Welcome to the MG/YA Opportunities post! In 2022, the MG/YA Opportunities post has taken on a new structure but don’t worry, you’ll still be able to find all of the monthly opportunities on the MG/YA support page! All opportunities listed are available to anyone with an internet connection.
REFLECTION ON APRIL
Lexi’s MAY GAME PLAN
LOOKING AHEAD
Does your local writing organization, SCBWI region, etc. host virtual events that are available to anyone with an internet connection? Would you like them listed here? Please share the info in the comments, or use our Contact Form.
To see all the monthly opportunities, what’s available all year long, and what’s coming up the rest of this year, visit the MG/YA SUPPORT resource page.
Hey writers,
I don’t know about you, but I am enjoying the spring weather and activity that April brought! I’m finding story ideas all over the place! I invite you to:
- Pick one resource or opportunity. Think about what you’re working on right now and pick something that will help you make progress with that work!
- Share your experiences with resources over the last month and what opportunities you want to pursue in the next month in the comments!
Will you join me on this journey?
REFLECTIONS ON APRIL
In March, I participated in #springflingkidlit hosted by Kaitlyn Sanchez and Ciara O’neal! I’m still waiting for the results (fingers crossed,) but I had a blast looking for just the right gif. I had a couple of submissions prepared and I let my class vote on which one they liked the best! We had so much fun discussing why one worked better than the others and I am so thankful to have their fourth-grade perspective.
I also finished reading Lisa McMann’s The Unwanteds series. I’ve been inspired by the world building and am curious about the POV she used. Is anyone else reading anything specifically for their current writing project?
What did you accomplish this month? Don’t forget to share in the comments!
Lexi’s MAY GAME PLAN
This month I am going to focus on balancing family, teaching, and writing… My three-year-old is starting soccer so hopefully, she will have fun, and maybe I’ll even snag a few story ideas! I think I have the bandwidth to also commit to participating in MayFest. (But man do I need to do some serious BIC… butt in chair).
- Modified MayFest One-Day Conference MayFest for this year will feature four separate two-hour workshops starting at 8:30 AM (PT) through to our 5:00 PM Award presentations. May 14th, 2022
What opportunities will you sign up for this month? Let’s celebrate each other in the comments!
REGISTER IN MAY, HAPPENING LATER:
None for me this month! What about you?
Keep an eye on some FUTURE opportunities you might want to register for early:
HIGHLIGHTS FOUNDATION COURSES($)
- World Building for Novelists: A Two-Part Mini July 12-14, 2022. Fantasy authors Intisar Khanani and Alisa Alering are ready to share the inner workings of world-building, from physical elements of the environment to social and cultural systems, and everything in between!
- Create Your Novel’s Style Guide: A Two-Night Mini Novelists, join us for two evening sessions to develop your book’s editorial style guide so you can keep details clear, concise, and consistent as you revise. This program is a great fit if you’re looking for a short course of two, 75-minute sessions offering limited interaction with loads of information.
- Line Editing Your YA or MG Novel (Fall 2022) This six-week online course offers the skills to revise and enrich your novel, and features live sessions with faculty, structured assignments, community interaction, and goal-setting.
- A Place at the Desk: Writing for Children July 12, 2022 – August 16, 2022. Writing for children is a place with a wide spectrum, from picture books to middle grade to young adult. Come to this session to explore it all.
- Writing Fiction: Dialogue, Gesture, and Staging July 14, 2022-August 4, 2022. This is a deep dive into dialogue and scene building. Through careful analysis of what people say, how they listen, when they don’t—and how both conflict and intimacy arise in these moments, we’ll create dynamic scenes.
- Second Draft Boot Camp for Novelists August 13, 2022. So you’ve finished the first draft of a novel. Fantastic! But now comes the next phase: editing, a maddening term that encompasses everything from rearranging commas to switching the narrative point of view.
Alright! Now it’s your turn. Share your reflections on March and game plan for April below in the comments!
Does your local writing organization, SCBWI region, etc. host virtual events that are available to anyone with an internet connection? Would you like them listed here? Please share the info in the comments, or use our Contact Form.
Months of a Year Banner Illustrations by Lexi Donahue Featured Image Line Art by Valenty, Can Stock Photos
WRITERS' RUMPUS 
Thank you for sharing this, Lexi! I need some butt in chair, too, particularly after being on vacation and not having any during that time. As far as reading to inspire my work, I haven’t started it yet, but THE TIME TRAVELER’S WIFE is on my list. I love the idea of a time-travel element to a story, and portraying that in an emotionally impactful way.
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