The Basics of Writing and Reading YA Fiction

Anonymous asked: Hi, what are some good resources for first time writer’s of Young Adult fiction. Also, any good recommendations besides some of the more popular ones like Suzanne Collins and Cassandre Clare. Thanks.

We’re going to give you a ton of articles on writing YA fiction, but here are the basics:

1. Do not condescend to your reader. Ever. Do not preach. No one cares about five pages of exposition detailing the dangers of drunk driving or pot smoking. Be honest. Be open. Tell a riveting story not a cautionary tale.
2. Create strong young characters. Young people are complex and your characters should reflect this. Their decisions aren’t always the right ones. Their thought processes don’t always make sense. They’re learning. They’re growing. Don’t forget to have them make mistakes and learn from them in believable ways. Give your characters power over the events in the story. Children in YA fiction have the power to change (their) world. Don’t overlook this.
3. Have a solid plot. This is especially true in YA. YA readers are there for the dynamite plots. Action is a big deal. Even if it’s a relatively “small” story (no saving the world), the overall feel should be epic.
4. Write with a strong YA voice. Young adults sound like young adults. They’re not adults in teenaged bodies. Young people speak differently, have different interests and priorities, and behave differently from adults. Write a voice young people want to hear, but which also resonates with adults (lots of adults read YA now).
5. Listen to young adults. They know what they want. Go talk to some young people. They’ll tell you exactly the sorts of stories they care about. Learn from them first, then write a story for them.

Here are some articles on YA fiction:

• Why I write young adult fiction
• Writing YA Versus Adult 
• Kendall And Kylie Jenner Writing Young Adult Novel 
• How to Write YA Fiction: An Interview with Deborah Halverson – Monday, July 25, 2011
• 5 Tips for Writing Young Adult Fiction
• Young Adult Novel Guidelines
• Tips for Writing Young Adult Novels
• How to Write a Young Adult Novel
• Geraldine Meade’s Advice on Writing YA Fiction
• Writing Young Adult Fiction For Dummies
• Writing Young-Adult Fiction
• SLATE’S 10 TIPS ON WRITING YA FICTION (this is a response article to the article above)

And here are some great authors in YA fiction:

• John Marsden, author of the Tomorrow series
• P.C. Cast, author of the House of Night series
• Eoin Colfer, author of the Artemis Fowl series
• Cornelia Funke, author of the Inkheart trilogy
• Richelle Mean, author of the Vampire Academy series and the Bloodlines series
• Alyson Noel, author of The Immortals series
• D.J. Machale, author of the Pendragon series and the Morpheus Road trilogy
• Veronica Roth, author of the Divergent trilogy
• Melissa Marr, author of the Wicked Lovely series
• John Green, author of Looking for Alaska, An Abundance of Katherines, Paper Towns, and The Fault in Our Stars
• Maureen Johnson, author of The Key to the Golden Firebird and the 13 Little Blue Envelopes series
  
• Lauren Myracle, author of the Winnie Years series and the Internet Girls series
• Nancy Holder, co-author of the Wicked series
• Debbie Viguié, co-author of the Wicked series
• Tamora Pierce, author of The Song of the Lioness series
• Christopher Pike, author of The Secret of Ka and the Remember Me series
• Celia Rees, author of the H.A.U.N.T.S. series
• Rick Riordan, author of the Olympian Demigod Series (there are two)
• Angie Sage, author of the Septimus Heap series
• J.K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter series
• L.J. Smith, author of The Vampire Diaries series
• Lenomy Snicket, author of  A Series of Unfortunate Events
• Maggie Stiefvater, author of the Shiver trilogy
• John Flanagan, author of the Ranger’s Apprentice series
• Jana Oliver, author of the Demon Trappers series
• Anne Osterlund, author of Aurelia, Exile, and Academy 7
• Orson Scott Card, author of the Ender’s Game series

Okay, listen. There are literally thousands of young adult authors. Tons of the best authors in YA fiction are not listed here, but it’s a start.

Here are some more directories for great YA authors:

• List of Young Adult Writers
• VANDERGRIFT’S 100: LIST OF YOUNG ADULT AUTHORS AND TITLES
• Best Young Adult Books
• Best Young Adult Fiction by UK Authors
• 2012 Debut Authors (Young Adult & Middle Grade)

If you’d like to add an author to the list, reply to this post or shoot us an ask. Please format your suggestion like this:

[author’s first and last name], author of [book or series title]

Thank you for your question!