Morning Workshops

GETTING READY FOR THE FULL NOVEL WORKSHOP

So Many Parts. So Many Pieces. But Are They Working?

I love starting a novel. There’s so much promise, so much hope, and so much excitement.  Even the icky middles are okay if I’m writing with direction. But here’s the truth--if I don’t share my work with other readers while writing, my first big revisions are harder. Much harder.

In this class, I’ll be there to support you as get your novel ready to submit to class.  We’ll have a meeting or two or three as a group. There will be lots of questions from me, and I’ll answer your questions as you prepare your best work for submission.

By March 31, you’ll be required to submit 30,000 words—your beginning, part of the middle, the climax, and the end. During June, we’ll talk structure, emotion, and strong writing.  And we’ll dig in deep on your novels. We’ll also have a couple of guests to help us with our query letters and just to answer a few business questions.

This class caps at 8 students. 

PREREQUISITE: To attend this class, you must have attended two past morning workshops at WIFYR or submit a 10-page writing sample for approval. Apply here.

[WORKSHOP FULL] FULL NOVEL WORKSHOP: SWEATING THE SMALL STUFF

Participants will each turn in a 65,000-word manuscript. Tim will give each individual feedback on their novel, commenting, at the sentence and paragraph level, through track-changes in the manuscript itself, as well as providing a detailed cover letter that looks at larger issues. In the workshop, we will examine what a final edit is all about. It’s a lot more than just copy-editing.

By the time I get to the “Sweating the small stuff” revision of a manuscript, some of the excitement of invention has, inevitably, worn off. I’m already beginning to get excited about sending it off into the world. I know I’ve got to read the darn thing again, for the umpteenth time, and read it carefully, to catch typos and obvious gaffs, but I have to wrestle with my impatience. Primarily, sweating the small stuff is about diligently correcting, cutting and polishing. It is seldom about actually adding anything, let alone–Gasp!–making a wholesale change.  What I want to do this week is give you an extensive, practical checklist of things to look for in the cutting and polishing process, while also providing ways of looking at your manuscript from different angles to see if there is still more you might infuse into the story to give it more energy and make it all the more un-put-down-able.

PREREQUISITE: To attend this class, you must have attended three past morning workshops at WIFYR or submit a 10-page writing sample for approval. Apply here.

THIS WORKSHOP IS FULL.

FULL NOVEL WORKSHOP

Jennifer Adams has worked as a publishing professional for 25 years. As an editor at Deseret Book, Quirk Books, Sounds True, and Gibbs Smith, she has edited picture books, middle grade, young adult, and adult--both fiction and nonfiction. With her depth of experience as an editor, she will help you look at your novel with fresh eyes and find the things that need to be reworked, cut, ironed out, or reimagined.

In her life as a writer, Jennifer has published 65 books, including picture books, activity books, poetry, literary nonfiction, cookbooks, and board book originals. Her BabyLit series, which introduces small children to the world of classic literature, has been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Vanity Fair, Parents, and Wired. It has sold a combined 2.5 million copies and has been translated in 10 languages.

Jennifer is a sought-out speaker and teacher, teaching at many writing conferences and workshops and working as adjunct faculty in the Linguistics Department at Brigham Young University.

As a bookseller, Jennifer works weekends at The King's English Bookshop, where she reads widely and rubs shoulders with readers of all kinds and all ages, staying abreast of what the market wants, and honing her ability to match the perfect book to the perfect reader.

In this full novel workshop, we will explore big picture questions of setting, character arcs, plot, structure, and dialogue. We'll learn best practices for critiquing each other's work and how to digest and incorporate feedback from other workshop members. Jennifer will provide feedback on each novel, including tracked changes in the manuscript itself and a cover letter that gives overall feedback.

Please submit the first 30,000 words of your novel by April 15, 2026. Send the remaining 30,000 words by May 15, 2026.

PREREQUISITE: To attend this class, you must have attended three past morning workshops at WIFYR or submit a 10-page writing sample for approval. Apply here.

THE DECIDING FACTOR: CREATING CHARACTER-DRIVEN SCENES [VIRTUAL INTENSIVE WORKSHOP]

What makes a compelling scene?

Scenes are the vertebrae that, together, hold up a plot’s structure. But how do we know when our scenes have the right shape, size, and craft elements to keep our characters’ stories moving forward?

In this intensive, we will study the anatomy of scenes, including setting, external events and internal response, and using cause and effect to move from one scene to the next. We will examine how to structure a character-driven scene, one that hinges on a moment of decision rather than an external crisis.

You will submit up to three distinct scenes, comprising 6,000 to 7,500 words total (no more than 30 double spaced pages). Options for your three scenes could be: 1 scene each from the beginning, middle, and resolution of your novel; 3 scenes that represent a twist or turning point in your narrative; 3 scenes that you feel aren’t quite working. In addition, please send a one page synopsis of your novel.

HOW THE VIRTUAL WORKSHOP WILL WORK:

Laura will be joining remotely via Zoom. For participants, there will be two options when you register for this workshop: "Fully Remote" OR "+Afternoons." 

Fully Remote ($625 until 3/15; $675):

- The workshop, over Zoom. 8:30am to 12:30pm (Mountain Time)

- A 1:1 consultation with an editor or agent, also over Zoom

- Links for any afternoon sessions that the presenter is joining via Zoom, including plenaries and breakouts. (between 2pm and 6pm, Mountain Time)

- All sessions MUST be attended live, recordings will not be provided

+Afternoon ($725 until 3/15; $775):

- The workshop, LIVE over Zoom. 8:30am-12:30pm (MT). There will be a classroom provided on-site for all participants who want to gather (optional).

- A 1:1 consultation with an editor or agent

- All afternoon sessions on-site in Draper (2pm-6pm MT)

THE THREE BEARS' CHAIRS: FINDING JUST THE RIGHT SIZE FOR YOUR STORY

A Workshop for Adventurous Writers of Picture Books, Middle Grade, Young Adult,

and Graphic Novels

Picture Books, Middle Grades, Young Adults, Graphic Novels –– all have something to show us about form and content. What unites them is our desire to tell a story.

But telling your story is a unique experience and requires creative leaps. Creativity doesn’t come from following a path or a set of rules. Innovative ideas come to a writer sideways not head on.

In this workshop, we’ll challenge your straight-ahead journey by placing your Work in Progress in different containers. We’ll mix and match approaches and ideas. That sticky place in your YA novel might get unstuck when you try the scene as a picture book. Your picture book might benefit from a deep dive into a complex Middle Grade world. Or maybe a Graphic Novel will reveal the new path that will set your story on fire.

My middle grade novel, These Are Not the Words, started life as a picture book. My latest book, Looking at the Sky, started life as a theatre workshop, became a live stage production, was submitted as a picture book biography and has now emerged fully formed as a Graphic Novel. Whatever the impulse has been for your WIP, experimenting with different genres for your story will make it richer. And who knows –- you may find a whole new container for your voice.

CREATING COMPELLING TRUE STORIES FOR KIDS: NONFICTION WORKSHOP

Nonfiction for young readers and teens has exploded in popularity. Kids crave it. Publishers buy it.  So how do you write it?  Through lively discussion, mini-lessons, writing exercises and questions-and-answer, Candace Fleming will guide you through the process of creating compelling, saleable picture books, middle grade and YA nonfiction. We will cover:

• Research

• Objectivity vs. personal passion

• Structure and pacing

• Scenes and context

• Description and detail

• Foreshadowing and cliffhanging

• The promise of the end

Come with your current WIP or simply your ideas.

Leave with a clear path toward creating a great piece of nonfiction.

PICTURE BOOK WORKSHOP

Telling the Whole Story: How words and images collaborate to make pictures books

The illustrations in a picture book do more than decorate the text. They enlarge and expand it, adding layers of interest and meaning. In this laid-back intensive for both authors and illustrators, join Caldecott winner Eric Rohmann as he teaches you how to write the best picture book possible. We'll explore the two languages of picture books—words and images— and how to use them together to create compelling, coherent stories. This week of in-class work will include discussions, question and answers (and play!), and we'll delve into using pictures (collage, sketches, doodles, dummies, and even stick people!) as a way to think about your finished picture book, whether you're a writer, illustrator, or both.  Bring the story or illustrations you've been working on or develop them during the week while we're together. Let’s dive deep into how to use the storytelling power of the picture book.

NOVEL WORKSHOP: POLISHING THE GEMS OF YOUR NOVEL

You want your novel to stand out and shine, and I'd love to help you get it there! In this class, we’ll use a “gemology approach” toward your writing: identifying the gems in your story, appraising them for both the story you want to write and for the market, and determining what treatments may enhance them. Your class submission materials will include a Novel Gems Questionnaire that will ask you to evaluate what inspired your story, why you wanted to write it, and personal connections (if you want to share.) You’ll also draft a mission statement for both your novel and your writing life. We’ll work on craft to increase emotional resonance, create memorable characters, further develop voice, improve pacing, and strengthen setting. Each attendee will also meet with me individually to discuss your writer strengths, items to work on, and to prepare a revision plan and next steps to help you reach your goals. This class includes required reading.

Please submit the first 5,000 words of your novel (approximately 20 pages, double-spaced) by April 15, 2026. After registration, you’ll receive an email from our class assistant with the Novel Gems Questionnaire about your work. Please allow yourself time to complete and submit that by May 15, 2026. We’ll discuss and critique the version of your manuscript that you submit by the April 15th deadline.

NOVEL WORKSHOP: REVISION ROADMAP

So, you finished writing a chapter, the first half of your novel or maybe even an entire draft. . . . huzzah! Now what?

Now, we revise!

In this class, we’ll use Erin’s revision roadmap to tackle developmental edits that will ensure your plot, characters and theme are all working together to build the strongest story possible. We’ll identify your characters' backstory wounds and make sure the plot changes your characters, page by page. We’ll tackle plot points, especially four critical scenes so that the pacing never lags, tension never quits and each scene brings your character closer to that all-important climax.

Whatever stage of your novel you are in (from outlining to full draft), this class will help you think through the building blocks to make your story great. You will leave with either a strong revision plan for your manuscript or a solid plan for writing that first draft. All students will receive critique from Erin Stewart, as well as a class critique.

Materials to Submit before class:

· First 3 chapters (or first 7,500 words) of your latest draft

· A 1-page synopsis of your novel