Tell Your Story: Novels

Novels are an exciting genre in children’s literature, whether they are middle grade (ages 8-13) or  young adult (ages 13 and up.) There are seemingly endless novel categories, too: novels in verse, contemporary, horror, fantasy, historical fiction, mystery and narrative nonfiction.

Whatever your novel interest, we’ve got resources and workshops to help you begin, revise, plot, outline, receive feedback, develop characters and more.

No matter where you are on your journey, we’re glad you’re here.  We can give you the skills you need to create the very best novel for kids and teens.

Novel Workshops

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Explore Our Novel Workshops

Inspiring Children Through Story

“My picture book … deals with parents separating. One little boy, who parents recently divorced, went to bed with [it] many nights. This deeply moved me to know this picture book helped this little boy.”

“I tutor 2nd grade reluctant readers. My understanding of picture book structure and prose allows me to help them learn more than words. Rather than just read the story, we talk about it.”

“You mean I get to keep this book forever?”

…Spoken by a child in tears who was gifted with one of my books at a school visit and had never owned a book before.

“When I hear kids giggle while I’m reading [my book] I feel like I’ve done the job I intended to do.“

Novel Resources

Diana Murry
Visual Outlining

by Chris Tebbetts

Alisa Alering
5 Common World Building Mistakes

by Alisa Alering

Donna Janell Bowman
Perfectly Plotted

by Padma Venkatraman

Jennifer Gennari
Learning to Love Line Editing

By Jennifer Gennari

Don Tate
Imagining an Image System for Your novel in verse

by Cordelia Jensen

Miranda Paul
Lights, Camera, ACTION: The Importance of Starting in a Scene

by Kat Brzozowski

Look at Your Manuscript: How Well is the Form Serving the Story?

Look at Your Manuscript: How Well is the Form Serving the Story?

As Simple As Possible: Three Ways To Tighten Your Prose

As Simple As Possible: Three Ways To Tighten Your Prose

Who, What, Where, and Usually Why: Revising Scenes

Who, What, Where, and Usually Why: Revising Scenes

Padma Venkatraman on Plot, One of the Hardest Aspects of Writing a Novel

Padma Venkatraman on Plot, One of the Hardest Aspects of Writing a Novel

See All Novel Blogs from Our Faculty

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Stories from Our Highlights Foundation Alumni

Rebecca Kai Dotlich on Loving Words and Writing Poetry for Children

Rebecca Kai Dotlich on Loving Words and Writing Poetry for Children

Jennifer Jacobson and An Na Talk About Fear and the Creative Process

Jennifer Jacobson and An Na Talk About Fear and the Creative Process

Scholarship Thanks: Exactly Where I Was Supposed to Be

Scholarship Thanks: Exactly Where I Was Supposed to Be

Jennifer Jacobson and Ruth Behar About How Each Genre Requires a Different Creative Process

Jennifer Jacobson and Ruth Behar About How Each Genre Requires a Different Creative Process

See All Stories from Highlights Foundation Alumni

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The Highlights Foundation positively impacts children by amplifying the voices of storytellers who inform, educate, and inspire children to become their best selves.  Learn more about our impact.

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