"I have found myself growing exponentially in the past couple weeks."
-Riley Courtney, TYWI Summer Camp 2020 Alumni
-Riley Courtney, TYWI Summer Camp 2020 Alumni
Summer Camp
The Young Writers Initiative is honored to offer our 3rd annual virtual Summer Camp, one of our most beloved programs. At TYWI, we believe that education, community, and feedback are pillars to a young writer's success in any of their endeavors, so we are proud to say that this program is 100% free. Unlike previous years, camp will run for two sessions with 150 participants per section. The first session will run June 15th - July 15th and the second one will run July 15th - August 15th. TYWI Summer Camp is a relaxed, virtual program in which young writers are given challenges to improve their writing, a close knit community of fellow writers, and weekly workshops and events that will enhance their experience in the writing world.
What Is Included?
- Workshops (both craft-specific and general) taught by esteemed instructors and summer camp counselors
- Daily activities and challenges
- Community Feedback and networking.
- Portfolio Creation (for poetry, journalism, and prose)
- Novel outlining, support, and writing (for fiction campers)
- Community Write-ins, sprints, open mic nights, and writing chat sessions.
- Summer Camp exclusive Book Club
- Q&A sessions with some of your favorite authors.
Genres
- FICTION (novel writing; short story)
- POETRY/PROSE (both poetry and short prose)
- NONFICTION (journalism, articles, essays, blogs, creative nonfiction)
- If you would like to work in multiple genres, please apply to both sessions and we will try to accommodate you if there is room. Ex: Apply to Session 1 for fiction and Session 2 for poetry.
Why Summer Camp Is Worth It
TYWI Summer Camp is not a rigid program that is supposed to stress you out or feel like school. Your involvement with summer camp is dependent on how much energy you can give. If you can't commit for the entire month, that's okay, we still would love to have you as part of our community, but please be advised that we are being more selective this year in our applications in order to ensure that the most dedicated and eager-to-learn writers are able to take advantage of this wonderful opportunity. It's important to be eagerly involved with summer camp because our counselors and Program Directors work rigorously all year long to prepare and create a unique virtual experience that will increase your love and skill in writing. The more you engage with summer camp, the more you'll get out of it.
But what makes TYWI Summer Camp special is the community and the relationships made through it. Having a supportive community to bounce your ideas off and to get feedback from is invaluable. Our workshops, led by camp counselors and industry professionals, are not specific to any category and are incredibely useful to young writers who are exploring multiple genres or trying to expand their knowledge of writing as a whole. Our guest vistors are not only inspirational, they give you advice that sticks and help clear up the doubts you may feel about your journey as a writer.
Summer camp will be the highlight of your summer.
Don't believe us? Well, click here to read last year's camper testimonials!
But what makes TYWI Summer Camp special is the community and the relationships made through it. Having a supportive community to bounce your ideas off and to get feedback from is invaluable. Our workshops, led by camp counselors and industry professionals, are not specific to any category and are incredibely useful to young writers who are exploring multiple genres or trying to expand their knowledge of writing as a whole. Our guest vistors are not only inspirational, they give you advice that sticks and help clear up the doubts you may feel about your journey as a writer.
Summer camp will be the highlight of your summer.
Don't believe us? Well, click here to read last year's camper testimonials!
Time Committment
Summer camp commitment depends on what you can handle, and what you want to put on your plate. If you want a general guide of how active you should be to make the most out of the program, 2-3 hours a day is the timing we suggest in order for you to engage with the community, participate in challenges, attend events, and also balance your offline summer. Of course, the more you participate, the most you get out of it. Our community will be smaller this year, so we expect campers to spend 2 hours per day participating in the camp.
Themes and Workshops
Overarching theme of summer camp this year:
Find your Voice
Weekly themes and workshops:
Goal planning and bonding: (Session 1: June 15th - June 17th // Session 2: July 15th - July 17th)
Week 1: Plot and Structure (Session 1: June 18th - 24th // Session 2: July 18th - July 24th)
- Session 1 workshop:"Combining Internal and External Arcs" with M.T Khan (June 20th)
- Session 2 workshop: TBD
Week 2: Research and Inspiration (Session 1: June 25th - July 1st // Session 2: July 25 - July 31)
- Session 1 & 2 workshops: Led by Ashsa Swann (one of our mentors this year!) && genre-specific workshops with counselors
Week 3: Getting out of your comfort zone (Session 1: July 2 - July 8// Session 2: August 1 - August 7)
- Sessions 1 & 2 workshop: "Writing outside the box" with Dante Madeema
Week 4: Writing in the Real World and Constantly Exploring (Session 1: July 9 - July 15th // Session 2: August 8 - August 15)
- Session 1 workshop: TBD
- Session 2 workshop: Q&A with M.T Khan (August 14th)
Find your Voice
Weekly themes and workshops:
Goal planning and bonding: (Session 1: June 15th - June 17th // Session 2: July 15th - July 17th)
Week 1: Plot and Structure (Session 1: June 18th - 24th // Session 2: July 18th - July 24th)
- Session 1 workshop:"Combining Internal and External Arcs" with M.T Khan (June 20th)
- Session 2 workshop: TBD
Week 2: Research and Inspiration (Session 1: June 25th - July 1st // Session 2: July 25 - July 31)
- Session 1 & 2 workshops: Led by Ashsa Swann (one of our mentors this year!) && genre-specific workshops with counselors
Week 3: Getting out of your comfort zone (Session 1: July 2 - July 8// Session 2: August 1 - August 7)
- Sessions 1 & 2 workshop: "Writing outside the box" with Dante Madeema
Week 4: Writing in the Real World and Constantly Exploring (Session 1: July 9 - July 15th // Session 2: August 8 - August 15)
- Session 1 workshop: TBD
- Session 2 workshop: Q&A with M.T Khan (August 14th)
Eligibility
- Must be under 23 years old
- Must be able to have a flexible schedule this summer for workshops. If you cannot attend workshops, you must be willing to watch them afterwards and complete a short assignment to make up for it.
- You can be from anywhere in the world as this is a virtual camp
- No prior experience is necessary, we accept writers of all levels who are passionate and motivated!
APPLY
Applications for TYWI's 3rd annual summer camp are open May 1st and close on June 1st. This year, we are doing 2 sessions of our virtual summer camp for a small group of dedicated and eager young writers. 150 participants will be selected for a one-month camp beginning June 15th and ending July 15th, and an additional 150 participants will be selected for the second session of this camp beginning on July 15th and ending on August 15th.
This year, in order to make the summer camp experience worthwhile and more fair for all who want to participate, we are requiring interested writers to apply and show us that you want to be in camp and submit a writing sample. Previously, camp spots were available on a first-come, first-serve basis, but now they will be awarded to the most motivated and eager applicants. These applications will be read and selected by our summer camp team. We have limited spots available and want to see the most eager young writers who will participate and make summer camp a worthwhile experience for themselves and each other.
We look forward to seeing your applications and welcoming this year's campers!
Please select the session that best fits your schedule and (on the application itself) the genre you want to explore more.
This year, in order to make the summer camp experience worthwhile and more fair for all who want to participate, we are requiring interested writers to apply and show us that you want to be in camp and submit a writing sample. Previously, camp spots were available on a first-come, first-serve basis, but now they will be awarded to the most motivated and eager applicants. These applications will be read and selected by our summer camp team. We have limited spots available and want to see the most eager young writers who will participate and make summer camp a worthwhile experience for themselves and each other.
We look forward to seeing your applications and welcoming this year's campers!
Please select the session that best fits your schedule and (on the application itself) the genre you want to explore more.
What is the time commitment?
This is not a typical summer camp where you spend the whole day doing the work. The only mandatory events that we have are our 1 hour long workshops, which are once a week. Of course, we hope you take full advantage of this opportunity and invest more time in the challenges, networking with other writers, giving and getting feedback, and interacting with the summer camp.
What if the times don't work for me because I'm in a different time zone?
That's okay! We are aware that times won't work for everyone, so we will record every workshop. If you aren't at the workshop, we'll give you a week to watch it and complete a short assignment on it.
What are some fun parts of this program?
There are a lot!
- We have weekly challenges and daily writing exercises! The weekly challenges will be things like submit to a contest or develop a writing schedule. They won't be difficult and aren't mandatory!
Do I have to be from the US?
Nope! Our summer camp is open internationally and is completely virtual.
What happens if I get too busy or fall behind on camp activities?
Just communicate your situation with your camp counselors! We understand that life happens and will do everything we can to keep you on track throughout camp.
If you have any other questions, please comment under our "summer camp" Instagram post, ask on our community discord, or email elizabeth@tywi.org
