Writing YA: Reading Deeply to Write Deeply
We all do it, right? Glance at a group of letters, pull out a word. Reading is so ingrained in our minds that it’s almost impossible to not read signs, titles, anything with words on. But there’s reading, and then there’s reading. Today, reading mostly falls into two categories: reading for pleasure, and reading for information. Reading as an art–really reading, reading deeper, to get within a story, to pick it to pieces and learn how it works–is fast becoming forgotten. But...
Read MoreWriting YA: What Familiar Style is & Why You Should Use It
Young adult fiction is full of phonies. It’s not surprising–after all, the majority of YA is written by authors in their twenties, at the least. And teen vernacular is always changing. Words that were popular a few years ago (“wicked” comes to mind) are dated now, pushed aside as a new crop of words creeps in. But forced coolness and past-their-teen authors are just the tip of the phony iceberg. The true issue, lurking like only a giant, submerged slab of ice can, is style. In terms...
Read MoreYA Market: If Teens Aren’t Tweeting, Why Are We?
Authors should blog. Authors should get on Facebook and set up fan pages. Authors should tweet. And many YA authors do, setting up themed blogs, tweeting their favorite books, putting up book trailers and extra content. But just who is the content reaching? According to a recent study from the Pew Internet and American Life Project, teen blogging and tweeting are down. Interestingly, the researchers list teens as 12 – 17 years old and young adults as the 18 – 29 set. Key facts from...
Read MoreCandor review over at SFWP.org
My first review for the Santa Fe Writers Project is up! If I were pitching Pam Bachorz’ Candor at an editorial meeting, I’d call it “dystopian contemporary YA meets The Stepford Wives with a dash of Wisteria Lane from a male perspective”. Oscar Banks is cookie-cutter perfect. He’s a straight A student, is dating the prettiest, smartest girl in Candor High, and has more friends than a parrot at a pirate convention…[more] Read it at SFWP.org, then check out some of their excellent...
Read MoreWriting Classes – why they’re important, and what to do when you get there
Guest Post @ The Flash Fiction Chronicles I have a new post up at The Flash Fiction Chronicles, the blog for flash fiction ezine Everyday Fiction. It’s all about writing classes–why they’re important, and what to do when you get there. Check it out here. For most of us, writing is a somewhat solitary pursuit – after all, it’s hard to actually work on a story if you’re chatting to your Mom, IM’ing your best friend, or grabbing lunch with hubby. But there comes a time in...
Read MoreWriters’ Kit: Setting & Evaluating Goals
Come the end of December, I take some time to think about my goals for the year. I make lists–tangible evidence of what I’ve achieved, then settle down over a cup of coffee and congratulate myself on my awesomeness. Once that’s over and done with (honestly, musing on my awesomeness can take hours!), I think about the goals I haven’t yet reached, and spend some time thinking about why. This, believe it or not, is the fun part. I like hitting my goals, I really do. And...
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