Get in Front of Top YA Editors and Agents with ONLY the First 250 Words of Your YA Novel! Have a young adult novel—or a YA novel idea—tucked away for a rainy day? Are you putting off pitching your idea simply because you’re not sure how to pitch an agent? No problem! All you have... Continue Reading →
Writing “Edgy” Fiction
Thanks to Liz Mills, for sending this link to Cynthia Leitich Smith's blog. Cynthia interviews Ricki Thompson, author of CITY OF CANNIBALS, who gives her thoughts and process on writing "edgy" fiction.As an artist, I have a responsibility to speak the truth. And the truth is, teenagers live in an “edgy” place. What could be... Continue Reading →
LA Times catching on to YA literature
This article won't surprise any of us, but it's still nice to see: It used to be that the only adults who read young adult literature were those who had a vested interest -- teachers or librarians or parents who either needed or wanted to keep an eye on developing readers' tastes.But increasingly, adults are... Continue Reading →
Pacific Coast Children’s Writers Workshop
Take part in a team-taught seminar for writers of character-driven MG and YA novels at the eighth annual Pacific Coast Children's Writers Workshop.It'll be held Aug 20-22 at the Pajaro Dunes private beachfront facilities near Santa Cruz, CA. There are spots for 30 savvy and/or published writers, "active observers," and teen readers and writers.Faculty includes... Continue Reading →
Tips on honing your YA voice
Alan Rinzler's blog has some tips from agents for aspiring YA writers:Wanna write a scorcher for the booming YA market? OK, here’s the secret: The first thing you need to do is create an authentic, quirky, true-to-life voice. The story and characterizations in Young Adult fiction are crucial too, of course, but the most important... Continue Reading →
Ripped from the headlines
Wouldn't this make a funny plot for a novel? From the New York Times: A Facebook Movement, Against Mom and DadBy SUSAN DOMINUSThey feel her pain. At the Spence School and Greenwich High and Fullerton Union High and Nyack High and Narragansett High, teenagers and near-teenagers, 806 as of Friday morning, are waving a virtual... Continue Reading →
The three-act, eight-sequence structure
If you're struggling with the structure of your novel, hop on over to the blog of Alexandra Sokoloff, a novelist and screenwriter who's broken down structure into manageable bits.Here's the top of a post on how you can use index cards to tame your work in progress:But the real secret of film writing and filmmaking,... Continue Reading →
Amazon and Penguin’s Breakthrough Novel Award adds YA category!
The Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award for 2010 will add a separate category for young-adult fiction. The winner will receive a publishing contract with Penguin, which includes a $15,000 advance. From Amazon:If you're an author with an unpublished or previously self-published novel waiting to be discovered, visit CreateSpace to learn more about the next Breakthrough Novel... Continue Reading →
YA writers: you have to read this
Here's an excerpt from the TIME magazine book critic's view on adult novels:There was a time when difficult literature was exciting. T.S. Eliot once famously read to a whole football stadium full of fans. And it's still exciting—when Eliot does it. But in contemporary writers it has just become a drag. Which is probably why... Continue Reading →
Like telling yarns?
A new online publication for YA lit enthusiasts seeks submissions: YARN, a new online literary magazine for Young Adult readers, is seeking fiction, poetry, and essays for its debut issue. Writing should be of special interest to 14-18 year old readers, but can be written by writers of any age or background. Submissions by teens... Continue Reading →