Quebec Writers' Federation Workshops

Spring Session 2010

Develop your writing with the mentorship of an acclaimed professional writer and feedback from your peers.

Workshops take place at the QWF office, Suite 3, Atwater Library unless otherwise indicated.

TALES FOR TEENS: WRITING YA FICTION

Eight Tuesdays, 8:00 to 10:00 p.m. (March 2–April 20, 2010)

1200 Atwater Avenue, Suite 3
Workshop leaders: Monique Polak and Lori Weber

For many of us, the books we read as teens have stayed with us for the rest of our lives. Today, the YA market is thriving, making it an exciting time to be a YA author. However, the genre can be challenging. The writer must create stories that engage young readers, reflect their world, and speak to them in a way that is never pedantic or condescending. The writer must do all this with plots that are original and characters that are believable.

In this workshop, we will look at the components of the YA novel, including character, voice, plot, structure, setting, dialogue and figurative language. We will also discuss how to generate ideas, the writing and editing process, marketing and working with editors. Participants will also learn how to deal appropriately with sensitive topics such as sex, violence and profanity. We will explore various forms of the YA novel, such as diary form, traditional narrative, and the verse novel.

By the end of the course, participants will be familiar with the conventions of YA fiction. By week five, each participant will submit a 10 – 20 page manuscript for both a personal critique by one of the workshop leaders and by the other participants. The manuscript could be a short story or a chapter from what may become a YA novel.

Participants are asked to purchase and read Ron Koertge’s Stoner & Spaz, published by Candlewick Press, 2002. This novel will be used as a basis for our perusal of the genre. Other writing samples will be provided in photocopy form.

Week 1 (March 2): Introductory session; participants meet the workshop leaders. Monique and Lori discuss their writing processes, methods for generating ideas and provide an overview of the units that will be covered during the upcoming sessions.

Week 2 (March 9): Monique looks at techniques for developing character and voice. Workshop participants do an exercise to help them learn to “listen” to a YA character’s voice.

Week 3 (March 16): Lori looks at techniques for handling plot, structure and setting. Workshop participants do an exercise that will allow them to explore a unique setting.

Week 4 (March 23): Monique looks at techniques to help create dialogue that is fluid and true to teens. Workshop participants do an exercise that will help them learn to use dialogue effectively.

Week 5 (March 30): Lori looks at figurative language that enriches the YA novel, including imagery, symbolism and metaphor. Participants do an exercise to help them experiment with the use of figurative language in their own work.

Week 6 (April 6): Workshop session, led by Monique.

Week 7 (April 13): Workshop session, led by Lori.

Week 8 (April 20): Party time! Monique and Lori share tips for getting published. Each student will have an opportunity to read an excerpt from his or her own work.

Monique Polak is the author of 11 YA novels. Her novel What World Is Left won the 2009 Quebec Writers' Federation Prize for Children's and Young Adult Literature. Monique is a freelance journalist whose work appears regularly in the Montreal Gazette. She has also been published in Maclean’s and The Globe and Mail. She teaches at Marianopolis College.

Lori Weber has published five YA novels; three were selected for the Canadian Children’s Book Centre’s Our Choice list and one was an American Library Association best book of 2004. Lori has also published poetry, prose and non-fiction for adults in various Canadian publications. She teaches English at John Abbott College.

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