SIX PROGRAMS FOR NOVELISTS

If you have completed a novel for submission to a publisher, we know you’re serious about your writing. We also know that writing a children’s novel can seem overwhelming. You have to create sassy characters, compelling plots, and lush settings. You must develop an authentic voice that snags a reader on page one and pulls him all the way through the book. And then . . . there’s the day job, or the kids, or the dishes, or the laundry. What’s a writer to do?

We’d like you to know about the Highlights Foundation. The Foundation is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to increase the quality of writing and illustrating for children. As a part of that mission, we offer workshops for writers staffed by highly experienced publishing professionals.

Our 2008–2009 line-up includes a wealth of workshops for novelists. In the upcoming year you can find practical strategies for plotting a middle-grade or young-adult novel, learn to tap your memories to find ideas for young-adult stories, explore the “hero’s journey” at the core of all successful plots, discover what sets the historical novel apart from the contemporary novel, or move your novel to the next level in preparation for submission to agents or publishers at an upcoming Founders Workshop (see list below).

Visit our Web site, http://www.highlightsfoundation.org, and read the bios of our outstanding faculty members. Take a look at each workshop descriptor, and then decide which one of these stellar workshops best meets your needs. Please feel free to pass along this e-mail to others who might have an interest in knowing more about our novel workshop offerings.
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Happy Writing!
Kim T. Griswell
Senior Editor
Highlights, Inc.


Upcoming Novel Workshops

Plotting the Novel
September 18–21, 2008
Workshop Leader: Helen Hemphill

Whole-Novel Workshop
October 11–18, 2008
Workshop Leaders: Carolyn Coman, Martine Leavitt

Writing Novels for Young Adults
October 23–26, 2008
Workshop Leader: Rich Wallace

The Hero’s Journey
November 20–23, 2008
Workshop Leaders: Kim T. Griswell,
K. L. Going

Whole-Novel Workshop
for Historical Writers
May 2–9, 2009
Workshop Leaders: Liza Ketchum,
Ellen Levine

Heart of the Novel: A Two-Part Workshop
May 14–17, 2009 and October 22-25, 2009
Workshop Leader: Patricia Lee Gauch

Whole-Novel Workshop
June 13–20, 2009
Workshop Leaders: Carolyn Coman, Donna Jo Napoli

Whole-Novel Workshop
October 10–17, 2009
Workshop Leader: Carolyn Coman