From Barrie to Blyton, Dahl to Rowling, the storytellers we encounter in childhood shape the adults we become. Learn how to enchant young minds in this three-part online course.

In the literary world no audience is more discerning, honest and demanding than children – and none more rewarding to satisfy.

Stories are the water and sunlight that grow young imaginations, and the values and ideas found in our favourite children’s books remain indelibly imprinted upon us as grown-ups.

It is often said that everyone has a novel inside them: and for more than a few of us, this novel harkens back to the unbridled sense of wonder and enchantment known only in childhood. In this series of livestream masterclasses, you’ll learn how to write, sell and market that cherished book.

The author of seven critically acclaimed children’s books, an accomplished tutor of creative writing, and a lauded non-fiction author besides, Philip Womack joins How To Academy to teach you how to develop engaging, age-appropriate stories.

You will learn how to create strong and compelling plots and characters, build treatments and long story arcs, catch the eye of agents and editors, and situate yourself within this bustling creative industry.

Session 1: Sources, Voice and Style

“Where do you get your ideas from” is a question that all writers will face. In the opening session, we will examine how to draw from your reading and your life; and we will explore how to create a compelling and age-appropriate voice and style.

Session 2: Character and Setting

Characters are the drivers of plot: how you create engaging characters in children’s fiction, and how do you create an involving setting?

Session 3: Plotting and Marketing

In the final session of the course, we’ll look at plot: how you can create a plot that grips and excites, and how to plan out your work. We’ll also take a look at the market, and discuss how to situate yourself within it.

Philip Womack was educated at Lancing and Oriel College, Oxford, where he read Classics and English. His first novel for children, The Other Book, was published in 2008. He has now written 7 critically acclaimed children’s novels, including, most recently, The Arrow of Apollo. Philip has taught Creative Writing and Children’s Writing at a number of institutions and universities including City and Royal Holloway, and this year is a Royal Literary Fellow. He writes regularly for the press, including the Times Literary Supplement, The Spectator, and Literary Review.