty will have read the entire draft of your novel and sent you a detailed editorial letter along with a marked-up manuscript. Faculty will read your manuscript very carefully and respond thoroughly in order to help you make your novel what it wants to be.

At the workshop, you will:

• Have a one-on-one meeting with your mentor to further discuss your manuscript and map out a plan for revision.
• Have free time to write or revise.
• Make additional appointments with the faculty or teaching assistants.
• Hear lectures on craft and publishing and discussions on writing and the marketplace.
• Make connections with fellow writers.

Please note that there is an application process for this workshop.
To apply, you will need to submit:

• 10-15 pages from the manuscript you wish to workshop
• A synopsis
• The current status of your manuscript with word count

Applications are due on or before February 15, 2020. You will be notified of your acceptance status as your application is reviewed by the faculty. If you are accepted, you can turn in your full manuscript by April 1. (Scholarship application deadlines located below.)

Attend If:

• You write children’s or YA fantasy, alternate history, science fiction, magical realism, paranormal romance, fairy tale retellings or horror. These are your people: come and join them!
• You have a complete or near-complete draft of a middle grade or young adult novel in fantasy or speculative fiction. You’ll get the most out of this workshop if you’re at this stage. You need to be ready to workshop it in earnest, and eager to get it ready for agents/publishers.
• You’re willing to work! This program is best for those who will dedicate time and attention to the writing exercises and the feedback they receive about revision.
• You would benefit from receiving multiple feedback perspectives. In addition to a whole-novel review, you will receive feedback from our teaching assistants, and TA’s will also be leading round table critiques.
• You’re an alum of our other novel courses. If you’ve taken any of these other workshops, this course may be of special interest: Novel Beginnings; Getting to Know Your Novel; Books with Bite; Retell, Revisit, Reimagine; Fairy Tales Revisited; Anti-heroes and Villains; Beginners Class in World Building and World Conjuring.

Still not sure if this is the right course for you? Watch a video where Program Director Alison Green Myers shares details about the differences between our genre and format-focused workshops for 2020.

Agenda

Day 1
Afternoon
Arrival & check in

Evening
Appetizers & dinner
After dinner: Introductions

Day 2
Morning
Breakfast
One-to-one conferences with lead faculty

Afternoon
Lunch
Craft conversations

Evening
Appetizers & dinner

Day 3
Morning
Breakfast
Writing time and/or faculty conferences

Afternoon
Lunch
Breakout sessions

Evening
Appetizers & dinner

Day 4
Morning
Breakfast
Writing time and/or faculty conferences

Afternoon
Lunch
Breakout sessions

Evening
Appetizers & dinner

Day 5
Morning
Breakfast
Writing time and/or faculty conferences

Afternoon
Lunch
Breakout sessions

Evening
Appetizers & dinner

Day 6
Morning
Breakfast
Writing time and/or faculty conferences

Afternoon
Lunch
Editor breakout sessions

Evening
Appetizers & dinner

Day 7
Morning
Breakfast
One-to-one conferences with lead faculty

Afternoon
Lunch
Wrap-up workshop to discuss revision plans

Evening
Appetizers & dinner
After dinner: readings

Day 8
Morning
Brunch and departure

Resources

Laura Ruby talks about what to expect at the workshop.
Author Interview: Anne Ursu
Celebrating Laura Ruby
Podcast: Christina Heppermann and Deborah Kovacs on Writing the Unreal
8 Articles to Help You Write a Kidlit Novel
Tranform Introspection into Dialogue
Eulogy Virtues

Testimonials

“Anne and Laura are honest, encouraging, illuminating and excellent teachers. They saw things I hadn’t and gave me tools to use with this work, but also with other work I’ll do in the future. It’s hard to express how grateful I am to both of them for the week we’ve spent together. I’ll always treasure what I’ve learned here and how I’ve grown as a writer.”

“The faculty were amazing! Thorough and nurturing with their feedback, accessible during meals and for scheduling chats, and flexible when hiccups invariably arose. In addition to the wonderful craft advice and wisdom I got throughout the week, I also received valuable insight on publishing and agents.”

“The guest speakers were lovely, accessible and thorough with their feedback and guidance.”

Scholarships Available

Scholarships are available for this workshop:
Application deadline is February 15, 2020. Scholarships will be announced March 1, 2020.
Click here to apply!
For more information about scholarships, click here.