Looking to help your young writer, but don't know where to start?
Finally, A Safe, Encouraging Learning Environment To Foster Your Child's Love Of Writing
There are music lessons and sports clubs — now your child can be part of an interactive, online writing community to help bring their words to life.
We've all been impacted by words.
Whether we've been inspired by someone's life story or gotten lost in a world beyond our imagination, words have phenomenal power.
Your young writer could be someone who reaches the hearts of others, impacts lives and inspires the next generation.
The key is to start young, and stick with it.
Just like any other skill, writing requires dedication and consistency to master — Rome wasn't built in a day!
But writers, especially young writers, often have no place to learn, practice and improve their skills outside of school.
Unfortunately, school curriculums aren't designed to help young writers nurture their creativity and work on their own projects.
And unlike other hobbies, sports and passions, there aren't many outlets to help your child follow their writing dreams.
That's why we created The Young Writer's Workshop — a safe, encouraging community for young writers in their teens and early twenties.
Here's a sample of what our students have accomplished:
Meet Your Child's New Writing Instructors
Brett Harris
Bestselling author of Do Hard Things
Jaquelle Ferris
Bestselling author of This Changes Everything
Millie Florence
Author of Beyond Mulberry Glen
Anna Rose Johnson
Author of The Star That Always Stays (an NPR Best Book of 2022)
Josiah DeGraaf
Program Director of the Young Writer's Workshop
Kara Swanson
Award-winning author of Dust and Ignite
Rachel Scheller
Community Manager of the Young Writer's Workshop
What's Inside The Workshop
Bite-Size Lessons
A weekly dose of inspiration and guidance.
Private Community
Safe place to connect with like-minded writers.
Writing Challenges
Word sprints, write-ins, and fun competitions.
Live Office Hours
Get support directly from their instructors.
Small Groups
Share writing and hold each other accountable.
Author Interviews
Inspiring interviews with published authors.
Editing & Feedback
Get helpful feedback on their writing.
WriterScore+
Personalized assessment to track their progress.
What Your Child Will Learn
The Young Writer's Workshop is designed to help your child pursue excellence in their writing and cultivate marketable (and portable) skills that will serve them for the rest of their lives.
They will learn how to:
- Write with passion and develop their skills in every aspect of writing life
- Gain the confidence, consistency and motivation to stick with projects such as finishing a short story or novel
- Engage others to support their craft and share their vision (e.g. by creating a blog, email list, or website)
- Become more discerning as they learn to evaluate the written word
- Give and receive criticism humbly
- Understand the business and career side of writing as well as how to earn money with their writing
What They Will Learn
The Young Writer's Workshop is designed to encourage your child to pursue excellence in their writing and cultivate marketable (and portable) skills.
They will learn how to:
- Write with passion and develop their skills in every aspect of writing life
- Gain the confidence, consistency and motivation to stick with projects such as finishing a short story or novel
- Engage others to support their craft and share their vision (e.g. by creating a blog, email list, or website)
- Become more discerning as they learn to evaluate the written word
- Give and receive criticism humbly
- Understand the business and career side of writing as well as how to earn money with their writing
Monthly Courses
Each month, we teach students a new writing skill or habit, providing them with in-depth instruction, opportunities to get their writing questions answered, and rewards for finishing their work.
What a Typical Month Looks Like
Week One: In-Depth Lesson
One of our instructors provides direct instruction on the specific skill or habit we're teaching that month.
Week Two: Expert Interview
We interview an expert in the field about the topic we're covering. Past experts include publisher & literary agent Steve Laube, author Paul Miller, writing consultant Caleb Breakey, and more!
Week Three: Live Training + Q&A
We continue our direct instruction for the month and then spend an hour answering student questions in a live class.
Week Four: Implementation Exercises
We give students practical homework exercises they can do to demonstrate mastery. Every student who does all the work for the month receives a community badge.
Some Past Courses We've Taught
The Content Library
The content library is a wealth of valuable, bite-sized lessons and mini-courses to help young writers along the success path we've developed with 30 years combined experience in the world of writing and publishing.
Becoming an effective writer is far more than just learning how to write. That's why we focus on helping your child grow in ten important domains.
Our content library includes conversations with authors like:
Andrew Peterson
Musician and author of The Wingfeather Saga.
S.D. Smith
Award-winning author of The Green Ember Series.
Tricia Goyer
Award-winning author of 80+ novels.
Christopher Paolini
NYT-bestselling author of Eragon
Steve Laube
Literary agent and publisher of Enclave Publishing.
Marvin Olasky
Previous editor-in-chief of WORLD magazine.
Trillia Newbell
Children's book author of God's Very Good Idea.
K.M. Weiland
Award-winning author of Outlining Your Novel
Chuck Black
Author of the popular Kingdom Series.
Tosca Lee
NYT-bestselling author of The Line Between & Iscariot
Bryan Davis
Author of the popular series, Dragons In Our Midst.
Tamera Alexander
USA Today bestselling author of historical novels.
The YWW Community
Our community is the heartbeat of YWW, where your child will receive support from their instructors, participate in fun writing challenges and competitions, and connect with other young writers going on the same journey as them.
A Space For Everything Divided into spaces, students will be able to find information easily and ask questions in the best places such as Blogging, Poetry, Fiction Plot & Structure, and so much more.
Access To Instructors In the "Ask an Instructor" space students can ask questions 24/7 and are guaranteed an answer by at least one instructor — as well as helpful input from more advanced students.
Safe Learning Environment We have an amazing team of Community Assistants and a Community Manager (as well as thorough guidelines) to make sure everyone stays safe and has fun.
Word Sprints & Games The Community has regular friendly competitions, challenges, and group writing sessions to help everyone achieve their writing goals and be productive together.
Fellowships & Groups Students will have the opportunity to join student-led accountability and writing critique groups to improve their writing in a small-group setting.
Feedback & Editing We also have a space dedicated to sharing and giving feedback on writing so your student can always get the help they’re looking for — whether on a poem or a school paper.
Some of the friendly faces waiting to welcome your child to YWW.
Bonus Upgrade: The Academic Track
YWW Academic is designed to build on top of YWW Standard, taking the teaching content from the library and the various things you can do across the community and turning them into a structured curriculum.
It's perfect for students who would benefit from more structure, accountability, and deadlines to take full advantage of what YWW offers — as well as homeschool students who would like to earn credit for their writing activities.
Your student will get everything in YWW Standard — PLUS an assigned Teaching Assistant, weekly assignments, time sheets to track their writing and more!
"I’ve gone from writing a couple hundred words fairly often to writing in the thousands of words daily because of Academic."
Sarah Abegglen
"YWW Academic is by far the best high school writing course I’ve ever taken. The assignments weren’t pointless or boring; I wasn’t forced to write about subjects that didn’t matter to me. Instead, the course felt exciting, and because I had my own TA, it was tailored to me!"
Natalie Davis
There is no better place than The Young Writer's Workshop to help your young writer to pursue their writing dreams.
With your child's membership, they'll get access to:
- Everything they need to support, learn and improve their writing
- A safe community full of other young writers going on the same journey
- Expert feedback, advice and guidance, as well as peer mentorship and feedback on their work
- Opportunities to get published, launch a writing career, and make money with their writing
Here's what parents have to say about The Young Writer's Workshop:
"This was the best decision we made last year. It's been a terrific online space for my teen: full of other creative teens, honoring to the Lord, and without the pettiness and vitriol so common on major social media platforms."
Betsy Farquhar, Managing Editor of the Redeemed Reader
"Our daughter has grown exponentially because of YWW! Writing now consumes most of her thoughts. She is just weeks away from finishing her first novel at 12 years old!"
Jamie Gerow
"YWW teaches more than writing. It teaches healthy mindsets, life patterns and even business approaches. It hands them many of the tools they need wherever they go. I’ve been impressed, but this was far more than I expected."
Verity Sandahl
"It has been positive for my son to interact with other Christian young people who also have a passion for writing. There is a great peace of mind in knowing that my son is being encouraged and developed as a Christian writer while in a safe environment."
Timothy Benefield
What Does YWW Cost?
Most young writers don't realize how much their parents spend on their activities.
(And all the parents say... "Amen!!")
So let's review a few numbers...
Music lessons? At least $80 per month — probably more.
Dance classes? At least $60 per month — probably more.
Sports? Really varies, but easily $70 per month during the season.
And these costs don't include expenses for instruments, pointe shoes, sports equipment, and gas for driving to lessons/practices.
The Young Writer's Workshop? Only $47 per month.
(Or only $40 per month if you pay annually.)
That's only a fraction of what you'd pay for other writing programs.
There's no long-term contract and you can cancel anytime in just a few clicks.
In the meantime, you're making an investment into your child's future.
Writing is more than just a passion, or a hobby.
It has the potential to become your child's career. Authors, freelancers, teachers, editors, journalists — even if they don't choose a 'writing' career, written skills are valuable in ANY job.
(Sources: College Board and The National Commission on Writing)
In fact, a recent survey of American corporations and government entities found that good writing skills are vital to gaining a job and advancing in one’s place of employment.
(Sources: Stanford University, Pew Research Center, and the NAEP)
Give Them The Support They Need
LESSONS
COMMUNITY
CHALLENGES
MENTORSHIP
ENCOURAGEMENT
INSPIRATION
FEEDBACK
GUIDANCE
STANDARD
Learning community and content library
$47/month
- Bite-size lessons
- Vibrant community
- Author interviews
- Live office hours
- Writing challenges
QUESTIONS? [email protected]
ACADEMIC
Earn high school credit in creative writing
$67/month
Course Begins September 1
- Everything in Standard
- Assigned Teaching Assistant (TA)
- Weekly assignments
- Quizzes & accountability
- Regular writing schedule
- Certificate of completion
- Designed and run by an English Teacher
- 1 Creative Writing Credit (homeschool students)
QUESTIONS? [email protected]
AUTHOR
A college alternative focused on writing craft and career
$----
Contact Us For Details.
- By Application Only
- High-level training on writing craft and process
- Regular critique from published authors
- "Learn-by-doing" business and marketing training
- Career strategy and exclusive networking
QUESTIONS? [email protected]
"We were hesitant about a monthly cost, but allowed her to join. We are very glad we did!"
ALYSSA'S MOM Michelle Hubbard
"I appreciate the most that it’s a safe community. I'm thankful that the leadership intentionally helps them work through any challenges in a transparent and God honoring way."
AVA'S MOM
Hope Coulter
"This has reignited my daughter’s enthusiasm for writing again and made her believe that she can be a writer."
Jessica
Look at the difference a supportive community and expert guidance can make for young writers.
Is your family facing financial hardship?
We decided from the beginning to offer this program with a "Pay-What-You-Can" policy.
That means that we won't turn anyone away for lack of funds.
If your family is dealing with unexpected medical bills...
If you are missionaries living on support...
If you are a single mom or dad...
If you are facing long-term unemployment...
Or anything similar... we would love to let your child participate for a reduced rate, or even for free.
That said, if your family can afford the regular price, we still need to make a living too!
However, registration closes on Thursday, August 28th.
We want to focus on serving our students rather than marketing the program year-round, so we only open YWW to the public a few times per year.
That way, everyone joins together and starts together.
In order to ensure your child's spot in our program, now is the time to take action and get started.
Get your child started with our 60-Day Guarantee.
Whatever path they end up walking down, writing is a versatile skill which will serve them for the rest of their lives.
And writing is a journey, often difficult and discouraging, that isn't meant to be taken alone.
The Young Writer's Workshop is here to help, support, and guide your young writer to achieve their writing goals and follow their dreams.
And if for some reason they are disappointed with their experience, simply contact us for a full refund.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the deadline?
Registration is closing on Thursday, August 28th, at 11:59pm Eastern.
We close registration so we can focus on serving our students rather than on marketing the program.
And just like a college class, everyone joins together and starts together.
What happens after we sign up?
After purchasing YWW, you’ll be sent login details via email. Simply log in to the site to access your child's orientation and content.
Feel free to dive right in!
Then, after they complete orientation, we'll give your child access to the private YWW Community site — and we'll have some fun events and challenges planned to help them make friends and learn how to use the program.
How do we access all the materials?
All YWW content is digital, delivered through a private membership site.
When your child logs in to the site, they’ll be able to watch lessons, listen to interviews with authors, and keep track of their progress through the content.
If you sign them up for our Academic track, they will receive access to extra digital materials and their assigned Teacher's Assistant will reach out to them directly via email.
Nothing will be mailed to you, which means you get instant access to everything.
What age is YWW best for?
Our members range in age from 12 to 25 — with the majority being teenagers.
Everything about the program is designed to be age appropriate for our youngest members, while also providing private spaces for older writers to discuss heavier topics and themes in their writing.
If your child loves to write, this is most likely a perfect fit.
How safe is the community?
As safe as we can make it! The Community is only accessible to current YWW students (and students under 13 require parental permission to join).
We have in-depth guidelines to protect our students and honor parents' responsibility to choose what content they want their children exposed to.
We also have a Community Manager and a team of Community Assistants who closely monitor the Community to keep it safe and make sure the guidelines are followed.
That said, parents are strongly encouraged to read our guidelines and stay involved with their student's activities on the Community.
Does this program work for homeschooling?
Yes! In fact, we have an entire track designed for homeschool families who want to incorporate YWW into their schooling.
YWW Academic is designed and run by a high school English Teacher and provides a certificate of completion and 1 high school credit in Creative Writing for homeschooled students.
What if we can't afford this?
If you honestly can't afford this program... we won't turn you away.
What about...
Got a question we don't answer here? Shoot us a note.
No one believes in young writers as much as we do.
Our team is made up of bestselling and award-winning Christian authors, high school English teachers, and homeschooling moms.
We understand the unique challenges facing young writers and have decades of experience navigating the complex world of writing and publishing.
We are committed to provide the best writing support your family will find anywhere — all in a safe, Christian environment you can feel comfortable with.
