Middle Grade Fiction, with Foyinsi Adegbonmire
October 1st, 2021 - November 1st, 2021
with Brooke McIntyre
Preparing your work for submission? In this intimate workshop, you'll receive market and editorial feedback on the first 3,750 words (15 pages) of your middle grade manuscript from associate editor Foyinsi Adegbonmire at Feiwel & Friends, an imprint of Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, and a small group of writers.
How it works
You'll submit your first pages at the group start, then spend the next weeks critiquing peer stories. Foyinsi Adegbonmire will submit her notes near the critique deadline. After critiques are complete, we will have a debrief call where each writer gets individual time with Foyinsi to address key feedback themes and brainstorm next steps for their manuscript.
The group workshop format accelerates learning because, not only will you receive feedback on your own work, you will also be able to see and hear Foyinsi's feedback on the group's stories, which you will have read and critiqued.
Each agent and editor event we offer also comes with a submission opportunity.
Participants should be sure they have at least 1 hour to give for critiquing each person's manuscript (plus reading time). Because this is a group of 7, this means you should have at least 6 hours available for your peers' stories.
Foyinsi Adegbonmire and Inked Voices are pleased to offer a spot, free of charge, to a writer from a diverse background. Apply by 9/14: https://inkedvoices.typeform.com/to/ADkFtKXC
Notes
Who this workshop is for: Middle Grade fiction writers interested in market and editorial feedback and interested in meeting other MG fiction writers. Editor workshops are especially geared towards agented writers and writers who are at or near the querying stage.
Focus: Children's - Middle Grade - Contemporary fiction - Children'…
Group size: 8 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: $95; Non-members: $112
About Brooke McIntyre
Foyinsi Adegbonmire is an Associate Editor at Feiwel & Friends, under the Macmillan Children's Publishing Group. She acquires Middle Grade and Young Adult fiction, from contemporary to grounded science-fiction, and enjoys stories with lighthearted and/or conversational narrative voices. She's in love with romance and forever searching for fluffy YA contemporary romances. When not reading or thinking about her very large TBR pile, she can be found watching Black sitcoms from the 90s/early 2000s and crime shows like Criminal Minds, or obsessing over sunglasses and bullet journaling.
Critique Style: As an editor and while offering critique, I strongly believe in the importance of not just highlighting what could be stronger but also drawing attention to the good/what's working. I find it incredibly fun to give "live" reactions as I read (ex: "this is so sweet" or "I'd be mad about this too!") as it can be helpful for writers to know if their words are actually effective in evoking the emotions they want in the reader. To this end, I love using inline comments to highlight specific examples of both strengths (a great line, a funny scene, etc.) and weaknesses (a confusing moment, a strange word choice, etc.). I then usually give a paragraph that summarizes most of what was pointed out with inline comments and that also addresses big picture suggestions (character personalities, plot, setting, etc.).
Schedule:
Fri, Oct 1st - Submissions due
Sun, Oct 24th - Critiques due by 3pm ET
Thurs, Oct 28th, 8-10pm ET - Debrief call
Mon, Nov 1st - Group closes