Resources for Writers

Meeg's Recommended Links for Writers

Welcome, fellow writers! I have a feeling you may be visiting this page because you're a lot like me—writing stories as soon as you learned to hold a pencil and never stopping since! Close? I want to encourage you to keep writing, keep reading, keep revising, keep learning the craft & business of the writing life.

I have a feeling you also may be interested in writing children's books. If you're also like me when I was moving into the world of children's publishing, you will quickly learn that even if you love & know how to write, the craft of children's book writing takes a lot of time & study to do well.

Just below are some links to places I love for writers of all ages to keep learning our craft and our business—and below that you'll find info on the classes & workshops I teach for writers (grownup ones; for kids I do author visits), as well as articles & interviews where I talk about my own writing process & craft.

For Children's Book Writers

SCBWI (The Society for Children's Book Writers & Illustrators): The best place to begin for every aspiring children's book writer!

The Writing Barn: Wonderful online workshops, classes & community

The Highlights Foundation: Idyllic retreat & online courses for children's book writers

I Wrote a Children's Book, Now What?: A great resource doc from author/illustrator Katy Tanis.

UCSD Extension Certificate in Children's Book Writing: Online & live courses; also check out individual children's writing courses at UCLA, UC Berkeley & UC Riverside.

We Need Diverse Books: Resources, support, and mentorship for children's book writers from marginalized communtities.

12X12 Picture Book Challenge: Supportive online community for picture book writers.

Picture Book Summit: An online conference for picture book writers.

The Purple Crayon: A kidlit editor's compilation of articles about writing and publishing children's books.

Latinx in Publishing: Resources, support, and mentorship for Latinx authors and those aspiring to work in publishing.

Dear Editor: A kidlit editor answers questions about getting published.

For nonfiction kidlit writing specifically:

For Young Writers

Brave Writer: High-quality, holistic online writing classes for kids & teens (especially homeschoolers)

The Writing Barn Youth Programs: Online workshops, book launches & semester-long youth writing program

“Let’s put it this way: if you are a novelist, I think you start out with a 20 word idea, and you work at it and you wind up with a 200,000 word novel. We, picture-book people, or at least I, start out with 200,000 words and I reduce it to 20.”

- Eric Carle

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Meeg's Classes & Workshops for Writers

I love teaching about writing & publishing children's nonfiction books, and I'm grateful to be able to teach with wonderful organizations like SCBWI and The Writing Barn. Please subscribe to my newsletter below to get word about my upcoming classes!

If you're looking for a speaker for your SCBWI chapter or other kidlit writing group, these are my current presentation topics (one to two hours, can be adjusted to your time needs):

Risky Nonfiction: Using Creativity & Courage to Write Nonfiction Picture Books That Sell

In today’s highly competitive trade nonfiction picture book market, how can we write stories that stand out and sell? By getting risky! (In other words: innovative, edgy, brave...) In this craft workshop, author Meeg Pincus shares how she’s gotten risky with her own award-winning trade nonfiction picture books, plus mentor text examples and strategies for risking wisely to write true stories that editors & agents want to acquire. (Writing/Craft Workshop, Level: Intermediate)

Writing Picture Books Like a Playwright: Have you ever thought of a picture book as being like a little stage play for kids? Author Meeg Pincus does! She grew up writing stories and performing in live theatre—and she now combines the two crafts in her approach to authoring her award-winning picture books. In this engaging and strategy-packed workshop, Meeg explains how she came to see picture book writing like writing for the stage—and how you can also use this craft approach to shine a spotlight on your stories and get maximum applause (er, acquisitions!). (Writing/Craft Workshop, Level: Intermediate)

Nonfiction Children's Books 101: The Five W's of Writing & Selling True Stories for Kids

What do you need to know to get started writing & selling nonfiction children's books? This 101 workshop offers an overview of the children's nonfiction market (trade vs. school/library publishers) and how to prepare yourself to jump into it. Former journalist and award-winning author of 26 nonfiction picture books, Meeg Pincus aims to demystify the nonfiction children's book market and submission process, covering the who, what, where, when, why—and how! (Market/Sub Workshop, Level: Beginner)

"Meeg cares deeply about writing for children. And also about her students' potential to produce their best work. I have attended several of her talks and, after taking her non-fiction writing workshops, she inspired me to give writing non-fiction a try.

Meeg's an exceptional communicator. She's also very organized and more than pleased to share her experience and knowledge of the children's publishing industry. Meeg is an excellent writer--read some of her books and you'll see just how good she is! As a seasoned author she knows a thing or two about how to craft a children's book that sells.

If you're looking for a teacher who will inspire your best work, Meeg is it!"

- Nancy Stark Lee, children's book writer/illustrator & professor of communication/children & the media