Most YA novels written by adults fail the same way: the teen characters sound like adults trying to remember what being 15 felt like. The problem goes deeper than vocabulary. It’s what the character cares about. Adults frame problems in context—this relationship matters because of my history, this career matters because of my future. Teenagers…
Most writers have a default sentence length. They write it through everything—action, reflection, grief, joy. They never vary it. And their prose reads flat as a result. Sentence length is one of the most direct levers you have over a reader’s emotional state. Long sentences slow everything down. They create room for thought, for memory,…
“As you know, Bob, our family was killed in the fire 12 years ago” is the most mocked line in fiction writing—because we all know characters don’t talk that way. But I see the same mistake in every form. The info dump paragraph. The flashback that explains everything before the story needs it. The chapter…
First-person present tense is the most seductive mistake in contemporary fiction. Writers discover it in published YA or literary novels and try it themselves. The logic seems sound: “I run down the hallway” feels more immediate than “I ran down the hallway.” More urgent. More cinematic. What gets lost is narrative distance. Distance is a…
Most writers don’t finish their first novel. The reason is almost never a bad idea. It’s editing while they write. I’ve taught over 100,000 students. The pattern is the same: you write a chapter, you don’t like it, you go back and fix it. Then you fix the next chapter. Then you loop. You never…
mww42 Manuscript Evaluation ChecklistDownload This topic is covered in depth in our Novel Writing Workshop.
A note from Daniel White Hodge, the editor of this page: “This dictionary isn’t so you can try to talk like someone you’re not. But it is a good reference for those who are seeking to understand a piece of youth culture today. No … every kid doesn’t use all of these words. But this…
Using Metaphors in Creative Writing What is a metaphor? The term metaphor meant in Greek “carry something across” or “transfer,” which suggests many of the more elaborate definitions below: Metaphor Table Definition Origin A comparison between two things, based on resemblance or similarity, without using “like” or “as” most dictionaries and textbooks The act of…
by Susan J. Letham Novice writers tend to feel awed by the concept of “voice.” Once you understand what writers mean by voice, it becomes easier to grasp. You wouldn’t mistake Goldie Hawn’s voice for Liz Taylor’s, even if you couldn’t see their faces, would you? And if I were to give you a text to read, you wouldn’t…
After two years of editing(!) Dani’s and my new book, Writing Young Adult Fiction, is about to be published. As one of our fans, I’d like to extend this special pre-publication offer to you: get the Kindle book for just $2.99, or get it for free when you purchase the paperback. My favorite part of the book…
Passive writing is boring. Here’s a simple change you can apply to every sentence you write to make it more interesting. Simply look for the word “was.” For example: The house I grew up in was in Los Angeles. It was a low, ranch style house with some modern touches. It was designed by my…
by Elizabeth Rose Part one My favorite part of writing, believe it or not, is the dialogue. While many authors may feel this is a challenging aspect in their novel, I, instead look forward to the dialogue as I let my characters write the book themselves. Personally, I think dialogue can make or break a…
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