Anatomy of An Irresistible Opening: How to Create First Pages That Do All the Heavy Lifting with Award-winning author Victoria J. Coe

Calling all novelists, especially of MG and YA!

Join us virtually, March 3rd from 7pm ET, plus get a 2-week replay!

Your opening scene doesn’t just introduce a story—it earns the reader’s trust.

In Anatomy of an Irresistible Opening, a deep-dive workshop for MG/YA writers, you’ll learn exactly what the first pages of a novel must do. 

Award-winning author, Victoria J. Coe will break down the anatomy of opening lines that demand attention, characters that readers bond with immediately, and scenes that shoulder the hardest work of the book: establishing voice, tone, stakes, and momentum.

Learn how to start your story with an opening that pulls readers in, makes them care, and propels them forward without hesitation.

PLUS Check out the companion workshop: First Pages that Earn the Turn!

First Pages That Earn the Turn with Award-winning author Victoria J. Coe

Perfect for novelists!

Join us virtually, March 10th, 7pm ET, plus get a 2-week replay!

We’ll put craft into action by closely reading first pages that work—and a few that very much don’t. 

Award-winning author Victoria J. Coe will dissect real examples to uncover what successful openings are doing on the page: how they hook readers, establish voice and tone, introduce compelling characters, and earn the page turn. 

You’ll come away with a clearer eye for what makes an opening succeed or stall, plus practical insight you can immediately apply to your own work.

Time for Q&A so you can ask specific questions and sharpen your revision lens.

Companion, yet stand-alone, workshop to Anatomy of An Irresistible Opening. Take one or both! 

All Six Create In the New Year Workshops with Charlesbridge Senior Editor, Karen Boss!

$285 (Members use your code to get 10% off!) ($50 each if purchased separately!)

Virtual Workshops, plus access to replays until Feb 20th.

All workshops start at 6:30 pm ET, virtually. 

• Thursday, Jan 8: Structural Engineering
• Monday, Jan 12: Characters up the Wazoo
• Thursday, Jan 15: Five pearls of Wisdom & Ask Me Anything
• Monday, Jan 19: Hurry Up and Wait
• Thursday, Jan 29: Fiction v. Nonfiction v. Everything In Between
• Monday, Feb 2: Verbalicious

Add-on conceptual edit with Karen Boss! $100 (limited to 20 ppl)

(available to workshop attendees only)

Structural Engineering for Picture Book Writers with Karen Boss 

$50 (Members, use your code for 10% off!)

Virtually, Thursday Jan. 8, 6:30 PM ET

Plus access to replay through Feb 20th.

Optional Add-On Conceptual Edit ($100) (only 20 available.)

What does anyone mean by structure in a manuscript/story?

How can you look for ways to use unique and strong structure to strengthen your picture book?

How much of this happens prior to submission versus after acquisition? Join Karen boss to talk all things structure in this workshop!

Great for fiction and nonfiction picture book writers!

Characters Up the Wazoo with Karen Boss

$50 (Members use your code for 10% off!)

Virtually, Monday Jan. 12, 6:30 PM ET

Plus replay access through Feb. 20th.

Optional add-on conceptual edit: $100 (only 20 available)

Character development is incredibly important for any book.

How many characters to include, where to introduce them, and how to use them best are all complex questions for a picture book. 

Join Karen Boss and talk all things character in this workshop! 

Great for fiction and nonfiction picture book writers!

Five Pearls of Wisdom & Ask Me Anything with Karen Boss

$50 (Members use your code for 10% off!)

Virtually Thursday, Jan. 15, 6:30 PM ET

Plus replay access until Feb. 20th!

Optional Add-On Conceptional Edit  $100 (Only 20 available.)

Sometimes you just want to sit back and hear some publishing-biz person’s deepest tips and hints or words of wisdom. And sometime you want to ask all the questions! This session lets you do both! Join Karen boss to talk all things wise and ask her anything in this workshop! 

Great for fiction and nonfiction picture book writers!

Hurry Up and Wait with Karen Boss

$50 (Members use your code to get 10% off!)

Virtually Monday, Jan. 19, 6:30 PM ET

Plus Access to Replay Through Feb 20th

Optional Add-On Conceptual Edit ($100) (Only 20 Available!)

So much of publishing is being patient. First be patient with yourself to find the right ending for your story for reader satisfaction. Then you have to be patient during submission. And then during revisions, too. OMG—how?

Join Karen boss and talk all things endings, submitting, and revising. 

Great for fiction and nonfiction picture book writers!

Fiction v. Nonfiction v. Everything In Between

$50 (Members use your code for 10% off!) Virtually, Thursday, Jan 29, 6:30 PM ET

Plus Acces to Replay Through Feb 20th.

Optional Add-On Conceptual Edit ($100) (Only 20)

What are you writing? Is it fiction, nonfiction, or something in-between?

How much research do you have to do?

Who do you have to talk to? Does the book need back matter? It might be a Venn diagram!

Join Senior Editor Karen boss and talk all things category in this workshop!

Verbalicious for Picture Book Writers with Karen Boss

$50 (Members use your code to get 10% off!) Virtually, Monday, Feb. 2, 6:30 PM ET

Plus Replay Access until Feb 20th. 

Optional Add-On Conceptual Edit From Karen Boss ($100) (20 Only)

What’s going on with your verbs in your manuscript?

Are they strong and hardy or are they maybe a little weak and weary? Won’t trying to vary them make everything feel stilted? Not necessarily so!

Join Senior Editor Karen Boss and talk everything verbs and their actions (ha!) in this workshop!

Great for fiction and nonfiction picture book writers!

Strengthen Your Picture Book Structure with Karen Boss!

$30

Instant two-week replay

The structure of a picture book is paramount to its success. What does structure mean? What do different structures look like? 

See examples, do personal exercises, and investigate how structure works in your own work! 

Instantly watch this info-packed workshop with Charlesbridge Editor, Karen Boss

How to Write a Chapter Book (and how not to) with Janet Costa Bates

$30

Instant two-week replay

You're thinking of writing a Chapter Book and want to know more about them.

Or you've written a book and don't know if it's truly a Chapter Book, an Early Reader, or a Middle Grade.

In this workshop, Janet shares everything you need to know to start writing Chapter Books today!