Final Thoughts about the Final Assignment -- Looking for Some Feedback

[Mikki S]

Hi JEM,

I've finished the beginning course of ICL, the advanced novel course, and am into my second advanced novel course.  I've also been published.

The things you've suggested are interesting, but I'm going to give you an opposing opinion.

1. Here I agree with you.  I have always thought there were more magazines listed that were geared towards parents, teachers and religious organizations, as well as those which are strictly regional, than those that are specifically for children.  And it would be good to have the Internet magazines that are acceptable as publishing credits to print editors, as there are a lot of them that are not acceptable...or so I've been told.

2.  Editorial calendars change from month to month, even those that are themed.  As an example, last summer ODYSSEY came out with a theme about the Wild Horses of America, and the due date for query was Sept. 4th.  I sent in a query and never heard a word, which I thought was odd since I've published in that magazine before.  Then about 2 months ago, I found out that the horse theme was pushed back, the due date for queries was Feb. for the May/June issue. Very unusual, since magazines usually want about 6 - 8 months between query deadline and publication, and ODYSSEY is no exception.

Not only that, but the ones that are not themed, editors change their minds/needs/wants all the time, so since the market books are published at least 9 months ahead of time, knowing what editors want in July 2009 doesn't mean squat by Feb. or March 2010.

3. The beginning ICL course is for beginning writers.  There is no question about that.  For the instructors or the administration to try to take each individual writer into account, and somehow figure out how to assess what they already know...or think they know...about writing for children would not only be an impossible task, but would require many more staff, and the tuition would go up.  Not something many people want.

What you learn in the beginning course is the foundation you need to write for children.  Writing short stories and non-fiction articles gives you the basics of writing for children...and forgive my bluntness, but being a columnist does not mean you know anything about plot, dialogue, characterization, conflct, settings, marketing, story/book analysis or any of the other myriad of information and education that you need to know to write successfully for children.

As for the advanced courses, it is only right that you have to take the beginning course before you are allowed to take either of the advanced courses. The Institute of Children's Literature has one of the best reputations for the teaching of writing of any school in the US.  Just because someone believes that they know enough to bypass the initial course and go into an advanced class does not mean that they actually DO know enough.  It would not advance the reputation of the ICL for someone to be put into one of the advanced courses and then have the instructor realize that this person should not be there, and could not write well enough, hadn't learned enough of the basics, to be submitting their work.

There are many people here, myself included, who have published and/or been in a writing field of some genre before taking the ICL beginning course.  I don't think you would find a single one who does NOT feel that what they have learned about writing for children from that course transcends everything else they thought they knew.

You have a choice of taking either the magazine course or the novel course.  It's not a matter of "skipping" one for the other, it's merely a matter of what you want to do with what you have learned so far.  Believe me...you have NOT learned all there is to know about being successful in children's writing. I've been writing and publishing for three years, and would not presume to say I know even half of what I should, and what I hope to eventually learn.

Mikki