I was recently asked for advice on writing for young adults, a question I’ve been asked many times, and I usually try to offer some nuts and bolts advice on writing and publishing, but this time this question hit me differently. It didn't seem to come from a place of drive or desire, so I tried to think about what drives me to write for teens way down deep on a gut level because I think that is far more important than the nuts and bolts. I brainstormed quick snips about what I believe about writing for teens and these snips are pasted below. I think this needs to be the starting place:
Find the humanity in your writing
The essence of what matters to all of us
Believe in the teen that you are writing about
Believe in teens period
Not that they have lessons to learn
Not that they need to be taught in just such a way
Believe that their stories are important enough
Life-changing enough
Heart-wrenching enough
That their story needs to be read by everyone
Be a teen yourself
Be an idealist
Believe in justice
Those are some of the best traits of being a teen that I hope never to give up
Reach deep and care
Care like it’s the first time you’ve cared about anything
Care so much that it matters not just to you but to others as well
Believe in the wisdom of teens
Believe in their faults
Believe in everything in between
Don’t give them a mass label of “teenager” and think that is enough
Teens are no more alike than adults are
Each one has their own story
A story that will change the world
Because someone will recognize it as their own
And realize they are not alone
That is the power of your story
Believe in it
And I will too.
Hooray!
The Fox Inheritance is out in paperback today!
And today marks the ONE MONTH countdown until Fox Forever is out!
If you haven't read the first two books I hope you'll catch up on them now before the final book is out! A few early reviews of Fox Forever say:
"A speedy thriller . . . crucial, memorable conclusion for readers." --Kirkus Reviews
"The Jenna Fox Chronicles distinguish themselves among the many dystopian novels because of their unique combination of genre appeal and literary merit." --Horn Book Review
"This is my kind of book . . . All of the elements that made the previous books so good are here too: fast pace, interesting world-building, complex thematic ideas about humanity and morality." --Stacked - librarians, reviews, mayhem
In my last post on tools of the trade, I mentioned that I was trying out Blake Snyder's Beat Sheet for the new book I was working on. The beats of course, are all the elements of story, beginning, middle, and ending, and obviously several more beyond that. So by the fact that I'm using it, it might imply that I know all these things about my story already. Um. No. In truth, the story I'm working on has already turned in directions that have nothing to do with the prescribed "beats." And that's okay. Writing out the beats certainly wasn't wasted time. It gave me a chance to ponder my characters and the world they live in.
In terms of writing, I've always been more of a plunger than a plotter. I find my way through a story, but that doesn't mean I don't do some planning too. Usually after my initial plunge, I step back, regroup, and plan, at least loosely. Then a bit more plunging. Rinse and repeat. Even though I try to plan, I know that Serendipity and the Muse could gang up on me at any moment and hijack the story in a way I hadn't expected. Actually, I'm kind of counting on them to do just that. The unexpected turn or revelation, even for the author--is one of the delights of writing.
And of course, since I've only planned "loosely" I'm hoping these wispy writing partners will also step up and fill in those gaps I couldn't quite figure out. Usually they do by the time I reach the end. I know it's only my subconscious working and trusting the process, but sometimes it does feel like some other being made all those unwieldy threads align.
It's funny because I sometimes hear authors firmly say they're in one camp or the other, plotter or plunger, but very often when they start describing the details of their process, they seem to be a bit of both: Trusting the characters and story to lead them where the story needs to go, but not afraid to wield a tool from their writing tool chest when the story requires it. What kind of writer are you?
Off to plunge and plot . . .
I love ALAN. It's one of my favorite conferences. Don't ask me to repeat what ALAN stands for. I know Assembly is in there, and Adolescent, and Literature. But I always mangle the whole name. The important thing is it's all about YA books, and the people who love them, and teach them, and share them. If you happen to be going, I hope I'll see you there. Here's my schedule:
Sunday: 9-10 a.m. I'll be signing ARCs for FOX FOREVER at the Macmillan Booth #511! It's my first signing for my final book in the series! Very excited.
Sunday night I'll be at the ALAN kickoff reception which is always so much fun.
Monday and Tuesday I'll be hanging out listening to all the great panels so I hope I might run into some of you then.
And on Tuesday afternoon from 2:40-3:40, I'll be on a panel discussing speculative fiction. (And I think I might be signing after that too?) so I hope you'll come to that too.
Then whisking home to get ready for turkey day. Hope you all have a great Thanksgiving!
RSS Feed