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Writing Books for Children and Young Adults

5-week course

How to write children’s books – and get published

Do you love the magic of children’s books?
Can you get lost in them even though you’re an adult?
Do you have ideas for kids’ books but aren’t sure what to
do with them?
Would you like a step-by-step plan on how to turn your ideas
into a published book?

You love the idea of writing books for children or young adults. Or maybe you want to write stories inspired by your own children. Perhaps you’ve even started writing your very own book …

There’s a lot more to children’s books than meets the eye. And in this course, you’ll discover exactly what you need to know in order to write a children’s story for TODAY’s kids.

The blueprint for your children’s book

The world of children’s writing changes quickly. That’s why you’ll be learning from Judith Ridge, a children’s book editor and industry expert who will reveal the trends and opportunities in the current market.

You’ll discover what topics are acceptable to publishers (you’ll be surprised) and what you should avoid if you really want to get published. We’ll also guide you step-by-step on how to approach a publisher with your story idea.

Here's what you'll learn

The course will cover:

how to get started
finding the right voice
creating characters and stories young readers will enjoy
how to write believable dialogue
common assumptions about writing for children and
about young readers
how to structure a story that works
the secrets to plotting for different age groups
what you need to know about getting into the
children’s publishing market
and MUCH more

The course will focus on longer fiction. If you'd like to focus on picture books for younger children, please go to this course.

Exclusive access to our Online Writing Forum

When you graduate from this course, you'll get exclusive access to our online writing forum. So you’ll get ongoing support in an encouraging and very active community of creative writers.

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Learn from the best

JUDITH RIDGE

Judith Ridge is internationally recognised as one of Australia’s leading experts on writing for children and young adults. In a highly specialised career spanning more than 20 years, Judith has worked as an editor, community arts coordinator, writer and critic. Her experience as an editor encompasses more than 6 years at the NSW School Magazine, in-house at ABC Children’s Books and as a freelancer for Random House, Penguin, Walker Books Australia and O’Brien Publishers Ireland. She has taught children’s literature at Macquarie University and established the Writing for Children and Young Adults course in the MA of Creative Writing program at the University of Sydney.

Judith has written about children’s and youth literature for journals such as Viewpoint and Magpies, The Horn Book (US) and The Melbourne Age. She has twice been a judge on the NSW Premier’s Literary Awards. ...more

Courses are held at our harbourside Centre in Milsons Point

DIRECTIONS TO THE
SYDNEY WRITERS’ CENTRE

Or you can complete the course online if you prefer

If you don’t live in Sydney – or can’t get to our harbourside training rooms – you can access our amazing tutors through our online course.

The online course covers the same valuable content as the face-to-face course and, each week, your questions are answered by our wonderful online tutors. You’ll also receive assignments and get feedback on your work.

It’s easy to learn online – all you need is an internet connection. Just click on the demo to see how it works.

Our online classroom is simple to use. Thousands of students from Australia – and around the world – have graduated from this course.

ONLINE COURSE DEMO

Course content and outcomes are consistent,
regardless of which presenter or format you choose

We are sticklers for consistency and quality in our courses, so you’ll achieve the same outcomes regardless of which presenter you have. Naturally, each presenter brings their own insight to the course, but you can be assured that the content is consistent across the board. You’ll also achieve the same outcomes regardless of whether you enrol in our online or face-to-face course!

Rave Reviews for Writing for Children and Young Adults

JANE WESSLING

"I could have listened to Judith for hours – she has seemingly endless passion and information to share!

"I didn't know much about writing beyond high school English so the course has given me valuable insight and the confidence and contacts to start writing."

ROBYN ELLIOTT

"I loved the course and truly Judith is a brilliant and enthusiastic teacher. She is passionate about children's books and such a huge knowledge of all the different age groups so that she could be speaking of book of verse for four-year-olds and switch to 15-year-old teenage writing with ease as she knew her subject matter. So thank you for your help and advice and thank you to Judith too."

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE TESTIMONIALS

Next available course:

Writing Books for Children and Young Adults with Judith Ridge Tuesday evening classes (once a week for five weeks) TIME: 6.30pm - 8.30pm FEE: $395 (includes GST) COURSE STARTS: Tuesday 29 May 2012 Available

5-WEEK ONLINE COURSE: Writing Books for Children and Young Adults TIME: Whenever suits you FEE: $395 (includes GST) You can find out more about the online course here. COURSE STARTS: Monday 28 May 2012 Available

NEXT AVAILABLE:

Writing Books for Children and Young Adults with Judith Ridge

Tuesday evening classes
(once a week for five weeks)
TIME: 6.30pm - 8.30pm
FEE: $395 (includes GST)

COURSE STARTS:

Tuesday 29 May 2012

Available

LOCATION

55 Lavender Street
Milsons Point NSW

Directions to the
Sydney Writers' Centre

NEXT AVAILABLE ONLINE COURSE:

Writing Books for Children and Young Adults
TIME: Whenever suits you
FEE: $395 (includes GST)

COURSE STARTS THE WEEK BEGINNING:

Monday 28 May 2012

Available

ONLINE COURSE DEMO

RAVE REVIEWS ABOUT
WRITING FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG ADULTS

"It was amazing to be surrounded by so many creative and talented writers. It was truly inspiring. I have made a network of aspiring writers who have offered support and encouragement for me to succeed. I have re-awoken my passion for writing."
- Carolyn Francis

"Judith is a fantastic presenter, enthusiastic and passionate about children's literature and you can't help but get caught up in her enthusiasm."
- Germaine Leece

"I have heaps of information now to help me in my work. The class has given me an excellent sense of direction, it was fantastic."
- Liam O'Leary

"Judith knew her stuff and it showed in her enthusiasm when she taught the class. Judith provided information I didn't even know I would need when writing for children. I took on everything from themes to focus on language and what children like compared to what adults think children would like."
- Megan Hughes

"Being Danish it was essential for me to learn about Australian writers and Judy was spot on and I now have a long list of writers to read up on. It was fabulous to spend two hours in Judy's company every Thursday night, she has got a fantastic energy. I am even more dedicated to building up stories around my characters. I am inspired to make my writing happen."
- Christina Biel

"I feel more confident about my ability to write children's stories that are engaging and also how to proceed to the next stage of getting them published."
- Chris Mitchell