Summer Workshop FAQ

There are two bathrooms on each floor of the Girls’ Dorms and of the Boys’ Dorm, and they are shared between two halls. The bathrooms each contain several toilet stalls, shower stalls, and sinks.

The shower stalls have two curtains: one between the stall and the rest of the bathroom and one inside the stall to separate the shower itself from the small changing area. There are hooks and a shelf in the changing area.

We recommend bringing flip flops to wear in the shower, and a housecoat/bath robe to add to your privacy.

Bath soap and hair dryers are not provided, but towels are provided to each guest.

Over the years, we have roomed families in different ways. Usually, Family Rooms are on a long floor with two shared bathrooms: one designated for men and one for women. Each of the bathrooms contains several toilet stalls, shower stalls, and sinks.

In these bathrooms, the shower stalls have two curtains: one between the stall and the rest of the bathroom and one inside the stall to separate the shower itself from the small changing area. There are hooks and a shelf in the changing area.

Some years we have also had access to a different building with suites. Suites contain 2 or 3 bedrooms with a shared living space, kitchen, and bathroom. They are, essentially, a small apartment. Attendees do not have permission to use the kitchen. If we place a family in a suite, we consider gender and number of people to the bathroom.

We recommend bringing flip flops to wear in the shower, and a housecoat/bath robe to add to your privacy.

Bath soap and hair dryers are not provided, but towels are provided to each guest.

Members of the opposite gender are not permitted in Girls’ Dorm or Boys’ Dorm rooms. (In the Family Dorm, immediate family members who are lodging together are, of course, permitted).

Before curfew, both genders are allowed in the Stockton-Rice dorm lounge only (on the first floor).

Yes, this is fine! Snacks can be eaten anywhere in the Cunningham Center or outside. Just be aware that the cafeteria is open only at mealtimes and only students who have purchased a Lodging & Meals ticket are allowed inside.

Please encourage your student to use the breaks between sessions, and free time, to eat. However, if the student really needs to step out of a session to briefly eat a snack, we understand.

We have a stock of over-the-counter medicine and first aid supplies. If a student needs an over-the-counter medication (pepto-bismol, headache meds, etc.) the student should inform the Dorm Mom/Dad or one of the Student Helpers or Staff (introduced during the Monday evening opening meeting.)

Students are not permitted to share any prescription drugs with another attendee.

If a student is too sick to attend sessions, the Dorm Mom/Dad can grant permission to the student to be absent.

If the problem is serious, we will call the student’s parent(s) to discuss options. In the case of an emergency, we will get the student to urgent care and refer to the health insurance information provided on the student’s registration form. We will of course communicate with the student’s parent(s), but when you sign the Legal Waiver, you authorize our staff to get the student to help.

The buildings are air-conditioned, but June in Kansas is typically pretty hot. That said, remember to use common-sense modesty. Most summer clothing should be fine, just avoid super-short shorts, spaghetti-strap tops, strapless dresses or tops, backless shirts or dresses, anything that shows any part of your stomach or is cut too low, etc. Male students may not go shirtless inside or outside.

You do not need any formal attire at all. But if you would still like to wear formal attire, please note that the clothing guidelines also apply to any formal attire you choose to wear.

Be comfortable; be respectful.

NOTE: We WILL ask you to return to your dorm to change if your attire does not meet dress-code standards. Thanks for respecting the guidelines!

Costumes are more than welcome, as long as they are not immodest or disturbing. Please do not bring something that would fall under the “horror” genre. We reserve the right to tell you to change out of a costume if we find it inappropriate in any manner. Costumes are, of course, completely optional.

No weapons permitted, including swords, knives, and guns, fake or real. No matter how cool your Middle Earth sword may be, you cannot bring it—or any weapon whatsoever—onto the MNU campus.

Every year, we get many questions regarding our “fake weapons rule.” Here are some clarifications:

Regarding fake items or costumery: No wooden swords. No metal swords or knives of any kind, even if they’re “not sharp.” But you CAN bring cardboard, foam, or rubber swords; painted nerf guns (without darts); bows (without arrows); replica-type weapons that are not pointed or easily mistaken for a real firearm. (If you have something in this category, or aren’t sure about an item you’d like to bring, please email info@oneyearnovel.com with specifics for an okay. Thanks.)

Please do not bring air soft guns. If Mr. S. has to spend the summer cleaning up plastic BBs (or blood) on campus he is going to be very grumpy.

If you bring something we feel is not safe, we reserve the right to keep it during the workshop and return it to you during Saturday morning check-out.

Any violation of this rule is grounds for expulsion from the Summer Workshop and being sent home early at your own expense.

Each critique group has an appointed leader. We choose leaders on the basis of maturity, leadership ability, and experience with critique groups. All the leaders have been to at least one Summer Workshop and are 18 or older.

The leaders have to attend an online training meeting beforehand, in which we explain our expectations and go over concerns, such as how to gently intervene if a student brings writing that is upsetting or inappropriate, and how to proceed if a student is harsh toward others or becomes upset.

But lest these reassurances give you the impression that critique groups are challenging to supervise, let us further assure you that they are actually a lot of fun, and students consistently report being very happy with their experience! We think part of this can be attributed to how hard our staff works to put together groups with common interests, and a balance of ages and gender.

Writing is very personal, and it can be scary for young writers to share their work with others. It makes sense that your student might prefer your presence in the room. However, we need to consider the rest of the students as well. We have found that the other students are intimidated by the presence of an adult they don’t know sitting nearby. They do not share their thoughts as freely.

We choose critique group leaders who are good at reassuring students and making the group time fun and non-threatening. They monitor the feedback students give each other to make sure it is both helpful and respectful.

It is our view that it will turn out better for your student and for the group as a whole if the student joins the group on their own and faces their anxiety. We consistently receive happy feedback from students once they discover that critique groups are fun, not frightening.

As we state on the Summer Workshop webpage, we recommend that the four excerpts you bring come from the four key chapters of your novel: the Inciting Incident, Embracing Destiny, The Black Moment, and The Showdown. However, if you don’t have an “OYAN novel” in progress right now, or you don’t have these key scenes/chapters ready, you may bring different fiction excerpts. It’s more important that you bring something you need help with than to scramble to bring something that fits the recommendation list but would not be of much help to you.

Please do not bring poetry, fan fiction, screen plays, or short stories to the Summer Workshop.

If you have any questions or concerns about what to bring, just send us an email at info@oneyearnovel.com about your situation, and we will be happy to help you figure out what would be best.

PLEASE NOTE that ALL excerpt content must be in keeping with the content policy:

Your novel must be free of offensive content (especially of a sexual or gratuitously violent nature). While we respect the right of authors to create honest stories, we also respect the right of readers to retain their innocence. We therefore reserve our right, exercised through the critique group leader, to not include discussion of any novel deemed to be offensive to a general audience.

If you agree with your son or daughter’s self-assessment about attending without contributing excerpts, please have the student email info@oneyearnovel.com by May 13. We need to know in advance so that we don’t inadvertently create groups with more than one student in this category.

If you are unsure about what would be best for your student, we would love to talk with you about your concerns so we can come to the best possible decision for your student.

Our goal for Mentor Appointments is to offer a non-intimidating way for young writers to learn how to talk to industry professionals. We want students to talk to the mentor one-on-one because this is the best approximation of what a “real” appointment would be like. The mentors are not scary, and they know to expect the student to be nervous and unsure.

If you would like to talk to one or more of the speakers yourself, we recommend finding them between sessions or in the cafeteria. The speakers take some of their meals at the cafeteria.

We station an OYAN representative at the terminal, by the luggage carousels. Kansas City’s international airport is small. This representative will wear OYAN apparel and is 18 or older. They are in charge of meeting students and making sure they get on their shuttle to MNU.

When we email you your shuttle information, we include the representative’s name, photo, and cell phone number, in case you have any problems locating them.

In the event that you have a flight delay, do NOT call your representative. Call the OYAN Bat Phone (a phone number for any emergencies you may have during the week) at 1 (913) 522-6296, and we will get you sorted out from there.

Important note for this year: Since last year, the Kansas City airport has relocated to a brand-new terminal. This facility has a wide variety of amenities as well as a much more convenient place for students to meet the One Year Adventure Novel student representative who will be their terminal greeter!

We highly recommend watching the video linked below, which gives you a tour of the airport so that you will have some familiarity with the building when you arrive. We especially recommend watching from 10:03 – 10:50, which covers arrivals, what the luggage carousels look like, and where you will be meeting your terminal greeter.