Stronger Writers Means Stronger Stories
Whale Rock Workshops helps aspiring and published picture book, children’s book, middle grade, and YA authors deepen their craft, build meaningful community, and take their writing to the next level.
At Whale Rock, we don’t just teach writing. We nurture writers—helping you shape your voice, strengthen your craft, and create the stories only you can tell.
Upcoming Programs
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The Short Novel Writing Workshop
GARY SCHMIDT & SHELLEY TANAKA
Short novels are in demand. Join this advanced, small-group workshop guiding writers through the complete process of drafting an 80–120 page short novel from idea to full manuscript.
Feb - August 2026 -
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The Graphic Novel Writing Workshop
ELIZABETH BICKNELL & EUGENE YELCHIN
A hands-on, all-levels workshop guiding writers and author-illustrators through the process of plotting, visual storytelling, and scripting a complete graphic novel.
Feb - June 2026
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Whale Rock Mentorships, Winter 2026
WHALE ROCK FACULTY
An advanced, one-on-one mentorship experience offering personalized feedback and flexible scheduling, designed to support writers working on picture book, middle grade, or YA projects.Jan - June 2026
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The History of Children’s Literature
GARY SCHMIDT
An immersive workshop exploring the history of children’s literature to deepen creative perspective, renew inspiration, and strengthen writers’ understanding of their role in the field.Jan - March 2026 & Aug - Oct 2026
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Republishing Your Backlist: Adjusting Your Mindset
ERIN DIONNE & NANCY WERLIN
An intensive workshop helping published authors rethink their backlist, understand publishing rights, and explore practical pathways for reclaiming and republishing out-of-print work.
Jan 25, 2026
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Beyond the Hero’s Journey: Exploring Story Structure
ERIN DIONNE
A craft-focused workshop exploring alternative story structures beyond the hero’s journey, designed to help writers expand their narrative toolkit and approach projects with greater flexibility and intention.
Jan 27, 2026
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The Page Turner's Toolbox: Revising for tension and flow
CHRIS TEBBETTS
A revision-focused workshop helping writers strengthen tension, pacing, and narrative flow to create stories that keep readers fully engaged and turning pages.
Feb - March 2026
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Digging Deeper: Using Subtext to Add Depth to Your Story
LAURIE CALKHOVEN
A craft-focused workshop helping writers use subtext to add emotional depth, layered meaning, and resonance beneath the surface of their scenes.
March 10, 2026
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Revise Your Picture Book Manuscripts: A Faculty led, Writer-Centered Critique Group
KAREN KROSSING
A small-group, faculty-led critique workshop where writers revise picture book manuscripts through focused feedback, craft discussion, and sustained peer support.
April - June 2026
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In Person Master Skills Workshop
PATTI GAUCH & GARY SCHMIDT
Join us for a week designed to help you dive deep into your craft and take your writing to the next level. Each year, our instructors bring new lessons, new prompts and new exercises to help you master your craft.
Nov 8 - Nov 14 2026
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Winter 2026 Write Now!
Free Community Event
There’s nothing like a regular meeting time and space to keep your writing commitments honest. Our Write Now! groups are FREE and offer the support you need to show up and work each week.
Jan - April 2026
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Winter 2026 Write Night!
Free Community Event
A free, weekly evening writing space offering structure, community, and accountability to help writers show up and stay committed to their work. goes here
Jan - April 2026
What We Believe
Whale Rock was created to make children’s writing workshops, mentorships, and retreats available in ways that are flexible, affordable, and genuinely supportive. We believe stories grow stronger when writers are guided by great teachers, thoughtful feedback, and a community that understands the writer’s life.
And we believe in the impact those stories can have. Our mission is to do more than simply “support writers”, but to help them craft books that elevate, nurture, and expand the minds of the children, teen, and young adult readers.
Writing is solitary. Publishing can feel closed. MFA programs are expensive and often out of reach. We believe writers can write better with mentorship.
Access is part of our mission. We know not every writer can afford an MFA or save for years in order to register for that dream program. That’s why we commit to early bird pricing, sliding scale workshops, and scholarships to open doors for more writers and more stories.
Your stories, characters, and worlds deserve nurturing and love, too.. At Whale Rock, writers find both the rigor and the care to bring their best stories into the world.
Built for Writers Like You
Our programs are designed for writers who are serious about storytelling, committed to their practice, and ready to grow. Whether you’re writing your first picture book manuscript, revising a middle grade novel, or preparing to submit your young adult fiction to agents, Whale Rock has a path for you.
Explore our offerings built to meet you where you are and help you go further:
Workshops: 90-minute seminars and multi-week or month children’s writing classes designed to sharpen skills, spark new ideas, and keep you connected to your work.
Retreats: Dedicated writing time, one-on-one feedback, and restorative community for writers of picture books, middle grade, and YA fiction.
Mentorships: Months of personalized guidance with award-winning authors and editors who understand the children’s and YA publishing landscape.
Access for Writers
We know cost can be a real barrier, and we’re committed to lowering them wherever we can while still paying our incredible faculty what they’re worth.
At Whale Rock, access is part of our design. We offer:
Early bird pricing to encourage advance planning and make programs more affordable.
Sliding scale workshops that open doors for emerging voices and writers with financial need.
Scholarships for underrepresented voices and writers who need extra support to join our community and have their stories told.
Great books happen when writers are given the chance to learn, grow, and share their stories, and we at Whale Rock believe in getting more great books into this world.
MFA-Level Learning Without the MFA Price Tag
Whale Rock delivers the depth, mentorship, and faculty caliber of an MFA, with the flexibility and focus today’s writers need. You’ll find the same personalized feedback, expert instruction, and creative challenge without the $55,000+ price tag of a traditional MFA program or the $9,000+ commitment of a post-grad experience.
Whether you’re preparing a picture book submission, polishing a middle grade novel, or refining your YA manuscript, we give you the tools and support to go further.
What Our Writers Say
“AMAZING. My mentor’s comments were kind, thought-provoking, and gave me the added boost in confidence I needed to do the work. Being able to read feedback, and then talk through possible solutions to my literary dilemmas — on more than just short sections — was so exciting. This was my favorite part of the program: the individual feedback. All of the mentors were so knowledgeable and brought so much to the table.”
— Kim P.“The mentorship helped get me back on track. I was paralyzed in my creativity and just re-hashing changes to my manuscripts. This was a great springboard to re-engaging with my writing. Phyllis was great. She was willing to look at ‘old’ manuscripts and prompted me to come up with something new. She was available and prompt and reassuring but also read with a critical eye, which I appreciated.”
— Mary C.“I found the atmosphere really relaxed and welcome to discussion. The course material was rich and insightful. It was an invaluable experience for me. Having an expert review my pages and provide me with constructive feedback wasn’t something I’d experienced before. I loved brainstorming with my mentor about what to do with this story — brainstorming with Gary. D. Schmidt was surreal.”
— Maria M