Developing your writing for children

What is the course about?

An opportunity to build on the basic skills needed for successful children’s book writing while developing your own ideas for children’s stories. There will be a workshop element to the course, offering the opportunity to share your writing with your peers and get in-depth feedback on your submission.

What will we cover?

- Advanced aspects of writing craft, as they apply to writing fiction for children of all age groups,
- The work of a diverse selection of contemporary authors, through Q&A and analysis
- In-depth analysis of the writing of others in the class.

What will I achieve?
By the end of this course you should be able to...

- Analyse pieces of writing effectively and sensitively
- Use a wide range of writing techniques for children’s writing
- Use the appropriate style for the desired age group.

What level is the course and do I need any particular skills?

You need to have completed the term-long Starting your children’s book course or an equivalent writing for children course. This Intermediate course is intended to give students the opportunity to focus on the development of their own writing and to demonstrate how effectively they can put into practice aspects of writing craft covered in the previous course.
If you’ve been writing for children on your own without attending a course you will need to submit
your work to the Creative Writing dept before being accepted onto the course.

How will I be taught, and will there be any work outside the class?

- Group discussion and feedback on writing including regular workshop sessions.*
- Independent reading and writing projects
- Tutor input

*workshop sessions involve students producing work which will be discussed in an open and constructive environment with the tutor and other students. The college operates a policy of constructive criticism, and all feedback on another student’s work by the tutor and other students should be delivered in that spirit.

All writing courses at City Lit will involve an element of workshop. This means that students will produce work which will be discussed in an open and constructive environment with the tutor and other students. The college operates a policy of constructive criticism, and all feedback on another student’s work by the tutor and other students should be delivered in that spirit.

For classes longer than one day regular reading and writing exercises will be set for completion at home to set deadlines.

City Lit Writing endeavours to create a safe and welcoming space for all and we strongly support the use of content notes in our classes. This means that learners are encouraged to make their tutor and classmates aware in advance if any writing they wish to share contains material that may be deemed sensitive. If you are unsure about what might constitute sensitive content, please ask your tutor for further clarification and read our expectations for participating in writing courses at City Lit.

Are there any other costs? Is there anything I need to bring?

Bring a notebook, paper and writing materials, enthusiasm and loads of persistence. You will also need to share your work with peers on the Google Classroom platform in advance of the lesson.

When I've finished, what course can I do next?

Students who wish to continue actively to write for children may like to join the Writing for Children Workshop, most of whose members began as students on the Starting your children’s book, and of whom a significant number are now published authors.

All students are invited to join us at Late Lines, our regular performance night for City Lit writers. Students are also encouraged to submit their work to Between the Lines, our annual anthology of creative writing. For the latest news, courses and events, stay in touch with the Department on Facebook and Twitter.