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.

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 added a new page to my website  For Writers.  

I've received more than the usual amount of mail lately from new writers needing some tips or guidance and I figured it was time to put some helpful resources together in one neat tidy place. I hope new aspiring writers will find it useful.

If you know of other great writing resources, please share them!

“We are all apprentices in a craft where no one ever becomes a master.”
--Ernest Hemingway

I'm starting to write a brand new book and I’m at that giddy stage, the in-love stage.  Everything is possible! The pages ahead of me are an endless open territory.  My characters will do great things!  Hideous things!  Gut-wrenching things!  There are no limits to what I can do with setting!  It will be a character in itself. And the plot?  It will weave into complicated rivulets that will test the limits of my character!  That’s what beginnings are, open territory where everything and anything is possible. Inspiration abounds.

But I’ve written enough books to know that after the “everything is possible” stage comes the “oh crap, this isn't going exactly as I planned” stage.  Inspiration alone doesn't get a book get written. And that fact makes me mindful of craft, using all the tools at my disposal to help me tell the story in the best possible way I can.  At this early stage I begin revisiting and polishing up the tools I have, and always, always, begin looking for new ones. In terms of craft, I am forever an apprentice and I'm grateful for that.

I have to admit, I love reading about craft.  There’s hardly a book on writing that I don’t own.  Stephen King, Robert Mckee,  Anne LeMott, Madeline L’Engle, Donald Maass, Betsy Lerner, Linda Seger, and many, many more--I’ve learned something from them all. I love hearing their insights, their highs and lows of the process, and their own unique approaches which could never be mine, but make me examine my own process more closely. Yes, I guess this is a time of self-examination too.

This last year when I was on tour with Alyson Noel and Jessica Brody, they both told me about the Beat Sheet from Save the Cat, a book on screenwriting by Blake Snyder.  It helps you break your story down into fifteen essential beats. Much of what is covered can apply to novels too.  It intrigued me. So I’m using a modified version of that to organize my thoughts.

Why don’t I just use the same methods I’ve used on all my other books?  To a certain extent I do, but alas, no two books are ever alike, so they all have to be approached slightly differently.  And maybe I just like mixing things up a bit to help me think in fresh ways. I love the challenge of new stories and new approaches. Maybe that’s what I love the most about the writing process, is it keeps you on your toes.

And this new book is certainly doing that.  New territory.  Magical. But when the walls and detours start coming, I’m grateful for the tools too.