Writing Courses
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| © TeTed Chen |
Online and In Person Courses That Will Make You a Better Writer
There are many course available to help you with your writing. These are the courses that we or our writing friends have taken that we recommend.
Courses
Aug. 6 Launching In the Green Room™ with… Guest: Frances Gilbert A new series of behind-the-scenes conversations with top publishing professionals. Episode #1 releasing August 6, 2026 (registration required to get access) Join us for this candid conversation with Frances Gilbert, Senior Editor at Doubleday Books for Young Readers (Random House Children's Books). We talked about what she's currently looking for, what catches her attention in submissions, common reasons manuscripts get passed on, and what today's picture book writers need to understand about the market. What makes this conversation especially valuable is that it wasn't built around generic advice. It was shaped by questions submitted by picture book writers, addressing the very concerns authors are facing right now as they revise, submit, and pursue publication.
Aug. 18 8 p.m. ET There's No One Way to STEAM STEAM Team Books is hosting a FREE webinar on August 18 at 8 p.m. eastern for aspiring and new children’s book authors. We're discussing all things writing craft, including how to incorporate STEAM into your own works-in-progress that’s sure to inspire young readers.This discussion is for you if you want to write STEAM topics for kids and you seek fresh insights into the craft of STEAM writing Panelists include:
Beth Anderson, author of The Patriots and the Pox; Vicky Fang, author of Lots and Lots of Ocelots; Lydia Lukidis, author of Deep, Deep Down; Sita Singh, author of Indigo Hands, and Kaitlyn Wells, moderator and author of Under the Clam Moon. Live attendees will be entered into a raffle for several prizes, including A.M.A. calls, manuscript reviews, and signed books. This event will be recorded.
Aug. 22 Crack the Code: Reverse Engineering the Graphic Novel. Join the SCBWI California: San Francisco/South Graphic Novel Webinar with Senior Literary Agent Natascha Morris from The Tobias Agency. The webinar that shows how Natascha has guided several debut graphic novelists through the process of preparing their graphic novel proposals. From inspiration and MSWL, she will walk you through the act of outlining and break down how to create a new manuscript. Whether you are working on a new idea or have no idea where to start, this proven method will help you crack the code on how to give editors and agents what they might be looking for. The virtual session will be recorded and available to registered attendees. Registration ends 8/19.
Videos/podcasts
Coffee with the Authors (Youtube series of craft and industry videos by two traditionally published authors)
Critique Opportunity
Rate Your Story 2026 Membership is NOW open! This limited Membership (we have a cap sowe can better attend our Members) includes 15 PB or CB Manuscript Ratings with Feedback, 11 Crafty Webinars and replays (which remain available during the membership), First 100 Words Manuscript Review by Lynne Marie, lots of crafty tips and information, guest gurus, optional editor and agent First Pages AND Professional Series and MORE! Those who sign up prior to 12/31/25 will be able to submit First Pages for review and consideration to Lynne Marie, Acquiring Editor at The Little Press at a special January event.
Rhyme Made Easy(er) - join editor Lou Piccolo in a skills-based resource for authors of children’s rhyming picture books, poetry collections and standalone poems. The paid membership provides authors with a warm and welcoming community of ongoing support, personal feedback, and rhyming resources to assist in revising their work, and practice their rhyme and scansion. There are two Zoom workshops a month: one for practicing scansion and the other is a hot seat where subscribers can get community feedback on a particular issue they're having with their manuscript. There is an also a content vault of downloadable resources for writing and revising rhyme, a monthly poetry prompt to spark ideas and a warm and welcoming community of like-minded poets for children.
Lyrical Language Lab Peek & Critique- The Lyrical Language Lab Peek & Critique: YouTube video series by Renée LaTulippe providing free critiques of your kidlit writing as well as free lessons and mentor text discussions.
Laura Purdy Salas courses online courses on writing poetry and nonfiction for children and submissions
Lyrical Language Lab Peek & Critique- The Lyrical Language Lab Peek & Critique: YouTube video series by Renée LaTulippe providing free critiques of your kidlit writing as well as free lessons and mentor text discussions.
Laura Purdy Salas courses online courses on writing poetry and nonfiction for children and submissions
ONLINE WRITING CENTERS
Writing Barn - online classes for a variety of age groups, PB to YA
Much Ado About Writing offers online learning to build craft, community, and knowledge of the publishing industry. Each month a new topic is taught, workshopped, and allows members to get eyes on their pages. We meet weekly with all live webinars and workshops recorded for our members. Writers of all genres welcome!
The Muse Writers Center - online classes for writers, scriptwriters, songwriters, more
Gotham Writers - online craft classes in fiction and nonfiction, all age categories and genres
Kidlit Hive - The Kidlit Hive is committed to equipping creators with the resources necessary to not only survive but thrive in the publishing industry. Our carefully curated lineup of high quality, affordable events featuring top-tier industry guests merges craft with market knowledge so that our community gets first-hand intel on the business side of things. We welcome creators of all experience levels, formats, and genres, including both writers and illustrators. In a field otherwise riddled with rejection, we support those passionate about children’s literature. Let the Kidlit Hive take the sting out of your publishing journey!
PICTURE BOOKS
Crafting Your Nonfiction Picture Book: A Step-by-Step Beginner's Coursk: Learn the basics of writing a nonfiction picture book in just one month in this self-paced course from Kirsten Larson, author of Reimagining Your Nonfiction Picture Book.” You’ll learn how to: uncover fascinating story ideas, conduct thorough research and document your facts, approach experts, structure your book for maximum impact and page-turning excitement, infuse your writing with emotion, voice, personality, and kid-friendly hooks, analyze the market to make your book stands out from the competition. Includes 20 written lessons, Writers Workshop demo videos, a 42-page workbook, and more.
Storyteller Academy is founded by Arree Chung, a picture book author/illustrator who publishes with MacMillan, Harper Collins, Bloomsbury and Abrams. His NINJA! series has earned starred reviews from Kirkus and School Library Journal. Arree shares his experience, insights, and creative process to help you grow as a storyteller. You'll receive practical advice on mindset, overcoming imposter syndrome, and how to grow your creativity. Arree also walks you through the creative process of making a picture book dummy from scratch. The course emphasizes developing your story. With bi-weekly critique groups, and a Storyteller Workshop, you'll have creative community to support you.
Susanna Leonard Hill's Making Picture Book Magic- Susanna Leonard Hill's course is one of the best online courses for picture book writing. Not only is the information chunked and wonderfully presented, at the end of the course you are invited to join a Facebook group with other MPBM Graduates, which are a phenomenal group of people. Well worth the nominal fee that she charges to improve your craft.
Just Write For Kids- Emma Walton Hamilton provides an 8 week online course dedicated to developing your picture book idea and learning how to break into the industry. She also features many classes and resources on her website.
Online Workshops with Anastasia Suen,
Just Write For Kids- Emma Walton Hamilton provides an 8 week online course dedicated to developing your picture book idea and learning how to break into the industry. She also features many classes and resources on her website.
The author of 169 books for children, teens and adults has been teaching adults how to write children's books since 1999. Currently offering three online writing workshops: Intensive Picture Book Workshop, Children's Novel Workshop, and Young Nonfiction Workshop
Writing Picture Books for Children - fiction and nonfiction author Patrice Sherman's course of writing books for children
Art of Arc: How to Analyze Your Picture Book Manuscript A master class in picture book writing by author Alayne Kay Christian, focusing on a deep study of the traditional story arc as well as other story structures.
Children's Book Insider's Picture Book Blueprint walks you through the process of writing a picture book step-by-step, including creating your characters, designing a plot, building excitement, and writing your draft.
Karla Valenti's Master Course in Picture Books A step-by-step, hands-on version of James Gardner's "The Art of Fiction," but specifically for PB writers. A great tool, especially for those starting out, since everything is laid out in bite-size pieces. It also encourages writers to engage with the current PB market, and to apply each principle learned to their own work-in-progress.
Writing Barn Online Courses - Intensive six-week online courses on picture book writing and other writing courses.
The Heart of Picture Books (course by Julie Hedlund) In this webinar, find out top 10 layers of great picture books; what the HEART layer is and why it is so important; pitfalls to avoid; more
Writing Picture Books for Children - fiction and nonfiction author Patrice Sherman's course of writing books for children
Art of Arc: How to Analyze Your Picture Book Manuscript A master class in picture book writing by author Alayne Kay Christian, focusing on a deep study of the traditional story arc as well as other story structures.
Children's Book Insider's Picture Book Blueprint walks you through the process of writing a picture book step-by-step, including creating your characters, designing a plot, building excitement, and writing your draft.
Karla Valenti's Master Course in Picture Books A step-by-step, hands-on version of James Gardner's "The Art of Fiction," but specifically for PB writers. A great tool, especially for those starting out, since everything is laid out in bite-size pieces. It also encourages writers to engage with the current PB market, and to apply each principle learned to their own work-in-progress.
Writing Barn Online Courses - Intensive six-week online courses on picture book writing and other writing courses.
The Heart of Picture Books (course by Julie Hedlund) In this webinar, find out top 10 layers of great picture books; what the HEART layer is and why it is so important; pitfalls to avoid; more
Rosie Pova Writing Workshops (includes Writing for Children: Ideas to Submission; Picture Book Mastery Mentorship)
Picture Book Study Hall Join a month-long online critique group for writers of picture books, which provides manuscript critiques, weekly talks, and daily motivation and accountability under the guidance of Marcie Colleen, a professional, multi-published author.
Profitable Picture Books - This affordable monthly membership program provides step-by-step guidance for both traditional and self-publishing authors - and those who just aren’t sure yet! Created by Vicky Weber, a former teacher turned children’s book author and literary agent, Profitable Picture Books includes easy-to-follow video courses, live coaching sessions, exclusive webinars with industry experts, and a community of fellow authors to support you. From choosing the right story idea to writing and revising, to choosing the right publishing path, and following it - this course will teach you how to become a children’s book author without the stress & overwhelm. Vicky and her team also offer other resources for kidlit writers at athomeauthor.com.
7-Day Picture Book System with Rosie Nova Struggling to Finish a Picture Book You Feel Confident Submitting? Many writers have great ideas—but get stuck in the messy middle of drafting, revising, and second-guessing. This 7-Day Picture Book System shows you a simple step-by-step path to:
✔ Turn your idea into a complete draft
✔ Revise with a clear structure (not guesswork)
✔ Polish and properly format your manuscript for submission
By the end, you’ll have a finished picture book manuscript you can feel confident sending to agents.
Picture Book Prescription with Marzieh Abbas. As writers, we often have doubts about the 'readiness' of our manuscripts. In this webinar, Marzieh will discuss how to approach revisions in a fresh way. She will walk you through each aspect of your story (plot, structure, character, pacing, page turns, tension, and arc) and inspire you with relevant and recent mentor texts to kickstart revision. You will walk away with a checklist and a prescription (strategies to tick items off your revision checklist) to nurture your manuscript to health so you enter querying with confidence.
Picture Book Structure. In this webinar we’ll learn the difference between comp titles and mentor texts and how we can use them as we craft our stories. Marzieh will share how she uses picture books as references and how she keeps a detailed log of mentor texts so she can use them as she works through revisions. She will then walk you through the different picture book structures, using recent examples. Lastly, Marzieh will inspire you to apply the knowledge to your own revisions.
CHAPTER BOOKS, MIDDLE GRADE & YA
Editor in a Box: Emma Walton Hamilton's Editor in a Box contains everything you need to get your picture book, chapter book or middle grade or YA novel into the best possible shape for submission to agents, editors and publishers.
Just Write for Middle Grade! Emma Walton Hamilton's 14 week course on writing chapter books and middle grade
Just Write for Young Adults! Emma Walton Hamilton's 14 week course on writing YA
Children's Book Insider's Chapter Book Blueprint walks you through the process of writing a chapter book, with author Alice Kuipers.
GENERAL WRITING COURSES
Inked Voices (small critique groups led by editor, agent, or professional author)
List of Online Writing Courses
Editor in a Box
Gotham Writer's Workshop
Art of Storytelling (free course from Pixar/Khan Academy)
OTHER
Julie Hedlund's- How To Make Money As a Writer- What if you could spend all day, every day, thinking about writing, using your skills to make money, and have MORE time to write?
Now you can. This course is designed to benefit ALL writers, from newbie to multi-published. For ANYONE who wants to make more money from writing and writing-related activities.
Emma Walton Hamilton and Julie Hedlund's comprehensive course on Picture Book Submissions
How to Sell Your Children's Nonfiction with a Brilliant Book Proposal is hands-on workshop by award-winning author Patricia Newman that will take you step-by-step through her nonfiction book proposal creation process - and show you how to start building your book from the proposal
Graduate Programs
If you are ready to commit to graduate-level education in creative writing for children and teens, here are some programs:
Southampton Graduate Arts Program - Children's Lit Fellow -- a year long low-residency certificate program for PB, MG, or YA authors. Two semesters of mentorship and two conferences, one focused on writing craft and another on the publication process.
Children's Lit Fellows The Children's Lit Fellows is a year-long certificate program that provides up to 12 serious children's or YA writers a year-long course of advanced instruction primarily in distance-learning format that is customized, affordable, comprehensive, and professionally useful. Fellows work from home, mentored on-on-one by award-winning, best-selling children's and young adult authors and editors. Twice a year, they come together as a cohort - once in July during the Southampton Children's Lit Conference and a second time in January for a special Publishing and Editing Conference.
Hamlin MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults - earn a Master of Fine Arts degree in two years. Work from home and travel to Hamlin twice a year for five 11-day writing residencies. Learn all about the craft of writing for children and teens, as well as the history of children's literature and the industry.
The low-to-no-residency MFA in Writing at Lindenwood University features a number of areas of emphasis, including Writing for Young Adult and Middle Grade Readers. Students in the YA track take courses on the fundamentals of writing for young readers, literature courses on contemporary and classic middle grade and YA literature, and a number of workshops in which they receive substantial peer and instructor feedback. The program culminates in a thesis project, which may be a draft of a novel or a collection of short fiction. Admissions to the program occur on a rolling basis, with five start dates throughout the year.
The MFA Cheat Sheet - a review of 5 low-residency MFA programs, including Hollins University, Vermont College of Fine Arts, Hamlin University, Simmons College, and Spaulding University.
The MFA Cheat Sheet - a review of 5 low-residency MFA programs, including Hollins University, Vermont College of Fine Arts, Hamlin University, Simmons College, and Spaulding University.
Sierra Nevada College in Lake Tahoe- A low residency MFA in Writing has added a new MFA track in Writing for Children and Young Adults.
Intensive Study of Children's Literature - Immerse yourself in the craft and business of writing for young readers. Join our MFA faculty and students for eight intensive days of lectures, workshops, readings, and panel discussions with award-winning authors and publishing professionals. (University of San Francisco)