Children’s Novel Workshop


Work ONE-to-ONE with a developmental editor in SIX 30-minute Zoom meetings over a span of TEN weeks to develop the story arc of your children’s chapter book, middle grade novel, or young adult novel and your first chapter. If you are writing a verse novel, send me the first 5 poems in your book as your “first” chapter. ($399 USD) Click here to enroll .

10-week Workshop

Q. Why does a SIX module workshop last TEN weeks?
A. Busy schedules! If there aren’t any holidays or schedule conflicts, you can complete the modules in six weeks. On the other hand, if you need more time, I’ve added 4 extra weeks just in case.

Q. How long will you have access to the private site?
A. You will have access to the private site for a full calendar YEAR after your last Zoom session.


  • Are you writing an early chapter book?
  • Are you writing a middle grade novel?
  • Are you writing a young adult novel?

There are lessons on the private site for each age group: chapter books for ages 6-9, middle grade books for ages 8-12, and young adult books for ages 12+. Reading examples from each age group will help you decide which age is best for your story.


After you sign up for our first 30-minute meeting, the calendar app will send you:

  • A confirmation email with the Zoom meeting code
  • An instructions email with the login to the private workshop site

After you log in to the private Children’s Novel Workshop site, you will see 59 lessons to guide you as you work through the SIX “novel overview and first chapter critique” modules. There are also 20 more lessons in the 3 BONUS “revision” modules for a total of 79 lessons.

After your first login, I will also send you:

  • an “Invitation to collaborate” email from a Google Drive folder (with your name and the date as the folder name). The assignments for all 6 modules will be in this shared folder in the cloud.

The first four modules of the Children’s Novel Workshop will help you develop the story arc of your early chapter book, middle grade book, or young adult novel. That will help you write and revise that all-important first chapter in the last two modules.

The day before we meet to talk about module 5, upload your FIRST chapter one draft for a “Big Picture” (ideas, organization and voice) critique. For a verse novel, upload the first 5 poems in your book.

After you revise, the day before we meet to talk about module 6, upload your NEXT chapter one draft for a “small details” (word choice, sentence fluency and conventions) critique, also known as a line edit.


Have you ever heard of the British term, skeleton draft? The Collins English Dictionary defines it as “a basic or minimum draft or outline”. That’s the goal for the first four weeks of this workshop – creating a brief overview of the key moments in your story arc.

I do NOT expect you to write your entire novel in four weeks! This is a “novel overview and first chapter critique” workshop.


The Six Traits of Writing:

I use the six traits of writing when I write and when I critique. (I learned the hard way that without my six traits checklist, there are simply too many decisions to make and trying to figure out WHERE to start can lead to NOT starting at all.) So I begin at the beginning of the list and move forward one step at a time.

  1. Ideas
  2. Organization
  3. Voice
  4. Word Choice
  5. Sentence Fluency
  6. Conventions (grammar, spelling, and punctuation)

The six traits of writing also guide the flow of this workshop.


Children’s Novel Workshop Syllabus:

Module 1

  • Module 1 Ideas: Begin reading chapter books, middle grade novels, or young adult novels like yours as you capture your book ideas in ZERO draft by free writing for 25 minutes or more.
  • Assignment 1: Write down your goals for this book and begin writing your ZERO draft.

Module 2

  • Module 2 Ideas: Explore children’s chapter books, middle grade novels, and young adult novels to see where your character fits best as you continue to free write.
  • Assignment 2: Find 3 NEW children’s novels to use as comps.

Module 3

  • Module 3 Organization: Study classic story design and story arcs while you write your FIRST draft.
  • Assignment 3: Identify the theme, the unifying or dominant idea, of your story.

Module 4

  • Module 4 Organization: Study more story arcs that show your character’s transformation as you write your FIRST draft.
  • Assignment 4: Select a story arc for your book.

Module 5

  • Module 5 Voice: Choose a voice (first, second, or third person) to use in your FIRST draft.
  • Assignment 5: Select a voice for your book, make a story ladder, and upload the FIRST draft of your FIRST chapter for a BIG Picture (ideas, organization, and voice) edit during our meeting.

Module 6

  • Module 6 Word Choice, Sentence Fluency, & Conventions: Check your story arc and begin your NEXT draft.
  • Assignment 6: Write your NEXT chapter one draft and upload it for a line edit during our meeting.

During our 30-minute meetings, I’ll be making notes of our discussion on the assignment you uploaded in our shared Google Drive.


Workshop meetings take place during my office hours: Wednesday-Saturday between 9:00-11:30am and 1:30-4:00pm (Pacific Time).

You will schedule a 30-minute meeting for each of your SIX assignments using a calendar app. To enroll this TEN week workshop, schedule your first 30-minute Zoom meeting here.

At the end of our first meeting, I will send you the “next meeting” calendar link so you can sign up for the times that work best for you. You can sign up for the same date and time each week for modules 2-6, or you can vary the dates and time according to your schedule.

If something comes up and you need to change your session time, just use the Reschedule button at the bottom of your Zoom confirmation email for that session. The calendar app will send both of us the new time and Zoom link for that module.


Q. How long will you have access to the private site?
A. You will have access to the private site for a full calendar year after your last Zoom session.

After you complete the workshop, if you sign up for a chapter critique ($119 USD), your access to the private site will be extended. Some writers check in with a new chapter once a month while others check in with a new chapter biweekly. It’s up to you!

As you’re writing, your story arc WILL change — mine always does! You’ll discover new aspects of your characters and new threads to weave throughout the book. And that’s a good thing! A fully-developed story with well-rounded characters is what editors want to see — and that takes time to create! Let your story grow as you write day by day. Then come back and see me.

You can write your entire novel and take the workshop again to check the story arc of your entire book and make sure chapter one sets up the midpoint and the final battle.


TERMS: By enrolling, you agree to respect the copyright of this workshop and not distribute any materials to others. If you sign up for a workshop and need to cancel *before* you log in to the private workshop site, please be advised that I charge a $20 handling fee for cancellations. After you log in to the private workshop site, fees are NOT REFUNDABLE. If you are unable to meet at the time you selected, please click on the Reschedule button in the reminder email and choose another time. Thanks.


At the end of your session, you’ll have an overview of your children’s novel and an edited draft of the first chapter — and if you can’t write a children’s book chapter during your session, then you can’t. As it says at the top of the critique page, my job is to help you see what you already have – in your imagination and on the page. I’m not going to force you to write your book or give you a failing grade if you can’t finish.

“You’re on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who’ll decide where to go…” — Dr. Seuss


If you’re not sure if your idea can become a children’s novel, download a copy of this free e-book, Write Your Next Children’s Book Without Writer’s Block and write a ZERO draft first. Then sign up.


I look forward to working with you to develop your children’s novel!

Still have questions? After you read the Workshop FAQ, email me.

Copyright © 2024 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.