Writing for Children
with Sally Rippin
Allen & Unwin - Melbourne
406 Albert Street
East Melbourne VIC 3002
Maximum of 15 students
Writing for Children is a three-month course for people who wish to write for children from age six to young adult.
Children are discerning readers and the children's publishing industry is highly competitive. To write a children's book that will stand out on a publisher's desk, and then on bookstore shelves, you need to be aware of what is already out there, while creating something that reflects your personality.
This course will cover the elements required to create a stand-out manuscript. You will discover how to craft a compelling story, memorable characters, authentic dialogue and an evocative setting. You will learn about your audience and the themes and language suited to different age groups. The course will also discuss what publishers are looking for and how to convince them that you are worth publishing.
Students will attend a series of eleven weekly two-hour sessions (Tuesdays, 7–9pm) and three full Saturdays (10am – 4pm), given by children's author and creative writing teacher Sally Rippin. Sally will go through everything you need to know about writing for children and young adults, from brainstorming ideas to publication.
Writing for children requires skill and imagination; getting published takes commitment and perseverance. You will be required to work hard and read continually. There will be regular workshops and you will be given feedback in a supportive and creative environment. Over the fourteen sessions, we will study a range of children's authors and hear from guest speakers in the children's publishing industry, including:
- Andy Griffiths (author of the popular Just series, The Day My Bum Went Psycho and the Schooling Around series)
- Martine Murray (award-winning author of the YA novel How To Make A Bird, the Cedar B. Hartley series and the Henrietta series), and;
- a publisher of children's and YA literature
Writing for Children is suitable for writers of all levels of experience. Participants are encouraged to bring along ideas for stories, novels-in-progress and/or favourite children's books and young adult novels. While many children's and even young adult novels are illustrated, we won't be looking at picture books or graphic novels during these sessions.
At the end of the course participants will have a thorough understanding of the children's publishing industry as well as a fully or partially completed draft of a children's novel. Most importantly, they will have gained the support of a group of fellow writers and an opportunity to create ongoing workshop sessions outside the course.
There are fifteen places available on this course. Book soon to avoid disappointment.
Reading List
Participants will be given a suggested reading list during session one. However, to gain the most benefit from our speakers, students are encouraged to read a selection of these books before the start of the course:
- How to Make a Bird and/or The Slightly True Story of Cedar B. Hartley and/or Henrietta, There's No One Better by Martine Murray
- Just Tricking short stories and/or the Schooling Around series and/or The Bad Book by Andy Griffiths
- Angel Creek and/or Chenxi and the Foreigner and/or the Billie B Brown series by Sally Rippin
While we will be mainly focusing on contemporary Australian children's and YA fiction, students are encouraged to read widely and often.
About the Course Director
Sally Rippin has been writing and illustrating children's books for over fifteen years. She has over forty books published, many of them award-winning, including two novels for young adults. She has taught writing for children courses at the Council of Adult Education, the Victorian Writers' Centre and as a part of the Professional Writing and Editing program at RMIT University. She is regularly invited to speak at writers' festivals and seminars around Australia and overseas, and has been writer-in-residence in schools in Beijing, Shanghai and Ghana. Sally's books include the award-winning YA novel Chenxi and the Foreigner, the children's novel Angel Creek, recently published to critical acclaim, and the immensely popular Billie B Brown series, which became the highest-selling fiction series for under eights in the year it was first released.
www.sallyrippin.com
Please note in the event of unforeseen circumstances, courses - including tutors and venues - may be subject to cancellation or change.
