Class

4-Week: Writing Novels for Middle Grade

The world of middle grade is one of optimistic uncertainty. Middle graders, loosely defined as readers between the ages of 8 and 12, embrace their interests with unbridled intensity, even as those interests shift and change with a quickly evolving sense of self.

Writers of Middle Grade fiction must contend with an audience that continually bounces between childhood and adolescence, safety and adventure, and it can be a challenge to craft stories that authentically speak to readers’ experiences.

We’ll start by better defining Middle Grade lit, and then move into practical exercises that cover both the craft and the business of writing for this age group. Through a combination of reading and writing exercises, the class highlights four elements of a novel through the Middle Grade lens: premise, structure, characterization, and dialogue. We’ll also look at the children’s entertainment marketplace as a whole, and explore how those factors come into play for authors.

Class participants will gain practical methods for drafting a novel, as well as the opportunity to find and develop a unique middle grade voice.

There will be a $5.00 copy fee per student.

Please email [email protected] at least two to three weeks in advance if you have any accessibility requests for this class. PLEASE NOTE: the elevator in Open Book will be unavailable for use from July - August 2025 due to modernization. This class takes place in-person, at the Loft at Open Book. Please see the Loft’s website for the most up to date information about the Loft’s COVID policies.