• Writing Business
    • Agents & Editors
    • Finding Writing Markets
    • Indie Publishing
    • Marketing
    • Market Trends
    • Quirky Links
    • Web Design
    • Writing for the Web
  • Writing Craft
    • By Genre
      • Romance
      • Young Adult Teen
    • Characters
    • First Pages
    • Grammar
    • Pacing
    • Plotting
    • Point of View
    • Revision
    • Scenes
    • Worldbuilding
    • Writing Prompts
    • Writing Tips
  • Writing Life
    • Author Interviews
    • Conferences
    • Critiques
    • Inspiration
    • Making a Living
  • Writing Tools
    • Book Reviews
    • eBooks
      • Dialogue More than Just Talk ebook
    • Online Writing Tools
    • Writing Software Programs
  • About
    • Contact
    • Regular Columnists
    • Privacy Policy
  • News
  • Services
    • Editorial Services
How To Write Shop

Articles on the craft and business of writing

young adult novels

World Building Writing Prompts for Young Adult Novels

November 1, 2013 by KristiCook 2 Comments
world building writing prompts for young adult novels

When we talk about “world building” in young adult novels, people often think it only applies to fantasy/paranormal/urban fantasy genres, but world building is just as important in realistic fiction novels. Many times contemporary fiction writers forget that or need a few writing prompts to get their world building going. What exactly is world building? … [Read more…]

Posted in: By Genre, Worldbuilding, Writing Craft, Writing Prompts, Young Adult Teen Tagged: how to build a world, worldbuilding, writing prompts, young adult novels

YA Fiction Stereotype: Dumbed Down?

July 5, 2013 by KristiCook 4 Comments

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…]

Posted in: By Genre, Market Trends, Writing Business, Writing Craft, Young Adult Teen Tagged: yalit, yalitchat, young adult fiction, young adult novels

Why Write YA?

June 7, 2013 by KristiCook 1 Comment
why write ya teen books

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…]

Posted in: By Genre, Market Trends, Writing Business, Young Adult Teen Tagged: yalit, young adult novels

Plotting a Young Adult Novel

May 10, 2013 by KristiCook 3 Comments
plotting a young adult novel

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…]

Posted in: Plotting, Writing Craft, Young Adult Teen Tagged: plotting young adult novel, yalit, young adult novels

Present Tense vs. Past Tense in Young Adult Novels

March 1, 2013 by KristiCook 9 Comments
present tense vs. past tense young adult books

Head to the Young Adult section in your local library or bookstore and flip through a dozen or so new releases, and you’ll find that a good percentage of them are written in first-person present tense–a dramatic shift from, say, five years ago when most YA novels were written in first-person or third-person past tense. … [Read more…]

Posted in: By Genre, Verb Tense, Writing Business, Writing Craft, Young Adult Teen Tagged: present tense, tense, young adult novels
1 2 3 Next »

Featured Book

The Writers Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers
by Christopher Vogler

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

Want help plotting great stories that grab readers?

The Writer’s Journey is on our MUST read list.

Get at Amazon

Follow us on

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • RSS

Or…

Get New Articles Emailed to You!

~~~

We collect, use, and process your data according to our Privacy Policy.

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy

Articles:


Featured Book

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.

Get at Amazon


Find Us on the Web

  • Follow on Twitter Follow on Twitter
  • Like at Facebook Like at Facebook

Copyright © 2023 How To Write Shop.

Omega WordPress Theme by ThemeHall