April 16 @ 7:00 pm - April 18 @ 7:00 pm
Online
$59Overview
A Two-Night Mini Online Course
Picture books open the world of information to readers. Join children’s book author Heidi E.Y. Stemple and editor Eileen Robinson to explore the many ways to infuse emotion into your nonfiction picture book, and hook and inspire your readers. This program is a great fit if you’re looking for a short course of two, 75-minute sessions offering limited interaction with the community, but loads of information.
- Tuesday, April 16, 2024 (7pm – 8:15pm Eastern)
- Thursday, April 18, 2024 (7pm – 8:15pm Eastern)
- Webinar-style program with closed captioning available and limited interaction in the chat
- Recordings available until May 31, 2024
Why This Workshop?
Nonfiction picture books engage young readers in so many ways. They entertain and inform. They inspire and stir readers to action. They do it all by drawing in the reader with authenticity and emotion.
So what strategies can nonfiction writers use to instill this emotional impact into their work?
Join children’s book author Heidi E.Y. Stemple and editor Eileen Robinson to explore the many ways to engage readers with strong sensory details, rich language, and reader experience via your nonfiction picture books.
In this short course, writers will:
- Understand the importance of an emotional reader experience in nonfiction.
- Identify ways to analyze first drafts for opportunities to revise for tone, word choice, and author impact.
- Find the core emotion of your story, and track your reader experience with this emotion.
Feedback Expected
- None included in the course. There will be limited interaction in the chat feature of the webinar-style program.
It’s a Great Fit If…
- You are starting out as a nonfiction picture book author or author/illustrator, looking for beginning information about creating emotionally relevant nonfiction stories.
- You are a nonfiction picture book author or author/illustrator who is working on revising their work-in-progress. This course will offer considerations for your next draft.
- You are considering writing nonfiction for children and want to learn more.
- You’re looking for something short, sweet, and smart! This is not a full workshop, instead it is two, 75-minute sessions meant to engage and build your knowledge of the emotional impact of nonfiction picture books.
Tentative Agenda
At registration: You will receive a Zoom link to use each night of the course.
IF YOU CAN’T ATTEND LIVE:
If you are unable to attend either session for any reason, you’ll have access to the recordings (with closed captioning) through May 31, 2024.
Please note that if you register for the course after the start of the first session, you will not receive recordings immediately. You’ll receive both recordings after the close of the last session, usually within 24 hours.
All Times are Eastern Time.
Click on the headings below to explore the agenda in more detail.
Part One: April 16, 2024 (7pm-8:15pm Eastern)
- Emotional Impact and the Reader Experience: What do you feel?
- Strategies to define the emotion in your work
- Writing exercise
Part Two: April 18, 2024 (7pm-8:15pm Eastern)
- From First Draft to Revision
- Nonfiction analysis: word choice
- Nonfiction analysis: tone
- Writing exercise
- Q&A
How It Impacts Kids
Adding emotion to your nonfiction picture book engages readers and helps them connect with the person, events, and/or topic that you present. This short course will help you discover ways to bring emotion forward in your work.
Testimonials from Our Community
“The information was fantastic and was shared in a way that was easy to understand. Eileen and Heidi were absolutely inspiring and made me feel like I could excel in this genre. I loved it.”
“Eileen and Heidi made an awesome team. They shared their professional knowledge in a concise and informative manner. They took time to review key points and answered our questions.”
“I knew I could not attend in person but I signed up because you offered the recording. Having that option was invaluable.”
“Keep the mini courses going for those of us that can’t attend at the Highlights Foundation Campus! It helps us stay in touch and keep our skills growing!!”
Resources
- For an in-person nonfiction experience, join us at the Working Retreat for Nonfiction and Informational Fiction, with Heidi Stemple and Eileen Robinson
- 12 Nonfiction Picture Books with Emotional Resonance
- Podcast: Heidi Stemple on Birds, Back Matter and Mentor Texts
- Nonfiction Picture Books: Get it Right with Research
- Five Questions Everyone Asks About Writing Nonfiction for Kids
- Teresa Robeson: A Passion For Writing Nonfiction
