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 JUNE
Lexi’s JULY 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,
It’s only been a few days since “summer break” started for me… but I realized I always think I’ll have more time than I do in reality (I think that might just be called life). That being said, committing to action steps each month is keeping me moving forward. Join me if you haven’t yet!
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 JUNE
In JUNE, I did some serious reading. I finished a middle-grade series called The Unwanteds by Lisa McMann and started the Wings of Fire series by Tui T. Sutherland. I am excited to attend the graphic novel 101 webinar tomorrow.
I swapped out Story Genius at the last minute for The Magic Words: Writing Great Books for Children and Young Adults. Cheryl Klein’s words ring true as I continue to my writing adventures… “the richest and best answers are always the ones you discover yourself.” Anyone that acknowledges the answer is in the work… in the writing… that’s someone I want to learn from.
What did you accomplish this month? Don’t forget to share in the comments!
Lexi’s JULY GAME PLAN
This month I want to write outside in my hammock. 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. (This feels worth pushing from June to July!)
- Submit the beginning of my most recent WIP to four on 400!
What will you accomplish this month? Let’s celebrate each other in the comments!
REGISTER IN JULY, HAPPENING LATER:
Keep an eye on some FUTURE opportunities you might want to register for early:
HIGHLIGHTS FOUNDATION COURSES($)
- Amplify YOUR Voice: A Two-Night Mini for Novelists (August 23-25) Join author Aminah Mae Safi and editor Kat Brzozowski to explore a Voice that is uniquely your own. A Voice that comes from within— inner conflicts, outside pressures, personal values, experiences, identity, and so much more.
- 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.
- Relationships in MG & YA Novels: An Online Course with Editor Kat Brzozowski (September 22-October 13) The relationships between characters are the backbone of every great contemporary MG and YA novel. Participate in weekly live discussions and Q&A sessions with editor Kat Brzozowski and guests to learn more about crafting deeply meaningful relationships in your novel.
- 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 JUNE and game plan for JULY 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 
That Highlights course that explores relationships in MG and YA novels looks so good! Trying not to overload with too many courses right now (already taking a multiweek NF writing course in the next month or so), but I will keep that one in mind for the future.
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I love that you’re balancing your course load! I definitely want to know how that one is if you end up taking it!
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I completed the final edits and returned my manuscript to my publisher in June! Amanda in France: Fire in the Cathedral will be released on September 13, 2022. It is on NetGalley for free ARCs right now. Feeling accomplished.
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Wow! Congratulations Darlene! What an accomplishment. I will have to check it out! Thanks for sharing!
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Your advice really hit home for me because, “yeah summer!!” But there are still only so many hours in a day. That being said (& now written!), I’ll be focusing on one WIP for July & doing all I can for it. BTW, Wings of Fire series is amazing! Enjoy🙂
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Yay! Keep working on that WIP! I’m on the second book now and I want to fold laundry just to keep listening to it (I do audio for my MG reading so that I can squeeze it in!).
Have fun drafting!
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