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…]
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…]
To follow up on last month’s post, I checked in with a wide range of middle-school- and high-school-age readers and asked them to speak directly to young adult authors. I wanted to hear what they particularly love–and hate–in the young adult novels they read. For the record, I decided to include some middle-school-aged readers because … [Read more…]
I had the pleasure of leading a class of talented teen writers this summer at the Center at Miami-Dade College. The students ranged in age from entering high school freshmen to entering seniors (so roughly 14-18)–pretty much the “target market” for young adult fiction. I *love* working with teens, and especially teens who are … [Read more…]
I recently read this article in the Atlantic Wire about race in YA literature, and I’ve decided to address the topic here since I think it’s an important–if sometimes touchy–issue. Why is it that young adult fiction does not represent the diversity that we see in the “real” world? When I look at my middle-school-age … [Read more…]