So often, agents, editors, and well-meaning critique group members provide vague feedback along the lines of “the voice on this piece doesn’t feel genuine,” or “this doesn’t strike the right tone,” without any specifics to back up their statements, as if knowledge of tone, mood, and voice is built into a writer’s DNA. This session…

In this panel discussion, we dispel two myths: that humor is insignificant because it is lighthearted, and that with humor you’ve either got it or you don’t. We discuss the craft of humor and demonstrate how to purposefully write funnier. From our experience as writers with wide knowledge of children’s/YA lit, we examine how humor…

Elevator pitches (or more commonly these days, Twitter pitches) are a way to concisely describe your book in one or two sentences. But what’s the best summary? The plot, the story, the theme? Hashtag kill me now! Come create an elevator pitch that is based on solid literary principles.