Middle Grade Fiction First Pages with Carina Licon
October 24th, 2024 - November 25th, 2024
with Carina Licon
Non-members may register on September 19th at 09:00 (EDT).
You'll submit your pages at the group start, then spend the next weeks critiquing peer stories. Carina 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 Carina 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.
<p>You may take one middle grade workshop per season. Fall season includes workshops beginning Aug 15 - Dec 31st, 2024. If there is space in a workshop 1 month prior to it starting, you may register for a second workshop.<br></p>
Notes
Who this workshop is for: <p>This workshop is best suited to agented writers and advanced writers who are querying and getting requests for their fulls. No first drafts please.<br></p>
Focus: Children's - Middle Grade - Contemporary fiction - Children'…
Group size: 7 writers
Submissions: <p>There will be one submission of your first 3750 words of prose (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.</p><p><span style="font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-weight: 700;">Changes and Withdrawals Policy: </span></p><ul><li>2 months or more ahead of a workshop start: you will be credited the full amount of the workshop, less a $20 change fee.</li><li>Under 2 months to 14 days ahead of a workshop start: If we are able to replace you, you will be credited for the full workshop price less a $20 change fee. If we can't replace you, you will receive a credit for 50% of the workshop cost. </li><li>Withdrawals within 14 days of a workshop start: If we can replace you, you will receive a credit for 50% of the workshop price. If we cannot replace you, you will not receive a credit. Your fee will go towards our workshops and scholarships. </li></ul>
Fee
Members: $120; Non-members: $145
About Carina Licon
Carina Licon is an editor at Henry Holt Books for Young Readers (Macmillan Children’s) from El Paso, TX. She is actively seeking compelling middle-grade and young adult fiction across genres with complex characters who sit at the heart of a story and leap off the page.
In middle grade and young adult, she seeks: complex, whipsmart protagonists; contemporary YA horror and thrillers in the vein of Courtney Summers; spooky, atmospheric MG; gothic YA horror or fantasy; stories about mental health; coming-of-age stories; friendship stories; a modern day Jessica Darling series that reflects our diverse world; intergenerational BIPOC stories; stories of everyday life in a BIPOC household (especially Latinx); romance with lots! of! angst!; contemporary, grounded fantasy OR high fantasy with strong real world/relatable themes.
Overall, she’s looking for stories that lift a mirror to the experiences of diverse children and young adults who feel big and overwhelming things–love, grief, joy, and everything in between.
She is not a good fit for in-verse novels.