Fall Workshops 2024: Fairfax, VA

Revision. Love it or hate it, we all have to do it! In this workshop we will explore revision strategies for longer works (chapter books and MG/YA novels) including when to begin revising; techniques for revising plot, character development, dialogue and more; and ways to use resources like popular writing books to help you with the revision process. We will also talk about personal revision, revision due to notes from a critique partner, and revision with an editor, and how those revisions can differ.

Let’s dig in together and polish your picture book! Bring your completed picture book manuscript to work on as we complete real-time revision that addresses the big picture, plot and character beats, and line by line strengths and weaknesses of your manuscript.

While your opening pages may be just a small slice of your book, they are also some of its most valuable real estate. Agents, editors, and readers often rely on a book’s opening pages to give them a sense of the story, world, voice, and characters. In this interactive workshop, Julie will share examples, writing exercises, and strategies to help writers identify and craft captivating story openings. Workshop participants will have the opportunity to submit their opening pages in advance to potentially be selected for live feedback.

Not all novels are written straight through from start to finish. Often there are halts and pauses that last weeks, months, or even years. In this intensive, participants will learn the off-the-page techniques Candice developed during the eight-year journey with her latest middle grade novel. These tools include little-known research outlets, methods to visualize a stubborn story, and five off-the-page projects that can be tailored to your novel at any stage. Participants will begin creating a glue book, a new technique Candice is using to jumpstart a picture book idea. This will be a make-and-take to finish at home.