Editing your children's novel

What is the course about?

If you have completed a first (second or third!) draft of a novel for children or young adults and would like to learn skills to help you edit your story, this is the course for you.

What will we cover?

A variety of techniques to edit and improve your work, generally with a view to submitting it for publication.

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

- strengthen your plot
- bring characters to life
- identify where to cut and where to extend
- make your subplots work
- line edit your work.

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

You'll need a good level of spoken and written English and a love of children’s literature, should be prepared to participate in discussions and to write creatively. The course is open to experienced children’s authors.

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

Talks, illustrated with contemporary children’s books
Class writing exercises
Group discussion, pair work and group work (using breakout rooms)
Independent reading and writing projects inside and outside class.

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?

A reading list and timetable will be supplied before each term and students will be expected to read the book prior to the week it will be discussed. The books can be purchased in book shops or borrowed from public libraries.

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

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.