Begins Thursday, August 6, 2026

Class will meet weekly via Zoom on Thursdays, 6:00 PM – 7:30 PM ET

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Instructor Bio

Instructor Eric Bell (he/him) is the author of ALAN COLE IS NOT A COWARD (Katherine Tegen Books/HarperCollins) and ALAN COLE DOESN'T DANCE (Katherine Tegen Books/HarperCollins), two middle grade novels about a gay seventh grade boy dealing with bullies, crushes, the power of art, and coming out. The books were nominated to the Rainbow Book List for LGBTQ Books for Children and Teens and have been translated into multiple languages. Eric is also featured in the queer middle grade short story anthology THIS IS OUR RAINBOW: 16 STORIES OF HER, HIM, THEM, AND US (Knopf). Eric has taught courses on writing children's books through the Highlights Foundation, Blue Stoop, Murphy Writing, and other places. He is a packet exchange instructor at Drexel University's Low-Residency MFA in Creative Writing program. Eric has also run numerous virtual workshops and writing groups. Eric's teaching philosophy is about meeting students where they are in the process and helping them bring out their natural storytelling voice.

Who is this class for?

This online writing workshop is ideal for writers who want to learn the craft of writing a children's book, with instruction spanning every age category of kidlit — from picture books through young adult novels. It is open to All Levels, whether you are sketching your very first picture book idea or revising a YA manuscript in progress.

What to expect:

Writing a children's book might look easy on the surface, but worlds of craft and care lie beneath those "simpler" stories. Over eight weeks together on Zoom, you'll explore the complexities of capturing the voice of a young person: their dreams, fears, and hopes. Eric will guide you through the distinct age categories of kidlit — picture books, early readers, chapter books, middle grade, and young adult — and how to tailor your writing to each level.

Each session pairs craft discussion with generative writing exercises designed to put the day's lessons into practice. Across the eight weeks you'll move from the building blocks of character, plot, and point of view through setting, pacing, and voice, and finish with a grounded look at the children's publishing industry. You'll read excerpts from modern kidlit by acclaimed authors like Jerry Craft, Adib Khorram, Maribeth Boelts, Darcie Little Badger, Derrick Barnes, and more, and analyze what makes each example work. Eric's teaching style is warm, supportive, and rooted in helping each writer trust their natural voice.

This creative writing workshop offers a welcoming community for kidlit writers at every stage. Whether you're brand-new to children's writing or already deep into a manuscript, you'll come away with a firmer grasp of craft, a richer reading life in the genre, and concrete suggestions for your own work.

What are the writing goals?

In this course, students will develop the framework for the plot of a children's book and/or build out an outline for at least one character. Writers who arrive with existing projects will leave with fresh ideas about where to take their work next. Eric will give positive, encouraging oral feedback on student writing shared during class, and peer feedback is also part of the workshop culture.

Readings

Readings may include (and may not be limited to) excerpts from:

• THOSE SHOES by Maribeth Boelts
• ELATSOE by Darcie Little Badger
• NEW KID by Jerry Craft
• GARCIA AND COLETTE GO EXPLORING by Hannah Barnaby
• SEE THE CAT: THREE STORIES ABOUT A DOG by David LaRochelle
• A SEA OF LEMON TREES: THE CORRIDO OF ROBERTO ALVAREZ by María Dolores Águila
• THE INCREDIBLY HUMAN HENSON BLAYZE by Derrick Barnes
• THE ROMANTIC TRAGEDIES OF A DRAMA KING by Harry Trevaldwyn
• SUNDUST by Zeke Peña
• CITY OF THE UNCOMMON THIEF by Lynne Bertrand

Excerpts can be found on each book's Amazon page. No book purchases are required for this course.

COURSE OUTLINE

Week 1: Introduction to Kidlit

• Discussion: What makes a good children's novel? How is it different from an adult novel?
• Age categories in kidlit — picture books, early readers, chapter books, middle grade, and young adult, with examples of each
• The importance of reading modern kidlit

Week 2: Character

• Discussion: How a kidlit protagonist has different wants and needs than an adult protagonist
• Moving beyond the bully archetype for antagonists
• Eric's method for coming up with characters
• Prompt: "Building out" your characters
• Prompt: Putting your character sketches in a room together

Week 3: Plot

• Three-act structure: how it works and what it looks like in a children's book
• "Rule of three" repetition for picture books
• Charting your story; stakes
• Prompt: Making life complicated for the characters you've come up with

Week 4: Point of View

• First and third, past and present
• Close POV vs. distant POV
• Discussion: When to break POV
• Differences in POV from older kidlit vs. modern kidlit
• Prompt: Rewriting something in a different POV or tense

Week 5: Setting

• The where and the when of a story
• Discussion: A vivid setting for young people vs. grownups
• Prompt: Five senses
• Worldbuilding: Creating an imagined world
• Prompt: Building out from a carefully chosen detail

Week 6: Pacing

• Fast, medium, and slow — what each looks like
• Discussion: Why "slow-paced" isn't necessarily a bad thing
• How pacing in a picture book can affect how it's read aloud
• Prompt: Modulating sentence structure and tone to achieve different paces

Week 7: Voice

• Culmination of all lessons so far
• Rhythm, sentence structure, tone, diction
• Prompt: How to "pretend to be young" and sound like an actual young person

Week 8: The Industry

• Nuts-and-bolts overview of the children's publishing industry
• Querying, and working with an agent and editor
• Finances (or lack thereof)
• Traditional vs. self-publishing

COURSE TAKEAWAYS:

• Identify the writing techniques that go into making great children's literature
• Differentiate between the age categories of children's books — picture books through young adult
• Apply kidlit craft techniques to your own writing
• Improve your craft through reading modern children's books
• Deliver feedback to fellow writers in a supportive and constructive way
• Trust your natural writing voice

PAYMENT OPTIONS:

Tuition is $545 USD. You can pay for the course in full or use Shop Pay or Affirm to pay over time with equal Monthly Payments. Both options are available at checkout.

ONLINE COURSE STRUCTURE:

• Instructor: Eric Bell
• Begins Thursday, August 6, 2026
• Class will meet weekly via Zoom on Thursdays, 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM ET
• Tuition is $545 USD.