oh, courtney - SLATE'S 10 TIPS ON WRITING YA FICTION

23rd June 2011

Post with 39 notes

SLATE’S 10 TIPS ON WRITING YA FICTION

(read the original article here)

01. Remember! Your audience can’t vote yet, so you don’t have to worry about giving them too much to think about.

02 In fact, the less thinking and the more immaturity you bring to the table the better. No shame.

03. If you aren’t sure your dialogue is authentic enough, try the Kevin Williamson Test. This involves reading your dialogue aloud and adding the word “Dawson” to the end of it. ie, “All of this talking about deep stuff weirds me out, Dawson.”

04. Because kids remember Dawson’s Creek don’t they? They’re still into it, right? I don’t know! I’m an old!

05. If you aren’t comfortable with the material you’re writing, reading it aloud in a mocking voice will help.

06. When people ask you what you do for a living, don’t tell them you write young adult fiction. No one takes YA authors seriously. Tell them you are “paid good money” to be a “literary predator [that] comes for people’s children.” They’ll take you WAY more seriously then!

07. Forget everything you’ve ever heard about the editorial process. We don’t do that editing stuff in YA.

08. Also no one judges you in YA! Standards?! What are they? No standards! Only the FREEDOM OF STORYTELLING, BABY!

09. If “fast and loose” isn’t your mantra, it should be. I hope you haven’t read that draft of your book too much! (See tip #7.)

10. No slutty werewolves.

Seriously you guys what is with all these facepalming articles on or about YA surfacing lately? Luckily indignance and spite helps along my writing process otherwise I would be paralyzed by both NOW if you’ll excuse me I have to go work on the 8,000th draft of my fourth book for my readers who have shown me the kind of respect and trust I want to honour and show them in return—just like (gasp) all the YA writers I’ve encountered.

Tagged: icanteven,facepalm facepalm facepalm wtfisthis