Pacific Coast Children’s Writers Workshop

20 years of Master Class to Masterpiece

“I was impressed with the caliber of these manuscripts!” — Jennifer Rofe; agent,
The Andrea Brown Literary Agency
“Now I see why this workshop is so popular!” — Amy Senger, Volunteer
Mentor-Coordinator, SCBWI-Minnesota
“I liked the attention to big ideas and major elements of storymaking.”
— E. Shreeve, The Adventures of Hector Fuller series (Simon & Schuster)
“Clearly, a great deal of thought and care goes into organizing this workshop.
A treasure for writers!” — Linda Covella, alum

SEVEN STREAMLINED STEPS

Like your novel perhaps, our workshop is hard to encapsulate in a few words. But here’s a quick tour—seven steps that outline your journey from applicant to (more polished) alum.

1. Request an email application. The form includes practical, thought-provoking questions about your novel—in itself, a helpful tool. (See sample questions.) Then e-mail the workshop director to ask how our “ongoing seminar” can help you write-to-publish.

2. By April 20, email your completed application, with manuscript sample if requesting critiques. This deadline guarantees “priority consideration” for critique options in #3 below.

3. By May 15, receive an invitation to enroll in one of our four critique-based groups. We offer groups with up to three faculty critiques per enrollee, written and/or in person—plus a group for Active Observers with no manuscript critique. Everyone participates in all of our one-track activities (keynotes, focus sessions, panels, master classes; more).



	Enjoy our coastal sunset after a day of storymaking.

In our masterclass format, selected writers share their manuscripts with peers in advance, and are observed by the whole group during their in-person faculty critiques—a seminar setting designed to benefit all. Other participants receive written, non-public critiques of varying lengths, usually with the faculty of their choice (or first-come).

4. By May 20, postmark registration for Early Bird discount.

5. By June 19, submit hard copies of manuscript for faculty and/or selected peers. (Your manuscript may be a revision of the e-application sample.)

6. In July, begin pre-workshop homework. Our free, online course manual includes articles about craft and submissions, personalized worksheets for focus sessions, a peer anthology and bios; more.

7. In August, attend the workshop. Enjoy occasional alumni newsletters (and optional brainstorming) throughout the year.

Take the first step now—
ask how we can nurture your creative and publishing goals.
Then join us for our gala summer event!

“Good writing has to do with not counting drafts, not keeping track of how many times
you’ve revised something. The only draft that counts is the final draft.”
— Raymond Obstfeld, Novelist’s Essential Guide to Crafting Scenes