There’s a lot of confusion out there about how “hot” a young adult novel can (and should) be. The short answer: it all depends. Here’s the thing–there is no “line in the sand” where sexual content is concerned in YA fiction. To completely ignore the topic of sex in young adult fiction is, at best, … [Read more…]
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…]
Every year when I begin teaching a commercial fiction class for adults, I have at least one student who, when we start discussing Young Adult/Teen fiction, asks something to the effect of “YA fiction is just dumbed down writing, right?” I can’t tell you how disheartening this YA fiction stereotype is. Let me state it boldly … [Read more…]
I wanted to revisit the topic of “Why Write YA?” since it’s a question I get asked so frequently. Why write YA? Why read it? What’s the appeal, especially with adult readers? Why Write YA? The alternatives. Most YA authors are not teens or even young adults themselves, nor are a good percentage of young … [Read more…]
This month I’m going to talk about craft–specifically, plotting a young adult novel or structuring the plot of your YA novel. Often when I’m instructing writing classes, I find that there’s some confusion about plotting. If I ask “What’s your book’s plot?” I get vague answers along the lines of “It’s about a girl who … [Read more…]