Share Description
This course is designed for curious students and aspiring authors who are interested in writing for young readers. Participate in a vibrant online writing community as you experiment with your own writing and find your voice. This course will guide you through a mix of video lectures, online readings, peer reviews, and appearances by world-renowned children's authors. As you complete the writing exercises, you will receive and give feedback from your peers, as well as learn tools and techniques for improving your writing.
During this course, you will identify stories that are important to you, investigate cultural significance and boundaries, and develop your writing identity. familiarise yourself with standard narrative elements (character, setting, plot, theme, language, dialogue, point of view); Consider your own work and hone your self-editing abilities. Discover the various ways in which words and art interact, as well as the possibilities of longer narrative forms; gain practical insights into publishing options; and devise a plan for pursuing your passion for writing. By the end of the course, you will have ten to twelve writing extracts that you can turn into a portfolio.
Syllabus :
1. Your Writing Identity
- Writing for Young Readers - Promotional Video
- Welcome to Writing for Young Readers
- Introduction to Your Writing Identity
- Your Writing Life - Part One
- Your Writing Life - Part Two
- You, Your Culture and Story
- Cultural Myths and Legends
- Viewpoint - Part One
- Viewpoint - Part Two
- Interview with Uma Krishnaswami - Part One: 'the very young experience the world through their skins'
- Interview with Uma Krishnaswami - Part Two: 'for me place and the people are inextricable'
- Interview with Uma Krishnaswami - Part Three 'it came out in eight Indian languages'
- Interview with Uma Krishnaswami - Part Four: 'I suddenly began to see the entire story'
- Interview with Apirana Taylor - Part One: 'I carried exercise books with me everywhere I went'
- Interview with Apirana Taylor - Part Two: 'I'm leaving something behind for future generations'
- Interview with Apirana Taylor - Part Three: 'one word is worth a thousand pictures'
- Interview with Apirana Taylor - Part Four: 'your ears are often your best editor'
- Module Summary Your Writing Identity
2. Genre, Form, and Audience
- Introduction to Genre, Form, and Audience
- Genre - Part One
- Genre - Part Two
- Form - Part One
- Form - Part Two
- Audience - Part One
- Audience - Part Two
- Interview with Finegan Kruckemeyer - Part One: 'it can be nice to write just for the sake of writing'
- Interview with Finegan Kruckemeyer - Part Two: 'my favourite authors have permeated my brain'
- Interview with Finegan Kruckemeyer - Part Three: 'it truly is a magical feeling'
- Module Summary Genre, Form, and Audience
3. Structure
- Introduction to Structure
- Character - Part One
- Character - Part Two
- Setting
- Plot and Theme - Part One
- Plot and Theme - Part Two
- Language and Dialogue
- Other Language Tools
- Interview with Tololwa Mollel - Part One 'I let an idea simmer in my head'
- Interview with Tololwa Mollel - Part Two: 'let the story show you the way'
- Interview with Tololwa Mollel - Part Three: 'I give them their right to live as characters'
- Interview with Tololwa Mollel - Part Four: 'I really enjoyed the act of writing itself'
- Module Summary Structure
4. Editing and Proofreading
- Introduction to Editing and Proofreading
- Structural Editing - Part One
- Structural Editing - Part Two
- Structural Editing - Part Three
- Copyediting and Proofreading - Part One
- Copyediting and Proofreading - Part Two
- Interview with Summer Edward - Part One: 'The story keeps telling itself in my mind'
- Interview with Summer Edward - Part Two: 'don't be afraid to cut'
- Interview with Summer Edward - Part Three: 'I practice silence'
- Module Summary Editing and Proofreading
5. Publishing
- Introduction to Publishing
- Forms of Print Publishing
- Forms of Digital Publishing - Part One
- Forms of Digital Publishing - Part Two
- Publishing Opportunities
- Approaching Publishers
- Interview with Victoria Azaro - Part One: 'every day I learnt something new'
- Interview with Victoria Azaro - Part Two: 'you need to wear lots of hats'
- Interview with Victoria Azaro - Part Three: 'I really draw from my culture'
- Interview with Victoria Azaro - Part Four: 'write from the heart'
- Where to From Here
- Module Summary Publishing
