Just Write Sacramento is a week-long summer writing program for young writers in progress.

JWS aims to nurture and foster young writers by giving them space to develop their skills while facilitating new experiences and equipping them with tools for success.

 

About

Just Write Sacramento was started in response to the lack of opportunities for young writers to develop their craft in the Sacramento area. The program is modeled after professional fiction and non-fiction writing conferences, where serious writers retreat from their hectic daily lives for a week or more, immerse themselves in their craft and receive one-on-one attention from guest artists.

Each day at JWS includes two instruction sessions focusing on different genres, cultivating creativity and developing an effective writing process; a collaborative workshop session where students learn to give constructive feedback; and a chance for students to reflect on what they have learned and spend time editing, revising or polishing their work. Students will be encouraged to challenge themselves by exploring new genres or aspects of writing that they may be unfamiliar with.

 

Register

Registration is open on a first-come-first-served basis. Priority will be given to the first 20 applicants who:

When submitting writing samples, please put the student’s name and "writing sample" in the subject. Submissions should be sent in a Microsoft Word document and include the student’s name (first and last), contact information and age.

 

FAQs

What’s the story behind JWS?

Just Write Sacramento was started in response to a lack of opportunities for young writers in the Sacramento area. The program was developed by Janna Marlies Santoro, professional writer, editor and adjunct writing professor at Sacramento City College. With the support of two friends, who brought the idea to Janna, the annual summer writing program began. (That’s right, we said annual — plans for JWS 2010 are already in the works.)

Who are the teachers?

We are very lucky to have several qualified instructors, who are experienced writers and educators. For more info on who your young writer will be spending his or her days with, please email us (contact@justwritesacramento.com) and request a bio sheet.

Why is a writing sample required; does my child need previous writing experience?

Nope! They just need an interest in writing and a desire to try. We ask for a writing sample simply to help us gauge writing levels so that we are prepared to meet each young writer’s individual needs. If young writers do have a repertoire of work started, we encourage them to bring something they would like to work on.

What will the students need to bring with them?

Young writers should come prepared with curiosity about life, eagerness to learn and a willingness to try new things.

In terms of physical supplies, young writers should bring the following:

What if my child can’t be there every day?

A high-caliber writing program requires a high level of participation. Because we intend to produce a high-caliber writing program, we expect that young writers who sign up for JWS will be there for each day of the program. Of course, unexpected and unavoidable schedule conflicts do come up; however, if you know in advance that your child will miss a day of the program, we gently suggest that maybe this is not the year for your child to participate.

We will be arranging students in small groups for workshopping, and we are also making time for students to work with instructors on a one-on-one basis. We need to count on each student being present every day, otherwise our organization will be significantly affected, as will the experience of other young writers in the program.