If your New Year’s resolution for 2010 is to finish that chick lit or young adult novel, Sister Outsider Entertainment has two writing courses that are perfect for you!
ABOUT THE COURSES
Starting on February 22, 2010, we will be offering two intensive writing e-workshops. One is for participants who are interested in writing contemporary women’s fiction (including but not limited to the ever-popular “chick lit.”) The other is for those who wish to write a young adult novel.
FUN READS FOR SMART WOMEN
Genre: Contemporary Women’s Fiction
Instructor: Sofia Quintero
Apply to enroll in this course if:
- You often hear, “You are funnnnny!” (in a sincere, admiring way. Not that dismissive, sarcastic tone.)
- You love to read contemporary women’s fiction (and are dying to write it yourself.)
- You have a great story idea that will appeal to an adult female readership (after all, women are over 80% of the fiction market, but you’d be surprise at some of the authors we’ve heard whining about having only female readers. Ingrates.)
Sofia Quintero is the author of Divas Don't Yield (One World/Random House) as well as a contributing author to the anthologies Friday Night Chicas (St. Martin's Press), Names I Call My Sister (Avon/HarperCollins) and Juicy Mangos (Atria/Simon & Schuster.) Under her pen name Black Artemis, she also wrote the hip-hop novels Explicit Content, Picture Me Rollin' and Burn (NAL/Penguin). Sofia's first YA novel Efrain's Secret will be published in April 2010 (Knopf/Random House), and she is presently working on her second YA novel Show -n- Prove. Sofia is also a teaching fellow at the National Book Foundation. To learn more about Sofia and some of her work, visit her website.
FUN READS FOR BRIGHT TEENS
Genre: Young Adult Fiction
Instructor: Elisha Miranda
This is the workshop for you if:
- Young people gravitate towards you with genuine interest in what you have to say (and not because they want to make fun of it.)
- You are still an avid and unapologetic reader of young adult fiction, both classic and contemporary
- You already have a great story idea (preferably two or three) that will appeal to kids 12 to 21. (Although you should know that more and more adults are reading books written initially for teens which means more potential readers for you!)
After graduating with her MFA in filmmaking from Columbia University, Elisha Miranda wrote her debut young adult series The Sista Hood: On the Mic under the pen name E-Fierce (Atria/Simon & Schuster). She also contributed to several anthologies including Juicy Mangos (Atria/Simon & Schuster), The Fire This Time (Anchor), and the forthcoming Other Rican edited by Aurora Levins Morales. As an award-winning screenwriter and director, Elisha is an assistant professor of film Bard College, an adjunct professor of creative writing at SUNY Purchase and teaching fellow at the National Book Foundation. To learn more about Elisha and her work for young adults, visit her website.
OBJECTIVES
By the end of the course, each participant will have:
- Written at least the first thirty pages of his or her story
- Drafted an outline for the rest of the novel-in-progress
- Received a private 30-minute telephone consultation with the instructor on his/her work-in-progress
- Become part of a supportive community of writers
- Had an opportunity to pose specific questions about publishing to a panel of industry professionals.
Regardless of the target readership of the works-in-progress, we welcome students of all races, ethnicity, ages, gender identities, socioeconomic backgrounds, sexual orientation, religion, you name it. We ask that you be as open to diversity among your fellow participants and as respectful of the stories they wish to tell as you would like others to be of yours. This includes making the time to read their writing exercises and works-in-progress and to be as thorough and compassionate with your feedback as our instructors will be with you.
STRUCTURE
Beginning on February 22, 2010, these intensive workshops will be taught over nine (9) weeks vie email and teleseminar. Neither will have more than ten (10) participants. Every Monday the instructor will email participants a lecture on an element of craft (e.g. character, plot, dialogue, etc.) and will assign a related writing exercise. Each participant is expected to complete the exercise and five (5) pages of his or her work-in-progress to submit for constructive criticism by the instructor and fellow workshop participants.
Over the course of the nine weeks, there will also be three (3) 90-minute teleseminars. These are when the instructor and participants meet via conference call to pose specific questions they may have and hold each other accountable for producing pages. The third and final teleseminar will be devoted to the business of publishing with a panel of industry professionals.
Finally, every participant who writes 30 pages by the end of the nine weeks will receive a 30-minute consultation on his/her pages and draft outline. The consultation will include an assessment of writing strengths and challenges and suggestions for working with them. For example, we will recommend specific practices, books, coaches and other resources that specifically account for your unique needs (and that of your project) so that you can get it done. All participants also get discounts and preference for future courses and services provided by Sister Outsider Entertainment.
APPLICATION PROCESS
To apply for the course of your choice, please complete the following steps:
- Answer three essay questions, each no longer than 250 words. The questions are:
1. Who are your favorite authors in the genre in which you are applying and what are the qualities of their writing that you most admire? What do you think are your strengths as a writer? What are your challenges?
2. Aspiring novelists are often advised to write the books that they want to read. What do you feel is missing in the genre in which you are applying? What do you hope as a writer to bring to it?
3. This is an intensive workshop in which you will be expected to write at least five pages every week as well as read the work of your peers. Convince us that you are ready to make the commitment to this process.
- Submit a writing sample that is no more than 10 double-spaced pages typed in 12-point font using 1-inch margins.
- Prepare a 50-word synopsis of the story you wish to workshop (hint: how would the back cover of your published novel read?)
- Submit all the above in a single RTF document and attach it to an email to info_at_sisteroutsider.biz. In the subject line, write the name of course to which you are applying. In the body of the email include your name, mailing address, and telephone number. Submissions must be received no later than 11:59 PM E.S.T. on January 15, 2010.
- You may apply to both workshops. However, given their intensity you will only be allowed to take one. If you are admitted to both, you will be assigned to one at our discretion. Also, if you apply to both then you must answer essay questions #1 and #2 for both genres. You only need to submit one writing sample, but we recommend it be in the genre where you feel strongest.
- Applicants will be notified via email of their status no later than February 1, 2010.
TUITION & FEES
The tuition for each course is $495. Participants who pay their tuition in full seven (7) days within acceptance receive a $25.00 discount. Payment plans are available, but please note that an additional $50 fee will be applied for a total of $545. Installments will be due prior to each teleseminar. Other conditions apply and will be put in writing for accepted students who choose to pay their tuition by installments.
At the Juicy Mangos release party. Elisha is at the center, Sofia to the right
If you have any questions, by all means, send them to info_at_sisteroutsider.biz. We look forward to reading your submission and helping to make your dream of finishing a novel come true. Happy holidays!
