Young Adult Fiction First Pages with Ellen Goff
October 14th, 2021 - November 13th, 2021
with Emily M. Bailey
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 young adult manuscript from literary agent Ellen Goff of HG Literary, and a small group of writers.
How it works
You'll submit your pages at the group start, then spend the next weeks critiquing peer stories. Ellen Goff 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 Ellen 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 Ellen'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.
Ellen Goff and Inked Voices are pleased to offer a spot, free of charge, to a writer from a diverse background. Apply by 9/26. https://inkedvoices.typeform.com/to/B2QF8WZR
Notes
Who this workshop is for: YA fiction writers interested in market and editorial feedback and interested in meeting other MG fiction writers.
Focus: Children's - Young Adult - 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 Emily M. Bailey
Ellen (she/her) graduated from The University of Chicago with a BA in English, a minor in Cinema and Media Studies, and a focus in Creative Writing. Ellen has worked everywhere from The White House under the Obama administration to The Metropolitan Museum of Art. At HG Literary, she assists partner and agent Carrie Hannigan on all children's titles from picture books to middle grade to young adult. Ellen's own list consists of YA writers and illustrators, as well as middle grade and picture book writers and illustrators. She is also a member of HG Literary's foreign rights team. Ellen is interested in all genres and formats of YA, especially anything spooky, historical fiction, food-themed, graphic novels, and novels-in-verse. She has a soft spot for Shakespeare as well as southern stories that remind her of her home state of Kentucky. Ellen runs a YA critique group and writing workshop in NYC. www.hgliterary.com/ellen.
About Ellen's critique style:
"As an agent, my critique style focuses on first impressions, especially for YA. Since agents often just have the time to read five or ten pages, I take a close look at voice and the clarity of the world building, and stakes and motivation. I'm a big believer that a lot can be accomplished in a small number of words (yes, even five pages!), and so I encourage being economical with language. I'm also a very editorially focused agent with my clients, so I love to suggest line edits around specific word choice---but as with how I run my own YA workshop and critique group, I won't offer up concerns without also suggesting a way to implement that critique."
Schedule:
Thurs, Oct. 14th - Submissions due
Thurs, Nov. 4th - Critiques due
Mon, Nov. 8th, 4-6pm ET - Debrief call
Sat, Nov. 13th - Group closes