Scholastic Awards Writing Workshop, Summer 2025

For fiction categories only, including short story, flash fiction, and science fiction/fantasy! Register at hello@litspacelearning.com

Twenty hours of intensive creativity:

• This online fiction-only workshop offers 20 hours of hands-on experience during small group meetings, spread out over a four week period from June 30th to July 25th. A break between week one and week two gives students time to turn a solid idea into a first draft. With the remaining weeks, we troubleshoot, discuss, and analyze the entry, helping everyone present their most polished work.
• We review the fiction competition categories and determine which ones best suit the individual student. We will analyze award-winning entries.
• I share observations and tips from my six years as a regional and national Scholastic Writing & Art Awards judge.
• Crafting the right words is not the only ingredient for success; originality is fundamental. We discuss myriad ways to achieve a creative entry, such as subject matter, style of writing, and the structure of the piece itself.
• The teacher, professional author and competition judge, provides feedback in a clear, supportive, and encouraging way.
• Throughout the program, we learn essential writing skills, such as word selection, character development, and plotting. By the end, students will be able to revise and prepare their final submission.
• Going to miss a class or two? That’s normal and expected in the summer. Students receive weekly Zoom links within an hour of class ending!

Cost:

$1,000 includes 20 hours of instruction, plus additional weekly feedback on individual pieces. Depending on demand, we may offer free, additional blocks of time where students can gather to work on their drafts. Zoom links provide a permanent record of what students have learned.

To Register:

Option A: $300 non-refundable fee that applies toward the total will be due right away to reserve your space. One month before, the remaining payment is due.

Option B: Pay in full right now and receive an instant $50 discount. If you must cancel, a refund, minus a $300 non-refundable fee, will be returned up to one month before.

Summer 2025 Dates and Fee:

Once the roster has been confirmed, each week will have a time goal to meet, listed below. Meeting days are flexible and will be based on student availability. All meeting occur during the weekdays and class times are 9-12 PST/12-3pm EST.

June 30-July 3 (No Friday, July 4th)=8 hour goal. We will get key insights into competitive writing, select fiction categories and ideas, discuss format and strategies for writing, plotting techniques and character creation.

July 7-11^th  =2 hour goal, end of the week. Students will use this week to write their draft. This two hour session will be used to troubleshoot story problems and resolve writing dilemmas.

July 14-18=8 hour goal. We dive into finished drafts and learn editing and polishing techniques, as well as workshop each piece with the group.

July 21-25=2 hour goal, end of week. We use this time to discuss final feedback.

Important Note: In the event we decide to meet for less than 20 hours in total, refunds will be given for unused time. Because a link will be provided for each class, no refunds are given to students who are not physically present.

Guarantee:

With hard work, students will have a completed draft by the end of the session–or be well on their way. While no one can guarantee an award in this highly competitive environment, students will learn how to create their best work for competitions, as well as improve their writing skills. 

Lisa’s Bio:

L.B. Schulman (Lisa) is the owner of Lit Space Learning. She has been a Scholastic Writing & Art Awards judge at the regional and national level for six years. She’s the author of two award-winning novels, STOLEN SECRETS and LEAGUE OF STRAYS, and she has sold over 100 articles. For several years, Lisa was a Co-Regional Adviser for the San Francisco Bay Area Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, which helped over 3,000 professional members. She offers creative writing lessons to children and adults through private lessons and group classes and is also a Lead Educator with the writing software company, Plottr.