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How To Write Shop

Articles on the craft and business of writing

YA

Young Adult Fiction and the Cliffhanger Ending…

August 16, 2013 by KristiCook 2 Comments
cliffhanger ending in young adult fiction

Lately, I’ve been hearing lots of complaints about “cliffhangers” in young adult series–you know, where a book ends seemingly in the middle of some sort of crisis, and you have to wait for the next book for the resolution.  From a marketing perspective, a cliffhanger ending can be a good thing.  It leaves readers desperate for the … [Read more…]

Posted in: By Genre, Pacing, Writing Craft, Young Adult Teen Tagged: cliffhanger, writing a series, YA, yalit, yalitchat

Writing The End of a Novel

December 7, 2012 by KristiCook 2 Comments
Teenage Girl

Writing the end of a novel… There’s nothing more satisfying–and more challenging–than writing the final chapter of your novel, particularly if that novel is the final one in an ongoing series.  More than likely, you’ve been imagining those final scenes in your head for a long time, working your way toward them, making sure all … [Read more…]

Posted in: Plotting, Writing Craft Tagged: writing a series, YA, yalit, young adult novels

YA Fiction and the Dystopia Trend

October 8, 2012 by KristiCook 2 Comments
Alley with Grafitti

If you’d asked me a year ago, I would have predicted that the dystopian “bubble” in YA fiction would have burst by now–but I would have been wrong.  It looks like there’s still a strong market for it, though my guess is that editors and agents would say that, if you’re writing a dystopian young … [Read more…]

Posted in: Featured, Market Trends, Writing Business Tagged: YA, yalit, young adult markets, young adult novels

How old should your young adult protagonist be?

May 6, 2011 by KristiCook 11 Comments
Teen with child

Age of Young Adult Protagonists, Age in YA Fiction How old should a young adult protagonist be? Up until very recently, I worked part-time at an independent bookstore specializing in kids/young adult (YA) fiction.  Occasionally, we’d get a new title in, and find ourselves stumped after reading the back cover or flap copy—was the book supposed … [Read more…]

Posted in: By Genre, Market Trends, Young Adult Teen Tagged: middle grade, YA, young adult, young adult protagonist

The Young Adult Fiction “Land of Opportunity”?

December 5, 2010 by KristiCook

One of the great things about writing young adult (YA) fiction right now is that, in a contracting publishing landscape, the young adult market seems like a veritable land of opportunity.  In comparison to the adult romance market, where lines and imprints are constantly shrinking and folding and major publishers are closing up shop, the … [Read more…]

Posted in: News & Notices Tagged: writing business, YA, young adult
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Techniques of the Selling Writer 
by Dwight V. Swain

Techniques of the Selling Writer by Dwight Swain

Classic book on how to write books that readers will want to read!

This is one of the foundation books that all novelists should have on their bookshelf.

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The Writer’s Journey explores the relationship between mythology and storytelling in a clear, concise style.

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