Young Adult is a genre that spans a number of subgenres, including coming-of-age realism, fantasy, and supernatural novels. Young Adult readers are typically between 12 and 18 years old.

In this creative writing course we will focus on writing your own YA novel. In eight sessions we will explore techniques on developing story structure and plot, scenes and dialogue, as well as on establishing believable characters. We will dive into famous and less famous YA novels to find out what works in YA fiction.

The course will be taught in English with the occasional Dutch words thrown in. Course materials will be available in both English and Dutch. Students may write in English or Dutch.

Session 1 – September 22, 2013: Identifying Conflict and Inciting Incidents
Session 2 – October 13, 2013: Plotting and Structuring the YA Novel
Session 3 – November 10, 2013: Establishing Memorable YA Characters
Session 4 – November 24, 2013: World Building
Session 5 – December 8, 2013: Narrative Voice
Session 6 – December 22, 2013: Keeping Up the Tension
Session 7 – January 12, 2014: Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell and Emotions
Session 8 – January 26, 2014: Details that Make your Story Come to Life

Details:
What: Writing Young Adult Fiction – an advanced creative writing course
Where: The English Bookshop in Amsterdam (Jordaan)
When: Sundays from 14:00 – 16:00
Costs: € 325 for SCBWI members / € 375 for non-members
Registration: nlscbwi [at] gmail.com (registration closes September 7)

The teacher:
Mina Witteman is a Dutch published writer of adventurous novels for Middle Graders and Young Adults and 35 short stories for the young. Her debut De wraak van Deedee (Deedee’s Revenge) was published in 2005. She writes in Dutch and English.
She is a certified teacher creative writing (Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences), a freelance editor, ghostwriter, translator and mentor of budding writers.
She is the Regional Advisor of the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators and the Chairman of the Working Group Children’s Books of the Dutch Authors Guild.