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Geared toward teens ages 13 to 18, this virtual summer writing camp helps guide young authors toward stronger fiction writing  and industry knowledge through guided hands-on instruction.

  Teen Virtual Summer Writing Camp 2023

H. C. Newell, Fantasy Author

“Working with Lyndsey was an incredible experience.

Gage Greenwood, Dark Fantasy Author

“If you've seen compliments on my book, [Mary] deserves a lot of the credit for that.

Debra Castaneda, Horror Author

“I swear, [Lyndsey] is magical...She digs out the landmines you didn't know were there.”

Writing Summer Camp Curriculum

An extensive writing program geared toward developing young, aspiring writers with age-appropriate instruction

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Story Development

Using features of developmental editing, we help summer camp attendees work through the structure of their stories, discover whether outlining or stream of consciousness writing works better for their style, and learn the nuances of book mapping and narrative pacing.

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Fiction Mechanics

What works in a student's grammar class in school is not always what works best for their style of fiction. We help them navigate this confusion with clear explanation and guided instruction on how to utilize these differences to create stronger fiction, while also reaffirming the elements of style and grammar that help authors meet reader expectations.

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Industry Knowledge

Different industry professionals come together to make up each author's publishing team. We help summer camp attendees identify these professionals, understand what each contributes to the publishing process, and learn how to effectively work with them on future products through the creation of a summer camp anthology.

About the Instructors

Lyndsey Smith is the chief editor of Horrorsmith Editing Services and the acquisitions editor for Horrorsmith Publishing. She specializes in speculative fiction genres, mystery, and thriller, plus cozy mystery and romance. Mary Danner is the chief editor for The Mad Editor. She specializes in the horror genre. Both have worked with award-winning and bestselling authors in their respective genres. Together, they have developed a summer camp curriculum that focuses on immersive instruction in real-world simulation. 

As part of the summer camp, the attendees will be taking original stories and using the weekly instruction to enhance the features of their own style. Then, working one on one with either Lyndsey or Mary, the attendees will get to experience working with an industry-recognized editor, polishing their stories for publication. As a class, the camp attendees will have Q&A sessions where they'll be introduced to cover artists, publishing assistants, and authors. Each of the daily modules will be recorded for students to review after the scheduled class times. 

Following the summer camp, Lyndsey and Mary will work together to compile, format, and publish the entire collective works the summer camp attendees worked on throughout the program, giving each attendee author credit and full copyrights. Pen names can be chosen if preferred, instead of using legal names. An eBook copy and a paperback version of this anthology will be gifted to each summer camp attendee shortly after publication. All proceeds from the sales of the summer camp anthology will be donated to the World Literacy Foundation, which helps provide books and educational literacy resources to disadvantaged children in their native languages all over the world.

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Lyndsey Smith

Certificated Fiction Editor

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Mary Danner

Horror Fiction Editor

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Week 1 Topics
  • Monday - Determining genre and genre expectations, story structure, and book maps

  • Tuesday - Pantser vs. plotter, how to outline, writing sprints, overcoming writer's block

  • Wednesday - Effective hooks, pacing, character development

  • Thursday - Using research, point of view, deep POV

  • Friday - Common grammar mistakes, punctuating dialogue, filter words

Week 2 Topics
  •  Monday - Types of editing, how to find an editor, working with an editor, editing as a career

  • Tuesday - What does a publishing assistant (PA) do, how to find a PA, working with a PA

  • Wednesday - Marketing resources and avenues, series or stand-alone fiction

  • Thursday - Traditional or self-publishing, Q&A with two speculative fiction authors

  • Friday - What does a cover artist do? How to select and work with a cover artist. Q&A working with an industry-recognized cover artist 

Smiling Student in Lecture
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When: June 5 - June 16
Times: 9:00 a.m. - Noon PST

Virtual

$250
Limited Spots Available!

When: July 10 - July 21
Times: 9:00 a.m. - Noon PST

Virtual

$250
Limited Spots Available!

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