Begins Wednesday, June 10, 2026

Class will meet weekly via Zoom on Wednesdays, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM ET

🌍 Class Times by Time Zone: Los Angeles (PT): 7:00 AM – 9:00 AM / Chicago (CT): 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM / New York (ET): 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM / London (BST): 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM / Berlin (CEST): 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM

Any questions about this class? Use the Chat Button to talk with us.

Instructor Bio

Instructor Linda Oatman High is an award-winning author of more than 25 books for children and teens, with many of her books winning awards and honors. She holds an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College and teaches both nationally and internationally. With 30 years of teaching experience—including the One Course Summer Institute creative writing course at Cornell College—Linda brings deep expertise in guiding writers at every level. Her newest book is the middle-grade novel Somebody's Someone, published in 2025, and she has an upcoming middle-grade novel titled First There Was Bird, to be published on August 4, 2026.

Meet the Teaching Artist: 

Linda Oatman High on Writing Middle Grade Novels Set in the Magic of Summer

Who is this class for?

This course is for all middle-grade writers who wish to connect with the pre-teen, innocent magic of summertime. Whether you're starting a new novel or developing a work-in-progress, this online writing class welcomes writers at all levels who want to craft stories for readers ages 8–13.

What to expect:

Summertime is magic for middle grade fiction—long days, firefly nights, and the wide-open freedom that lets characters grow, take risks, and discover who they really are. In this 6-week writing workshop, you'll learn to craft a middle-grade novel set in the sweet, liminal space of summer, whether your story leans toward realism, mystery, fantasy, or magic. You'll cover the essentials—setting, character, voice, plot, conflict, inciting incident, and pacing—while studying successful summer-set middle grades and generating at least 20 polished pages of your own novel.

Each week in this online writing class, you'll explore a core element of novel craft through discussion, close reading, and hands-on writing. You'll study two acclaimed summer-set middle grade novels—Beverly Right Here by Kate DiCamillo and The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise by Dan Gemeinhart—to see how master storytellers capture the wide-open freedom of days and nights spent outdoors and the ways that kids grow in the summertime.

Linda Oatman High will provide feedback and critique on students' submitted writings throughout the course, helping you refine your pages and strengthen your storytelling. This creative writing workshop is designed to give you both the craft knowledge and the dedicated writing time to make real progress on your middle grade novel.

What are the writing goals?

In this course, students will complete at least 20 revised and polished pages of a middle-grade novel. Linda Oatman High will provide feedback and critique on all submitted work, helping students advance their manuscripts with new inspiration and knowledge.

Readings

Readings for this course include:

• The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise by Dan Gemeinhart
• Beverly Right Here by Kate DiCamillo

COURSE OUTLINE

Week 1: Introductions — Discuss passions, fears, interests, and backgrounds to identify each writer's strengths.

Week 2: First Sentences and Inciting Incidents — Focus on crafting compelling openings that launch your story.

Week 3: Character Goals and Voice — Develop authentic characters and find the voice that carries your novel.

Week 4: Setting and Advancing Plot — Build your summer world and move your story forward.

Week 5: Rising Tension and Increasing Conflict — Raise the stakes and deepen your narrative drive.

Week 6: Revision and Polish — Refine your pages into polished, submission-ready prose.

COURSE TAKEAWAYS:

• How to advance plot through pacing in a middle grade novel
• Techniques for creating authentic dialogue for middle grade characters
• Strategies for writing prose that feels like poetry
• At least 20 pages of revised and polished middle grade fiction
• A deeper understanding of the nuts and bolts of novel writing—setting, characterization, plot, conflict, resolution, voice, and inciting incident
• New inspiration and knowledge to advance your work-in-progress

PAYMENT OPTIONS:

Tuition is $445 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: Linda Oatman High
• Begins Wednesday, June 10, 2026
• Class will meet weekly via Zoom on Wednesdays, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM ET
• Tuition is $445 USD.