This course is designed for those who wish to write short stories for children. It will lead the student through the basics of this art form into the specifics of characterization, age groups, plotting and outlining, drafting a story for children, rewriting and polishing the work. The final lesson will cover manuscript preparation and marketing strategies. The long-term goal is to help writers of children's fiction become published. One of the short-term goals is to
choose one story to rewrite and polish and actively market. More than one story can be written, but the emphasis will be on getting one ready to market.
Enroll today! This is a self-paced, online course. You have 6 months to finish.
An instructor will monitor your progress and assess your body of work at course completion. UniversalClass™ offers many wonderful learning tools
to help you get the most out of your online course, including an online portfolio service
that manages all your course completions.
This class has been officially reviewed by our Course Review Committee that scrutinizes course content and instructor participation. This course has received our Committee's highest rating: 4 stars.
If you would like to receive more information
regarding this course, scroll down and fill out the "Request More Information"
form and we'll try to answer any of your questions within the day.
1.0 CEUs
Course Description
This course is designed for those who wish to write short stories for children. It will lead the student through the basics of this art form into the specifics of characterization, age groups, plotting and outlining, drafting a story for children, rewriting and polishing the work. Final lessons will cover manuscript preparation and marketing strategies. Students will receive personal instructor feedback and critique. The goal of this course is to increase a student's chance for publication.
Write Short Stories for Children with Instructor Margaret Shauers is a course which will prepare students to publish literature for children through a course filled with the practice and polish of writing activities complemented with instructor feedback. Students will have the opportunity to focus on one story which will be rewritten, refined, and actively marketed. (More than one story can be written and developed, but the emphasis will be on getting one ready to market.)
This course will assume that students are actively writing (or beginning to write) stories for children. It is a self-paced course (course begins on student's own timetable) Coursework will consist of a number of central lessons, quizzes, assignments, class polls, and netlinks . This course will be based on a 100 pt. grading scale, and the Instructor's specific grading policy will be presented in the class syllabus. For students who strive for course completion or other documentation might achieve several offered certificates based on academic performance, attendance and participation .
Instructor Margaret Shauers has an extensive writing background.
Her novels include : "Girl of the Prairie" and "Dark Knight"; published by Thomas Bouregy & Co., New York. Children's books include: "Birth and Childhood of Jesus" grades 3-4 activity book, Shining Star Publications, Torrence, California, 1997. "Math Folder Games for the Christian Classroom" (K-2), Concordia House Publishing, 1998. Puzzles and Prayers, 2000. Currently she is working on a murder mystery for adults.
Her children's short fiction include more than 1000 stories published, many of which have been reprinted. Publishers include Highlights for Children, Children's Playmate, Child Life, Day Care and Early Education, Happiness and most religious children's publishers. Children's stories have been reprinted in South Africa, Mexico, Canada, the Netherlands, as well as in the U.S. Children's fiction has appeared in numerous anthologies and approximately 10 stories were used in an elementary age school curriculum series.
In nonfiction she has published more than 500 articles, many of which have been reprinted. Publishers include Ladie's Home Journal, Good Housekeeping, Kansas! Magazine, Grit, Women's Circle, Women's Household, Byline, Housewife Writer's Forum, Writer's Guidelines, Canadian Writer's Journal, Woman's Day, Family Circle, Lady's Circle, The Woman, many business, craft, religious and other specialty magazines. A chapter in the book "Golden Opportunities: Older Adults and the Church."
In adult short fiction she has published more than 20 stories published in American Accent Short Story Magazine, Caprice, Chiron Review, Women's Household, Farm Wife News, Fiction Primer, Red Herring, Today's Prairie Woman, Evangel, Seek.
In short humor she has articles published in Reader's Digest, Ladies Home Journal, The Rotarian, Happiness, Grit, Good Housekeeping, many farm and other specialty magazines. And in the area of Poetry she has published articles in Caprice, Chiron Review, Prairie Women, and Poetry Rendezvous anthologies.
This course offers 1.0 CEUs upon successful completion. You may take this
online course with or without CEU documentation. An online and hard-copy Certificate of Course Completion displaying your coursework and
CEUs earned is included with the CEU Option. We also offer an expedited Transcript Service for sending your accomplishments to a third party.
Certificates awarded by the instructor will vary and are based upon student merit.
Any awards you earn are considered unofficial (or temporary) unless you decide to make the award official.
To make an award official, there is a $30.00 processing fee that covers the customization, printing, and shipping of a hard copy of the certificate as well as access to the UniversalClass™ Transcript Service.
Official awards include a serial number that verifies the authenticity of the award you earned for a lifetime (great for employers
to verify your achievement).