Welcome to the MG/YA Opportunities post! 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 MAY
Lexi’s JUNE 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 MAY
In MAY, I finished drafting my current middle grade WIP! While I didn’t attend the MayFest with my kiddos down and out with terrible colds, I heard great things about the day. That being said, I am patting myself on the back for successfully balancing family, teaching, and writing. Three-year-old soccer is certainly full of story ideas!
What did you accomplish this month? Don’t forget to share in the comments!
Lexi’s JUNE GAME PLAN
This month I wrap up my tenth year teaching fourth grade. By now I know that there are times during the school year that feel all-encompassing, and other times when teaching and planning fit neatly into the scheduled school day! I also know that summer is one of those precious times where I can carve out decent writing time… and that’s just what I plan to do. I am prepping to revise two middle-grade stories, and really want to be ready to submit in August. Here’s my plan:
- SEIZE THE READER: WRITING FOR EMOTIONAL IMPACT, AN ON DEMAND ONLINE COURSE– I am planning to reread a manuscript I put down a while ago, and revise while working through this on-demand course.
- Graphic Novel 101– I am also going to attend this SCBWI regional zoom event! I have an idea brewing and I think this event might help me move into drafting!
- Read the book Story Genius by Lisa Cron… which has been sitting on my desk for more than a year now.
- Keep rewriting!
What will accomplish this month? Let’s celebrate each other in the comments!
REGISTER IN JUNE, 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 MAY and game plan for JUNE 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 
Lexi, I can’t wait to read a draft of your future graphic novel! Nothing from me right now on the middle grade front…I’ve been focusing exclusively on picture books lately 🙂
LikeLike
Thank you for the tip about the on-line Seize the Reader Writing for Emotional Impact Course.
LikeLike