Tag: writing for young adults

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Writing for YA

Jumpstart Evocative Writing During the Holidays

Does your prose suffer from overly mechanical writing? Your story gets there, but the scenery is somewhat bland? Or maybe even though you’ve pulled out all the stops, using every technique you know of to employ deep point of view, you still want to add a bit of umph to your writing with sensory detail and emotion? Perhaps your fiction is immersive enough, but you feel you could delve just a little deeper. Here are a few ideas to help sharpen your skills by using the holiday season as a time of observation, research, and inspiration for your writing. 

Human Behavior

The best writers are careful observers of human behavior and make use of their knowledge in both fiction and nonfiction writing. During the holidays, we can’t help but notice exaggerated and intense human behavior, whether in line at the store, in a coffee shop, at church, or at home. Even the casual observer is sure to encounter some interactions during the holiday season that may not be seen at other times of the year, both the positive and the not-so-positive.

We mingle with people who we don’t normally interact with every day. Perhaps these are people we don’t know well, such people as at work parties, school events, or community happenings. This can also apply to people we share a history with, relatives and family friends.

In the young adult arena, change happens fast. What is true of the attitudes, thoughts, and needs of young adults today may be different that it was in the past. Take the opportunity to reexamine any preconceived ideas you may have and use the knowledge gleaned to apply to your teen characters, while at the same time noting the unchanging elements all young people have faced.

The holiday season is different from the regular day-to-day. People are stressed, thrown into unusual circumstances, and as a result, display the complicated human nature in all its glory. Stress brings out all sorts of emotion and behaviors, including in ourselves. It can bring out the best—and worst—in us.

Chronicling the actions around us and our own internal reactions and thoughts can be useful. (Just don’t write down anything you wouldn’t want people to read!)

Unique Settings

If you have trouble describing settings or integrating sensory detail into your work, the holidays are the perfect time to take special note of surroundings. Over the next two months, novel sights and sounds will be plentiful. Music, food, beautiful decorations, all of these things are a treat for the senses. It’s a perfect time to catalog what you are experiencing as you taste your pumpkin pie, experience the texture, temperature, and scent. And a perfect time to think about memories or feelings that bubble to the surface, which leads me to another component of evocative writing, emotions.

Intense Emotions

If you’re brave enough to peel back some layers during the holiday season, you might find a world of emotional experiences to draw on. I feel like I can’t make it through the holiday season without diving headfirst into a sensory and emotional smorgasbord. I’d be hard-pressed to make it through any holiday season without tears of happiness, gratefulness, and grief. Sometimes all three simultaneously. 

Pay attention to the things that put a tear in your eye. Sit in the moment for a little while. Ignore the busyness and listen to what your heart is telling you.

Nostalgia and Connectivity 

Every year I bring out the nativity set my grandmother made for me. Then I tell my children about my grandmother. My youngest daughter never got to meet her because she had already passed away before my daughter was born. Yet I tell her the story every year. This is a perfect example of how we often mine our own experiences, capture the feeling and emotion, and pass the story on. The family stories we tell foster connection, as do the memories we keep.

The holidays naturally lend themselves to digging into our own emotions and tender feelings (fond or not) toward the past. Writers can use personal or collective stories as a springboard to do a similar thing with the stories they write, getting in touch with emotion on a deep level. There’s a reason Christmas stories and movies strive to create a nostalgic mood. It helps connect the audience to the story. For writers of young adult novels, reconnecting to the experiences and feelings of our younger selves can help us write authentic characters in our fiction.

Immerse yourself in a highly emotional, sensory environment, observe others reactions and your own, and take notes. Allow yourself to be inspired. Just make sure that you are also living in the moment and treasure all you are blessed with. Remember, the best material for writing—and for a life well-lived—is to live in the moment fully.

Donna Jo Stone is an award-winning multi-genre author. She writes contemporary young adult, historical fiction, and southern fiction. Many of her novels are about tough issues, but she always ends her stories on a note of hope. Finding the faith to carry on through hard battles in a common theme in Donna Jo’s books.

Donna Jo’s Christian Southern Coming of Age, When the Wildflowers Bloom Again, releases November 15th.
 
Babies are a gift from God, a truth fourteen-year-old Marigold (Mary) Parker knows full well, but the one she carries is the result of assault by her cousin. This secret can destroy her family, and Mary isn’t sure how much of the truth to reveal—or what to do about the baby.

For the latest news on upcoming releases, including her contemporary young adult novel, Promise Me Tomorrow, scheduled for release in 2025, sign up for Donna Jo’s newsletter at  donnajostone.com.

Donna Jo’s Christian Southern Coming of Age, When the Wildflowers Bloom Again, releases November 15th.

Babies are a gift from God, a truth fourteen-year-old Marigold (Mary) Parker knows full well, but the one she carries is the result of assault by her cousin. This secret can destroy her family, and Mary isn’t sure how much of the truth to reveal—or what to do about the baby.

For the latest news on upcoming releases, including her contemporary young adult novel, Promise Me Tomorrow, scheduled for release in 2025, sign up for Donna Jo’s newsletter at  donnajostone.com.

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Writing for YA

Avoiding Burnout: Interview with YA Author Gillian Bronte Adams

Burnout. It’s a consequence of producing books that authors don’t always consider. Today’s authors must juggle multiple roles, and often, multiple projects. What’s the best way to approach long-range planning to avoid becoming a casualty of burnout? Today I’m talking with YA author Gillian Bronte Adams.

DJS: You have several books out. What are your best tips for new (and experienced) authors about long-range planning?

GBA: Learn your writing habits and creative style. Are you driven by deadlines or does the pressure  drain you and leave you struggling to write? How good are you at multi-tasking—juggling drafting, marketing, edits, etc.? Which parts of the writing process excite and energize you and which feel like pulling teeth? Do you consistently overwrite or underwrite your first drafts? Would you consider yourself a fast or slow writer?

The more you learn about your personal writing habits and can identify your strengths, weaknesses, and creative personality, the better equipped you’ll be to evaluate each opportunity that comes your way, whether it’s a book contract, deadline, speaking engagement, or event. Trying to take on everything all at once or making decisions based on what others authors are doing (without taking your personal creative process into account) is one of the fastest paths I know to burning out.


DJS: How can writers avoid burnout?

GBA: I struggled with severe burnout while writing the second book in my current series. It was so disorienting to me, because it was a part of a series I’d been dreaming about writing for years and desperately loved, so I know the pain of burning out and the struggle of wondering if your creativity will ever come back. I think it’s vitally important to build rest times into your writing schedule. Writing is a marathon not a sprint. It requires serious discipline, but it’s also fueled by space to think and gain inspiration.

“Writing is a marathon not a sprint.”

If you wait until you’re continually running on empty, you’ll often need significantly longer to refuel than if you intentionally pause to fill up along the way. Sometimes the most productive thing you can do is take a break.

One of the hardest things I’m still learning to evaluate is when my struggle with writing is just because writing is hard and I’m discouraged but can keep going—or when there’s something more severe (like burnout) setting in. That’s where learning to identify your personal writing habits and style helps so much, because you can get a feel for what’s a normal part of your process and what’s not and may be able to catch your own early warning signs of burnout.

I think it’s also important to be aware that burnout can be caused or exacerbated by elements in your life outside of writing. When that’s the case, simply stepping away from writing for a few days might not be enough. Being able to show yourself grace in that situation and, whenever possible, give space for your creativity to recover has to become a priority.

DJS: What are some of the challenges you faced as a multi-published author?

GBA: One of the biggest challenges I was unprepared for after signing my first series contract was how much multi-tasking would be required to draft the next book while editing the first book and promoting my debut launch. It was a crash course in learning to write and create on a deadline while shifting priorities as necessary, and I learned several lessons the hard way.

DJS: When writing gets hard, what do you do to encourage yourself or to recapture your enjoyment of writing?

GBA: Sometimes, I’ll read back over a favorite passage from a previous work, one that captures the heart of the project and helps me remember that we can get there eventually, even if it’s hard. I’ve also started making a list when I begin a new project with all of the things that excite me about the idea—specific scenes, moments between characters, elements of the world that ignite my imagination, etc. Reviewing that list when I’m discouraged reminds why I fell in love with the idea and can help me refocus on what’s really important.


DJS: If you could go back in time to the moment before you had your first book published, what advice would you give yourself?

GBA: Writing, marketing, and publishing require non-stop decision making. It can feel like each decision is the most important one, especially when you’re about to launch your debut. The decision fatigue can feel paralyzing and hinder you from making even simple choices. So learning to identify which decisions truly are important and deserve significant deliberation and which decisions are not going to be career altering and can be made “for now” is really helpful. I wish I’d known to approach it more like starting off on a journey as an author, as opposed to viewing becoming an author with that first book as my destination.

DJS: What great advice! Thank you for sharing your experiences and the wisdom you’ve gleaned along the way.

Do you have any upcoming projects you want to tell us about?

GBA: I am currently writing the final book in my YA epic fantasy series, The Fireborn Epic. It’s my ode to my favorite thick tomes like The Lord of the Rings and The Stormlight  Archive along with the many years I spent running the horsemanship program at a summer camp, so it has warriors who bond with magical warhorses, cinematic action sequences, and soul striking character arcs. The first two books are out now. I’ve been blown away by the love for this series and can’t wait for readers to be able to dive into the epic conclusion. 

Seas boil and jungles burn in Of Sea and Smoke, the tempestuous sequel to the award-winning Of Fire and Ash, where an outcast queen, royal rebel, captive priest, and their desperate band of warriors bonded with magical steeds battle a conquest-hungry empire and power-mad assassin. Six years ago, the wrong brother survived, and nothing will ever convince Rafi Tetrani otherwise, but he is done running from his past. Confronted with the evils of the emperor’s rule, he vows to fight, and the stolen shipload of magical warhorses offers just the edge he needs. But those steeds have been demanded in ransom by the emperor’s ruthless assassin, and if Rafi hopes to raise a band of riders, he must first outwit his brother’s murderer.

Gillian Bronte Adams writes epic fantasy novels, including the award-winning Of Fire and Ash and The Songkeeper Chronicles. She loves strong coffee, desert hikes, trying out new soup recipes on crisp fall nights, and searching for books that make her heart ache and soar in turn. When she’s not creating vibrant new worlds or dreaming up stories that ring with the echoes of eternity, she can be found off chasing sunsets with her horse, or her dog Took.

Donna Jo Stone is an award-winning multi-genre author. She writes contemporary young adult, historical fiction, and southern fiction. Many of her novels are about tough issues, but she always ends her stories on a note of hope. Finding the faith to carry on through hard battles in a common theme in Donna Jo’s books.

The first novel in Donna Jo’s young adult series, Promise Me Tomorrow, is scheduled for publication in 2025. Her short romance, A Wedding to Remember, released Feb 1st, her adult 1960s inspy romance, JOANN: Apron Strings Books 5, released May 15th, and her Small Town Christian Domestic Suspense with Romance, The Key Collector’s Promise, releases September 6th . Stay in touch and receive the latest news by signing up for Donna Jo’s newsletter at  donnajostone.com.

Categories
Writing for YA

Naming the Book Baby: How to Create a Compelling Title

My books rarely keep their working titles. This may be because the title wasn’t that great to start with, or because after the story evolves, it no longer fits.

A great title is part of what captivates readers, enticing them to pick up the book to find out more, but crafting the perfect title isn’t always easy.

I asked a couple of YA authors how they came up with the titles for their novels.

“If a book doesn’t come to me with a title already attached and I have to find one for it, I usually start by writing a list of the themes in the book and any symbolic objects. That’s how I found the titles for both Cloaked and One Bad Apple. 

If that doesn’t work, I’ll search through Shakespeare using OpenSourceShakespeare.org for words and phrases that apply to the book and see if he’s got anything cool I can use.

I also sometimes search through Ecclesiastes, Psalms, and Proverbs looking for titles, often using BibleGateway.com. That’s how I found the title for My Rock and My Refuge.”

Rachel Kovaciny, Author of Western Fairytale Retellings

Stephanie Daniels, Author of YA Historical Fiction says:

“I tend to love titles with double meanings. If I can latch onto a theme that might also work as the outer goal for the character then that’s what I try to do.

I do a ton of word webbing when I brainstorm. And nothing is too obscure or ridiculous.

I also love when a character’s name can pull double duty.”

Other ideas for finding the perfect title:

Use metaphors or symbolism. For example, my upcoming release is titled The Key Collector’s Daughter. The key is a symbol of my character’s yearning for home and is an object of special significance. The literal key itself has a double meaning, because it means one thing to her father, but has an entirely different significance to her mother.

Use words that have strong emotional impact. Words like heartbreak, promise, lost, or any other word you can think of that evokes a strong feeling may be good contenders as part of a title.

Focus on setting or character. Some book titles incorporate a character’s name or the setting. As long as it’s descriptive and catchy, that can sometimes work well.   

Go for a memorable title. This one can be a bit tricky. If the title is too obscure or difficult to understand, readers won’t be drawn to it. If it’s too similar to what’s already out there (or if it’s already being used) it can cause confusion and frustration for the reader. Research in your genre and subgenre to see what titles work and aim for a variation, making your title unique enough to stand out, but familiar enough so customers are attracted to it. Consider a title that hints at genre, mood, setting, or some other element to pique interest.

Keep it concise. Long titles are hard to remember. Try to come up with a title that is descriptive but catchy.

Always ask for feedback. It’s hard to give up a title we become attached to, but it’s part of market research to ask others’ advice and opinions before committing to the final title. Survey your intended market and other authors. They’ll be happy to help.

Check your genre. For writers of young adult novels, it’s important to do the research and stay up to date on what title appeal to teens today. What worked in the past, or what works for other markets may not give authors of young adult fiction the competitive edge they need to succeed in the genre right now.

Keep these things in mind, and you’ll have a head start on coming up with a great title.

Do you have any additional tips on naming your book baby? Leave a comment!

Donna Jo Stone is an award-winning author of young adult contemporary and adult historical fiction. She writes about tough issues but always ends her stories on a note of hope. Her novels are about common struggles and finding the faith to carry on through those battles. The first book in Donna Jo’s young adult series is scheduled for publication in 2025.Her short romance, A Wedding to Remember, released Feb 1st, and her adult 1960s inspy romance, JOANN: Apron Strings Books 5, released May 15th.

Stay in touch and receive the latest news by signing up for Donna Jo’s newsletter at  donnajostone.com.

Both Stephanie and Rachel are members of a Facebook group, Christian Fiction Readers and Authors. https://www.facebook.com/groups/T.YA.Christianfictionreadersandauthors

To find out more about Stephanie and her young adult historical fiction, including her book, The Uncertainty of Fire, visit her website at https://authorstephaniedaniels.com/

To find out more about Rachel’s Western Fairytale Retellings and her latest releases, including her recent release, The Man on the Buckskin Horse, you can visit her website at  http://www.rachelkovaciny.com/

Categories
Writing for YA

How to Avoid Writing a Contrived Plot

I’ve been working on a story, and was a bit concerned my ending felt contrived. In my critique group, we discussed it a little, but I couldn’t come to a clear conclusion. I decided to study the topic and attempt to untangle this particular knot. I thought I’d share the list I came up with on how to identify a contrived plot or scene.

Out of the Blue Behavior

The protagonist (or antagonist) suddenly does something out of character with no explanation. He or she acts in a way that doesn’t line up with what readers know about the character, or they change core beliefs for no discernible reason, or do other odd things for no other reason than to provide a solution to a story problem.

Who’s Driving This Thing?

The story is propelled by circumstantial events happening to the protagonist rather than the protagonist being the catalyst. When I first started writing, I tended to throw obstacles into my story from outside the character, visiting terrible tragedy on them. I was blessed to have a mentor who helped me understand that the protagonist didn’t just need troubles, they must have a goal.

Check to make sure the main character is the captain of his or her own ship. They should try to procure what they want or need to solve their problem. As the story progresses, the protagonist faces obstacles, some of which are overcome, some of which are not.

I Need a Hero

At the eleventh hour, an unlikely hero comes galloping up on a white horse. He wasn’t in the story before, or perhaps only showed up in chapter three for two minutes. If he takes on such a vital role at the conclusion, it might be a good idea to dig into the manuscript in order to develop that character and his storyline. Then, hopefully, the resolution will unfold naturally in a realistic or logical way. This was the fix my current story required. I added interactions with the character, enhanced the setup, and viola!

Too Many Hidden Details

Sometimes it may feel like the plot is contrived because there’s not enough information given up front. If a character appears to make choices simply to get the author out of a plot pickle, a bit of backstory could shed light on the character’s behavior.

Here’s an example. Mrs. Susie Sunshine is the kindest soul you’ll ever meet, but treats her elderly mother with a lack of respect bordering on contempt. The reader is going to want to know why.

If Susie has a deep dark secret in her past that explains her actions, suddenly the story makes sense, and becomes more interesting to boot. Dropping hints about the main character’s backstory at key moments and providing an eventual airing of the issue will make for a satisfying resolution.

Sometimes an undeveloped character leads to a contrived plot. Developing a character may happen before a writer drafts, along the way, in the editing stage, or a combination of all three. It all depends on the author’s process.

The Charmed Life

A character has a charmed life, strolls through the story, never having to work for success. Solutions fall into his lap. He meanders along his way, riding the wave of good luck all the way to his happy ending. The problem here is no conflict, and possibly no goal or stakes.

Convenient Coincidences

There are too many coincidences, where the character gets necessary information by “just happening” to overhear conversations, randomly bumps into the person with the perfect solution or advice, becomes lost only to miraculously end up exactly where they need to be, and so on.

To check for these, I ask myself what would happen in the narrative if there were no coincidences? Is there a way to move the story forward without using the coincidences? Can the characters be given histories to explain these things? 

In Defense of Side Trips

Suppose you’re writing a discovery type draft and toss in a random coincidence to bring the story back into line for your vision. Is that a bad thing? Not always. It could be an opportunity to add layers or interest, or to explore an entirely new direction. As long as there’s enough set up and the unfolding events conclude with logic, it might shake out. In this type of writing situation, I might consider dropping in backstory and see how the story develops, then decide if it works.

The Coincidental Ending

Some genres lend themselves to coincidental endings, and some don’t. Check your genre. Even in inspirational fiction, leaning too heavily on divine intervention may fall flat. Readers want a character they can root for, characters who make choices, and then eventually find their way to a solution.

Years ago, I read a novel by a popular author and the concluding chapters suddenly took a weird sci-fi detour to explain the story. The event tying all the threads together felt out of the blue and of another genre. These contortions were necessary for the story to make any kind of sense. But I didn’t buy it. I was not happy, to say the least. I never read another book by this author.

That’s not the reaction I want from my readers. Do you have anything to add to this list about uncovering a contrived plot?

Leave a comment!

Donna Jo Stone is an award-winning author of young adult contemporary and adult historical fiction. She writes about tough issues but always ends her stories on a note of hope. Her novels are about common struggles and finding the faith to carry on through those battles.

Categories
Writing for YA

Writing Characters Readers Connect With Part Two

Last time we talked about some ways to write a character that evokes a deep connection with the reader. Today’s article is a continuation. You can read part one here.

Character Worksheets

Has anyone ever said you need to do some character work? Did they suggest character worksheets and interviews? I can almost hear seat-of-the-pants writers groaning. Do I have to?

It depends. If filling out questionnaires about characters background feels like a waste of time to and the idea is repugnant, it’s perfectly acceptable to fill in characters’ history while writing the draft or during editing. The process can be as neat and structured from day one as the author wants it to be, or it can be messy.

There are no First Draft Police

The point is, a character needs to have life experiences, beliefs, history, cultural influences, deeply held moral beliefs, and a multitude of other things that impact their behavior in the story world. All these details are given in tiny bits along the way and provide a riche experience for the reader.

When I read a story, if I don’t get to travel on the emotional journey with a character, I quickly become frustrated. I expect to have a deeper and deeper understanding as the story goes along.

Finding The Stress Points and The Quiet Times

Does this mean you have to rewrite your whole story? No. Look for the places where the character is under a great deal of stress, especially emotional stress. Drop in a few lines of backstory, reactions, their belief system, what they think and feel in that moment. No need to overdo it. Do the same for quieter moments that naturally lend themselves to introspection.

I enjoy using this method to discover things about my characters. Two or three sentences that fit into the story in an organic way can reveal much about the deeper aspects and inner life of my main character.

I went through my first manuscript and made notes that mostly said, What is she feeling or thinking here?

Explaining what my character was feeling and thinking improved the story immensely, but in the next round of edits, adding in crumbs of backstory and rounding my character gave the whole novel a depth previously missing. Now I had a character my readers could understand. At this point, I needed to make sure the character was relatable, and give my readers someone to empathize with. (The character will also need a goal, which I talked about in a previous post on GMC.)

If you feel your work is lacking in the emotional exploration department, go ahead and put it all on the page. Don’t hold back, and don’t worry about too much introspection during the drafting or editing phase. If a writer goes overboard, it’s easy to trim.

These tips won’t guarantee you’ll get the coveted acceptance letter, but if you assess your manuscript and realize that these things are missing, going deeper with your character will improve your manuscript.

Do you have any tips for evoking a deep emotional connection with readers? Leave me a comment.

Donna Jo Stone is an award-winning author of young adult contemporary and adult historical fiction. She writes about tough issues but always ends her stories on a note of hope. Her novels are about common struggles and finding the faith to carry on through those battles.

Categories
Writing for YA

Five Things You Must Do To Reach Teen Readers

Sometimes it’s hard to remember all the emotions, feelings, and concerns that young teens have. Times change, attitudes change, technology changes, but some things remain the same. A wise author taps into universal truths to write a compelling story that resonates with readers.

Consider the Concerns of Your Audience

It’s not enough to care about teen and preteen readers. To reach them, authors must connect. Young readers want to know that the things they care about are being addressed. 

Ask the teens in your life what they’re worried about. The issues today’s teens deal with seem far from what previous generations faced, but commonalities exist. The same threads are woven throughout coming-of-age stories, because all people go through some predictable processes, experiences, and emotions as they mature. There are variations but there are just as many, if not more, similarities. The trick is to translate past experience into material relevant and accessible to today’s readers. Stretch yourself and find the connection, a way to relate to what your audience is going through right now. Dig deep, draw on the experiences of your own adolescence, and make specific applications to the best of your ability. 

Talk to People

If an author chooses to ignore the concerns and fears at the forefront of their audience’s mind, they risk a disconnect. If you’re unsure or unaware of the issues, start a conversation with a favorite teen or two (or three). Teenagers are not always the most forthcoming of conversationalists—depending on who they’re talking to—but give them a chance to express themselves by going to the source first, your target reader. Listen to what they have to say. Then, ask teachers and youth counselors what they feel are the most important issues facing young people today. 

Have a Sensitive Heart

Once you’ve found an issue you want to address, approach it with sensitivity, caring, and compassion. No one wants to be preached at, talked down to, or lectured. This is true no matter the age of your audience.

Make good use of beta readers and critique partners. Ask them to look for places that are preachy or heavy-handed. Enlist the help of a sensitivity reader when needed.

Be Authentic 

Everyone has been disappointed, suffered a loss, felt misunderstood, felt lost, failed, been embarrassed, and so on. Without authentic emotion, it’s difficult for a reader to become invested in a story. The saying is true, No tears in the writer, No tears in the reader. Don’t be afraid of powerful emotions. Capture them and put them on the page.

Go Beyond Surface Research

Understand the culture and attitudes of your audience, going beyond the surface. What’s popular today may be obsolete tomorrow. Points of view, ways of seeing the world, and cultural influences can have more of a lasting impact than trends. It’s important to know where people are coming from, how they interpret their environment. If an author doesn’t understand their intended audience, they aren’t likely to reach them.

If your story is contemporary, by the time it goes to press current fads may have fallen out of fashion. Stick to describing details that will remain the same for a few years or longer and avoid anything trendy. On the other hand, if you want to date your writing, use details firmly establishing your story in a particular time period.

Keep your eye on the prize. Writing for young adults is a calling. It’s an opportunity to have a tremendous influence on the future and change lives with the potential to have a lasting impact.

Donna Jo Stone is an award-winning author of young adult contemporary and adult historical fiction. She writes about tough issues but always ends her stories on a note of hope. Her novels are about common struggles and finding the faith to carry on through those battles.

The first book in Donna Jo’s young adult series is scheduled for publication in 2025, and her adult inspirational novella, Book Five in The Apron Strings Series, will release in May of 2024. You can find out more at  donnajostone.com.

Categories
Writing for YA

How To Reclaim Writing Motivation

Slogging away for weeks, months, or years on a project can be discouraging. Writing requires self-discipline, but is that enough to power through? Maybe. But as with any long-term task, staying motivated is essential.

There are days when motivation remains elusive, no matter how much I try to buckle down.

I asked a few young adult authors what keeps them going when the task seems never ending.

What keeps me going is knowing that not all teen readers are interested in fantasy. Some are looking for other types of stories, like the historical novels I write. Readers should have options the way I did as a teen.

Stephanie Daniels ~ Historical Young Adult Author

Without a doubt the weekly meeting with my crit group helps keep me creatively energized. I know I need to sub something. Even when I don’t feel like writing, I’m the type of person that doesn’t want to let anybody down. I take that seriously and it keeps me—if not on track—at least moving forward.

Stephanie Daniels ~ Historical Young Adult Author

I can’t NOT write. It is has been a part of my creative makeup since I was a young teen. I would write stories even if there were no motivation for me to publish them. Of course I stumble into times of writers’ block or when life gets in the way. Discouragement, grief, stress… they’re all powerful anti-motivators to writing. Sometimes I must accept those challenges and give myself permission to take a break. When my mother was sick and subsequently passed, it was over a year before I could write again, and then I had to make a concerted effort to write… not wait for inspiration to strike.

Diana L. Sharples ~ Young Adult Contemporary Author

I’ve been writing for long enough that I know it’ll all come back when my head is in a better place. One trick I’ve found that usually works to get me past those bleak times is to remove myself from the environment causing the stress. A restaurant, coffee shop, library, or a picnic table in a park will usually help me to get back into my creative space.

Diana L. Sharples ~ Young Adult Contemporary Author

I’ve always wanted to be an author, so what motivates me to keep writing is knowing that I’m pursuing my dream and that I’m getting to do the thing that I love every day. I also think about how there are people out there that I can hopefully encourage and inspire with my stories. That motivates me to keep writing, knowing that readers will read my books and that those books will speak to them the same way that other books have spoken to me in the past.

Melody Personette ~ Young Adult Contemporary Fantasy and Science Fiction

Outside stressors and internal doubts can be motivation zappers. Periodically, I have to remind myself of my original goal, why I’m writing and who I’m writing for. I want my words to comfort and help.

If my stories can do that for the people they were intended for, I’ve done my job and honored my calling.

Until I get my words in print, I’ll keep striving toward the goal with these things in mind.

Donna Jo Stone writes YA contemporary novels about tough issues but always ends the stories with a note of hope. She blogs at donnajostone.com.

Categories
Writing for YA

When Writing Goals and Reality Collide

Beginning a new year tends to motivate people to get organized, start new projects, or finish ones they’ve ignored for far too long. It’s a great time to make plans. The trouble comes when it becomes clear that goals are harder to reach than expected. 

If you find yourself so discouraged and you’re inches away from throwing in the towel, it might be time to consider a new perspective.

As writers, we tend to focus on the problems in our writing, which is a necessary thing, but what if we focused on the positive instead? 

Constantly focusing on weaknesses and ignore abilities is a disservice to our readers and ourselves. Don’t neglect your strong points, the parts you do well.

Where Do You Excel? 

Take an assessment. 

What is it about your writing that shines? 

Are you great at story concepts and plot?

Can you produce snappy dialogue?

Are you a lyrical writer? 

Do you create characters that your critique partners and beta readers love? Perhaps you’re good at comedy or evoking an emotional connection with readers.

What are the elements of writing that you enjoy the most?

These are the things that make your voice unique, those natural talents, and it’s easier to improve in those areas than others and make your writing stand out. If you don’t know what your areas of excellence are, consider what your critique partners and beta readers consistently praise. 

Instead of trying to be exceptional at all the different skills, aim for mastery of basic storytelling. Then work at continuing improvement in the areas you already love and are proficient in.

What About the Other Stuff?

Am I saying to ignore the weak spots in your writing? Not at all. But you can’t do everything. Bring the basic storytelling skills up to an acceptable level. Learn basic story structure, understand GMC, how to create interesting characters, and how to write dialogue that is clear, along with the other bare bones every story needs. Once an author has achieved a measure of competency in all the necessary areas, it’s fine to lean into strengths.

When You’re Stuck

Are you stuck at a certain aspect of your story? For whatever reason it’s worked before, but this time, the story or chapter refuses to come into focus. Instead of fixating on what’s wrong, look at what worked before. What made that piece of writing stand out? 

Too much focus on the things we feel we are doing wrong gums up the works.

Lean Into Your Gift

Not everyone can write poetic descriptions. Comedy may never come easy to you. Not everyone will produce a high-octane tale. Some folks always end up with a quiet story, even after brainstorming ideas for weeks. Maybe those writers were never meant to write the stories that remain elusive no matter what they try. Maybe they were meant to show the world their own unique stories.

Focus on the positives and what you love about writing, the parts of the creative process that draw you. Instead of attempting to write like someone else just because they are popular or successful, let your voice onto the page. Continue to hone skills, improving the most real and beautiful parts of your gift, and see what happens.

Donna Jo Stone writes YA contemporary novels about tough issues but always ends the stories with a note of hope. She blogs at donnajostone.com.

Categories
Writing for YA

What I Learned by Being on a Pub Board

I was flattered to be asked to serve as a pub board member for a small publisher. I’m no expert. I just love to read. My stint was a short one, but my time spent reading submissions was eye opening, and I’m grateful I had the opportunity to serve in this way.

From the beginning, I was curious to see what types of manuscripts would make it that far and eager to absorb as much information about publishing as possible. I thought it would be easy enough to read and give my opinion. It was, in some ways. But I was surprised by how difficult it could be to judge another author’s work.

It’s hard to say no.

The most difficult part of the job was saying no. 

I didn’t want to say no. I am painfully aware of the amount of effort that goes into writing a book. Still, if a manuscript wasn’t ready or wasn’t appealing, I had to be honest with feedback for the acquisitions editor.

For most authors, rejection is a constant. Publishers often say no, because they have to, for various reasons. That doesn’t mean anyone enjoys being part of giving a pass.

Maybe I’m just a marshmallow, but being a reader for a pub board helped me to understand how hard it could be to reject a novelist’s book baby. I developed a measure of sympathy for agents and publishers, which made my personal collection of rejection letters easier to deal with.

Contest winners don’t always translate into acceptable manuscripts.

Winning contests can give you a leg up. They are a great experience, and there can be tremendous value in entering contests. 

But winning or placing is no guarantee of publication. 

The completed novel needs to follow through on the promise of the opening. If you’ve won a contest, that’s huge, and a wonderful starting place, but don’t neglect the rest of your manuscript. Finish polishing, or developing, the entire book. Contests tend to focus on the first three chapters. Reading contest winners that didn’t quite deliver what I expected taught me to examine every chapter in my own novels.

Landing your dream agent does not guarantee publication.

Having a well-known agent can get attention, but if the person reading your chapters isn’t captivated, or if the execution of the story needs a significant amount of revision, they’ll be forced to use caution. There’s only so many books a publisher can take on. Acquiring an agent is only one step along the way.

Don’t take feedback or rejection personally.

When getting a rejection or comments, don’t take it personally. Rejection is hard, but becoming angry or upset will not change the publisher’s mind. It’s fine to disagree, but try to view feedback objectively, with a goal of understanding why the reader had those opinions in the first place. There could be many reasons why a book isn’t marketable at the moment.

Be authentic.

If an author cannot relate to the main character, they shouldn’t try to write them. If an author uses a set of traits and characteristics to define a character but has no true understanding of the character’s viewpoint or experience, it simply will not work. The story will be off kilter. Lack of authenticity will sink the story. 

Research subject matter, time period, and so on.

The more integral research is to make the story function properly, the more important it is to be accurate. When writing about a segment of society you are not intimately privy to, use multiple sensitivity readers and resources.

The most surprising thing I learned was that some authors at this level may still forgo using sensitivity readers and/or doing basic research. 

I’ve noticed plenty of this in the early beta stage, but didn’t expect to see it in a submission to a publisher. Don’t forget to do all the needed research, fact checking, and use sensitivity readers. I feel it’s one of the easier parts of writing a novel!

Use the best editor at your disposal.

It would be heartbreaking if work was passed over because the publisher felt it had promise but the editing phase had been rushed. 

Be encouraged.

Pub boards are hungry for good books. Remember, publishers are in the business of producing novels and are always looking. Your story might be the next great book!

Also In This Series

What I Learned by Entering Writing Contests

Donna Jo Stone writes YA contemporary novels about tough issues but always ends the stories with a note of hope. She blogs at donnajostone.com.

Categories
Writing for YA

Three Gifts to Give Yourself Right Now

The gift-giving season is almost upon us! In all the planning for others, don’t forget yourself. I strongly encourage that writers regularly give themselves rewards, whether material or intangible. Like those gel pens and cute journals, I can think of a few necessary gifts all writers should give themselves.

Patience

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve said to myself, “When I get through with this edit, my book will be finished.”

And then there’s more work to be done.

Shortly thereafter, I get frustrated and run out of patience with myself. Being patient is easier said than done. The goal posts keep moving as I develop as a writer, which is both discouraging and encouraging.

Discouraging, because I feel like I will never get done, and encouraging, because it shows me I am evolving as a writer. Practicing patience and kindness is something we strive to practice when dealing with other people, but there are times when we need to give the same grace to ourselves.

Give yourself patience to navigate the process. You deserve it!

Besides, if you rush into things too quickly, you might wish you had waited a little while. Although don’t wait too long!

I’ve heard it said that almost everyone queries too soon, but that’s okay. Sometimes an author wishes they hadn’t published quite so soon, or hadn’t taken that first deal. It’s a learning process. If you think you’ve made a mistake by rushing things, then have patience with yourself about jumping the gun.

Writing is hard work. Be as kind to yourself as you are to others.

Wisdom and Knowledge

One of the best gifts you can give yourselves as a writer is knowledge. This can come in the form of how-to books, workshops, classes, or writing mentors.

Because writing is an art, some may feel that it doesn’t require much study and skill building, but this is not the case. Whether writing for enjoyment or as an income-generating career, the task requires a certain level of knowledge.

If it seems difficult to justify spending money on learning to write when you’re not gaining an income from creative efforts, consider looking at it as a gift for yourself to learn about something you truly love and enjoy doing.

Reality Checks

I almost didn’t include this as a gift. Honestly, who wants a reality check? Those can be hard to deal with.  

Reality checks can sometimes be unpleasant, but without accurate assessments, I can remain in a stagnant state and that’s not good.

Tempered with kindness, truth will point to the right direction. It might sting a little, but in the end, it’s better to know. Assessing where you are, what can be reasonably obtained, and which goals are realistic can help you find the pathway to success. And isn’t that a wonderful gift?

What gifts would you add to this list?

Donna Jo Stone writes YA contemporary novels about tough issues but always ends the stories with a note of hope. She blogs at donnajostone.com.