Middle Grade Fiction First Pages with Alyson Heller (2023)
February 22nd, 2023 - March 20th, 2023
with Alyson Heller
You'll submit your pages at the group start, then spend the next weeks critiquing peer stories. Alyson will submit her notes near the critique deadline. After critiques are complete, we host a 2-hour group debrief, in which each writer gets 15 minutes of individual time with Alyson to dig into feedback, brainstorm next steps, and discuss any writing questions.
Our goal with these events is to help writers become stronger storytellers. That said, each opening pages event we offer also comes with a submission opportunity.
Notes
Who this workshop is for: This workshop is a high-level educational event, best suited to agented writers and writers who are querying or preparing to do so.
Focus: Children's - Middle Grade - Contemporary fiction - Children'…
Group size: 7 writers
Submissions: There will be one submission of your first 3750 words (approximately 15 pages) at the workshop start. Participants should also plan to share their pitch/short summary with their pages. Your pitch is not included in the word count and will not be critiqued.
Fee
Members: $105; Non-members: $127
We are pleased to offer a spot free of charge to a writer from a historically marginalized group. Applications for this scholarship have closed.
About Alyson Heller
Aly is an Executive Editor with Aladdin Books, an imprint of Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing. She joined the Aladdin team in 2008 after a two-year stint in the Simon & Schuster Associates Program. She has had the privilege of working with amazing authors and illustrators in the picture book, chapter book and middle-grade spaces, with a soft spot for contemporary middle grade fiction. On both the non-fiction and fictional side, she has a particular affinity for stories that represent the under-represented and stories that take on tough stuff in the middle grade space. You can find her on Twitter @EditorAlysonH.
Schedule:
- Wed, Feb 22nd - Writers submit
- Sun, March 12th- Critiques due
- Thurs, March 16th, 4-6 pm ET - Debrief call
- Mon, March 20th - Group closes