Larry Fogel-Bublick

Is your child serious about writing?  Does he or she love to read? Then check out these interactive courses taught by a veteran teacher and novelist.

Stuck at Home: Why Not Write a Novel?

Writing Workshops for Teens

(Online and in-person options available)

This course delivered via Zoom is dedicated to the skills you need to write and finish a novel. Each class will focus on one aspect of the craft of writing, and the instructor will use contemporary young adult and middle grade novels to exemplify the concepts. In addition to engaging in mini-lessons on craft, students will play games, talk, brainstorm, write, and share as they play and experiment with stories.

The course will require students to engage and interact with other teens. Furthermore, students will have the chance to meet famous authors and industry professionals.  Finally, students who sign up for all four sessions will have the option to meet in-person (masks and social distancing required).

 Needless to say, these intensive courses are for students who like to write and want to challenge themselves, and who are looking for a community of like-minded teens.

Goal 1: Learn about the craft of writing: from generating viable ideas, writing in scenes, manipulating point of view, to structuring a novel.

Goal 2: Meet other students with similar interests, and develop a writing community, necessary for sustaining a longer piece of writing.

Goal 3: Learn to give and receive feedback that will help students progress as writers.

Goal 4: To inspire teens to read the best young adult and middle grade novels.

Session 1: Characters and Conflict: The Building Blocks of Story (Tuesdays from 7:00 to 8:15 PM)

• Sept. 15th:  Developing Believable Characters
• Sept 22nd:  Generating Story Ideas & Great Beginnings: Setting Up Your Story
• Sept 29th:  Author Visit: NYT best-selling author, Chris Tebbetts

Recommended Reading:

YA novel: Burn, Baby Burn by Meg Medina. Book on Craft: Plot and Structure by James Scott Bell.

Session 2: Show, Don’t Tell: Crafting Memorable Scenes (Tuesdays from 7:00 to 8:15 PM)

• October 6:  Writing a Scene: Dialogue, Snapshots, and Thoughtshots
• October 13: Playing with Point of View & Psychic Distance
• October 20:  Author Visit: best-selling author, Ann Davina Cardinal*

Recommended Reading:

YA novel: Feed by M.T. Anderson and MG novel: Restart by Gordan Korman.

Session 3: Story Elements: Structure and Pacing (Tuesdays from 7:00 to 8:15 PM)

• October 27: Three Act Structure & The Mirror Moment: Planning Your Story’s Character Arc
• November 3: Setting is More than Time and Place
• November 10: Tension and Suspense: Writing a Page-Turner

Recommended Reading:

YA novel: Dry by Neal and Jarrod Schusterman and MG novel: Space Case by Stuart Gibbs.

Session 4: Advanced Story Structure and Strategies for Revision (Tuesdays from 7:00 to 8:15 PM)

• November 17: Story Structure: Planning Your Story Using Save the Cat’s Beat Sheet
• November 24: Revision Vs. Editing
• December 1: Agent/ Editor Visit
• December 8: Critique Group and Sharing

Recommended Reading/ Viewing:

Book on Craft: Save the Cat by Blake Snyder & movies: Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, Queen of Katwe

Requirements:

• Maximum 12 students per class.
• Students must have a computer with a working camera.  Students will be expected to have their cameras on during discussion and small-group work.
• Two optional in-person sessions will be limited to 8 students and will be held if conditions (weather and Covid) allow.

Cost: *Scholarships available for financial need.

Register Now:

Questions?

Please email: mrfb@verizon.net or call 240.593.9007 for more information. I am happy to provide references.

Course Expectations:

–Students are expected to write in class and on their own.

–Students are expected to share their own work and to provide positive, constructive feedback.

–Students are encouraged to read widely in the genres they want to write.

–Students are expected to have computers with working cameras to foster relationships and connections with classmates.

About the Instructor:

Larry Fogel-Bublick is a novelist represented by Rachel Orr of the Prospect Agency.  His current work-in-progress: Drive, a middle grade novel, is currently on submission with editors.  He is a certified English teacher and reading specialist, who has taught in Montgomery County, Maryland, for the past twenty-three years. He will use his experiences as an author and teacher to help you avoid the pitfalls that he has encountered on his journey.

Larry earned his B.A. in English at the University of Michigan, where he won two Hopwood Awards. Subsequently, he earned his Masters in Reading from the Curry School of Education in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Teaching:

Larry Fogel-Bublick is a novelist represented by Rachel Orr of the Prospect Agency.  His current work-in-progress: Drive, a middle grade novel, is currently on submission with editors.  He is a certified English teacher and reading specialist, who has taught in Montgomery County, Maryland, for the past twenty-three years. He will use his experiences as an author and teacher to help you avoid the pitfalls that he has encountered on his journey.

Larry earned his B.A. in English at the University of Michigan, where he won two Hopwood Awards. Subsequently, he earned his Masters in Reading from the Curry School of Education in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Writing:

When I was in sixth grade, I won $100 in a poetry contest sponsored by Gwendolyn Brooks. Ever since I was convinced I would make my fortune by writing. Thirty years later I’m still pursuing that dream.

Interests:

When I was in eighth grade, I wanted to learn karate and play guitar. I was too scared of the karate instructor and I quit guitar after two lessons. This year I have finally started to play, and I’ve gotten good enough that my wife and children don’t need to wear earplugs around the house. Next year I’m going to learn to punch through a concrete block.

Worst Vacation:

Barf Harbor, Maine (No, that isn’t a typo.) Suffice it to say, we didn’t see any whales though most of the passengers did go belly up. If you would like all the details, read “Barf Harbor” on my blog for the whole story.

Hometown:

Highland Park, Illinois. Hey, we all have to be from somewhere.

Other:

As a child, I often failed to stand up for myself. When I did get in fights, I lost. During the last debacle in the middle of math, I got punched in the mouth and my cheek snagged on my braces. It still hurts.

Drive (MG 48,000 words completed).  Alan Driscoll desperately wants to make it to the NBA. But, first, he has to make his middle-school team—and he’s not even sure he can do that. Word has it that Coach Nelson only picks kids who went to his summer camp (too expensive) or winners of the Wreck Tournament—the student-run league that plays before the official start of the season. Yet the Blue Dogs (led by the intimidating bully Bowser) have been the reigning champs for years, and Driscoll’s team, the Marshmallows, are a little…soft.  It doesn’t help that Driscoll’s best friend and teammate, Artie, has the size of a superstar, but the talent of a tuba player. So when Driscoll suddenly gets the chance to play for the Blue Dogs, he can’t believe his luck, but it’s not easy playing with Bowser—and now Artie is mad at him, too  Plus, Driscoll has to balance his responsibilities at home, like watching his little sister, Ellie, while his mom is at work. Will he be able to make the right moves, both on—and off—the court? How far will he go to achieve his dreams?

Duncan and the Case of the Killer Cake (MG 215 pp./ 57,000 words completed) introduces Duncan Woods is a fat kid who wears a girdle to avoid being teased and who just wants to stay off the middle school radar; however, his life is about to resemble the thrillers he loves.  The story begins when Duncan’s estranged father claims to be a spy and cautions Duncan to “watch what you eat, those sweets will kill you.” Duncan believes it’s a joke until someone poisons his birthday cake. Fortunately, Duncan survives, but only because he has surrendered the cake to Morty, the school bully. Unfortunately, Morty doesn’t die, so now Duncan must go on an action-packed adventure to discover who tried to kill him and why, before Morty can finish the job. Along the way, Duncan will fight with everything from a fork to a flamethrower to save himself and to rescue the people he loves.

Slam Duncan and the Blintz of Darkness (MG 213 pp./ 56,000 words completed) Duncan Woods sticks his neck out to help a loser only to find his own neck on the middle school chopping block.  But if Duncan can’t survive middle school, how will he ever stop “The Blintz of Darkness” from executing his diabolical plan?

Emerson and the Fluffernutters (chapter book 33 pp./ 8500 words completed) When nine-year-old Emerson tries to get even with her older sister by pretending to be lost in the forest, she soon discovers that she’s in real trouble and that only the Fluffernutters, a family of talking rabbits, can save her.

“You’re Grounded” (screenplay completed)–  Three miserable children who have never agreed on anything ground their high-flying parents in order to teach them a lesson they’ll never forget.  (A family comedy–a cross between Home Alone and 9 to 5.)

Gordy Gherkins and the Case of the Secret Ballot (CB 24 pp./ 5300 words completed)–  When Mrs. Pitts, the meanest teacher at Greenbriar Elementary School, wins the teacher of the year award, it’s up to Gordy Gherkins to prove that the election was rigged.

Which of the following was the WORST day in Larry’s life?
A. When he caught a flying knee to the face and his eye swelled shut.
B. When he went whale watching on a boat while 250 passengers went belly up.
C. When he got stung by a bee right below his eye, and one side of his face puffed up like Frankenstein’s.
D. An ordinary day at middle school.

(Go to the “Contact Me” page to learn the answer).

Meet Children’s Author Larry Fogel-Bublick

with his biggest fan, Candy Cane