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Meet the Teaching Artist: Linda Oatman High on Writing Middle Grade Novels Set in the Magic of Summer
by Writing Workshops Staff
22 hours ago
Earlier this year, Linda Oatman High walked more than 600 miles across Spain on the Camino de Santiago. It was, she says, "the hardest thing I ever did, but also the most magical and miraculous." That willingness to push past fear in pursuit of something transformative sits at the center of everything Linda does, whether she's trekking through the mountains of northern Spain or guiding writers toward their first completed novel. An award-winning author of more than 25 books for children and teens, Linda holds an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College and has spent 30 years teaching writers at every level, including the One Course Summer Institute at Cornell College.
This June, Linda brings that adventurous spirit to Sunshine, Blue Sky, and Firefly Nights: Writing a Middle Grade Novel Set in the Summertime, a 6-week online workshop at WritingWorkshops.com, the official education partner of Electric Literature. Through close readings of acclaimed summer novels by Kate DiCamillo and Dan Gemeinhart, craft lessons on pacing, voice, and conflict, and individualized feedback on your pages, you'll generate at least 20 polished pages of your own middle grade novel. You'll learn to capture the wide-open freedom that makes summer the perfect backdrop for stories about kids discovering who they really are. And you'll do it alongside a teacher whose vibe she describes, with characteristic warmth, as "empathetic, caring, silly/fun, adventurous/brave, curious, hard-working, and open."
Here is our Meet the Teaching Artist Interview with Linda:
Writing Workshops: Hi, Linda. Please introduce yourself to our audience.
Linda Oatman High: I'm an author/journalist/playwright/screenwriter who has written more than 25 books for children and teens, with many of my books winning awards and honors. I hold an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adult from Vermont College, and I teach both nationally and internationally. I love travel, concerts, and playing bass guitar. www.lindahigh.com
Writing Workshops: What made you want to teach this specific class? Is it something you are focusing on in your own writing practice? Have you noticed a need to focus on this element of craft?
Linda Oatman High: I love middle grade novels set in the sweet space of summer, and I've written several of them myself. I believe that kids love reading stories set in the summer just as much as they love BEING in the summer.
Writing Workshops: Give us a breakdown of how the course is going to go. What can the students expect? What is your favorite part about this class you've dreamed up?
Linda Oatman High: We will learn the nuts of bolts of writing a novel, with craft lessons on pacing, plot, setting, characters, voice, conflict, resolution, etc. and we will critique one another's work, growing as writers. My favorite part about this class is the fact that it's about summertime books, and we'll be meeting in the . . . summertime! I also love the connections made between those in the class.
"I believe that kids love reading stories set in the summer just as much as they love BEING in the summer."
Writing Workshops: Who was your first literary crush?
Linda Oatman High: John Updike! My dad always talked about how he'd grown up and lived close to us. He bought me a copy of Rabbit, Run when I was really too young to be reading it, but I loved that.
Writing Workshops: What are you currently reading?
Linda Oatman High: I'm currently reading Lauren Kessler's Everything Changes Everything, about her pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago in Spain. I completed the pilgrimage, walking more than 600 miles, during April, May, and June of 2025. It was the hardest thing I ever did, but also the most magical and miraculous.
Writing Workshops: How do you choose what you're working on? When do you know it is the next thing you want to write all the way to THE END?
Linda Oatman High: I work on several things at once, and it's just always been the best way for me to work. I'm currently writing an adult novel, a YA, and a screenplay.
Writing Workshops: Where do you find inspiration?
Linda Oatman High: Inspiration is everywhere, all around us, every day: overheard conversations, observations, movies, books, music.
Ready to capture the magic of summer in your middle grade novel? Join Linda for six weeks of craft lessons, close reading, and hands-on writing.
Enroll in Sunshine, Blue Sky, and Firefly Nights →Writing Workshops: What is the best piece of writing wisdom you've received that you can pass along to our readers? How did it impact your work?
Linda Oatman High: One of my advisors in the MFA program at Vermont College — Louise Hawes — advised me to write about what scares me. Great advice! It stuck with me, as I'm a big believer in DOING what scares me in daily life. Walking the Camino terrified me when it was in the planning stages, but I pushed past the fear and just DID IT. Same with writing. We need to push past doubt and fear and anxiety, and just DO IT.
"One of my advisors in the MFA program at Vermont College — Louise Hawes — advised me to write about what scares me. Great advice! It stuck with me, as I'm a big believer in DOING what scares me in daily life. Walking the Camino terrified me when it was in the planning stages, but I pushed past the fear and just DID IT. Same with writing."
Writing Workshops: What is the worst piece of writing advice you've received, read, or heard? Why is this something you push against in your own writing practice?
Linda Oatman High: The worst writing advice I've ever received is to set hours every day and always write at the same time. I push against that because my life is extraordinarily varied and busy, and that would NEVER work for me.
Writing Workshops: What is your favorite book to recommend on the craft of writing? Why this book?
Linda Oatman High: I love Natalie Goldberg's Writing Down the Bones because it's full of down-to-earth and doable tips and advice.
Writing Workshops: Bonus question: What's your teaching vibe?
Linda Oatman High: My teaching vibe is like my daily-life vibe: empathetic, caring, silly/fun, adventurous/brave, curious, hard-working, and open.
Write Your Summer Story with Linda
Linda's philosophy is clear: push past fear, stay open to the world around you, and trust that the magic will come. That's the spirit she brings to every workshop, and it's exactly what middle grade fiction set in summertime demands. If you've been sitting on an idea for a middle grade novel, or if you have a draft that needs new energy and direction, this six-week course is your chance to make real progress with an instructor who has spent three decades helping writers find their voice. Linda will provide feedback on your pages, guide you through the craft essentials, and create a classroom where connection and curiosity come first.
Sunshine, Blue Sky, and Firefly Nights begins Wednesday, June 10, 2026. Come write the middle grade summer novel you've been dreaming about.
Save Your Seat in Sunshine, Blue Sky, and Firefly Nights →WritingWorkshops.com is an independent, artist-run creative writing school and the official education partner of Electric Literature. Since 2016, we've helped writers strengthen their voice, develop a greater understanding of craft, and forge a path to publication.
