1) Don’t Dumb Down Your Writing

People often make the mistake of assuming YA books need to be dumbed down for a younger audience. But, in reality, all YA really means is that you have a teenage protagonist. Of course, there are a few restrictions on cursing and any explicit/sexual content, but aside from that, it’s like writing any other novel. And, because of the growing popularity of YA books in the adult community, you want to appeal to a wide age range amongst your readers. Therefore, when you’re going into writing, don’t worry about dumbing yourself down or editing your language (unless you have a potty mouth).

2) POV

The trickiest part of YA writing is putting yourself in the mind of a teenager. When choosing a POV, for example, if you choose the third person past tense you can’t write from the perspective of an adult looking back on the naivety of their teenage years. Although that would likely be much easier, that’s not a perspective that will appeal to teenage readers. They don’t want to read about an adult who’s already developmentally light years ahead of them; they want to read about someone who has characteristics they recognize and struggles/insecurities which they can relate to. And the adults who read this genre want to feel like they’re putting themselves back into that mindset as well.

3) Write Like a Teenager, Not Like a Stereotype

Along those same lines, one of the biggest mistakes you could make as a YA writer is making your teenage character a reflection of how you now feel about teenagers. Typically, once we’ve all passed that phase in our lives, we look back and think of our teenage selves as naive, foolish, or even downright annoying. And that feeling may even extend to modern teens in general. But, at the time of your teenage years, the experiences that you have and the mistakes you make are real, emotionally charged, and important to you. You have to put yourself back in that mindset, the one where a boy you like saying hi to you is the most important thing that happened to you that day. The one where someone making fun of the shoes you wore made you question your worth as a person. Because if you write a protagonist who is just yelling at people, being moody, and making stupid decisions that the much smarter adults warn her against…approximately 0% of teenagers will relate to that character.

4) Avoid Tropes and/or Put a Unique Spin On Them

For those unfamiliar with the genre, here are a few YA tropes that are very common among all facets of the genre (YA sci-fi, YA fantasy, YA contemporary, etc). The first is Insta-love, which is when your protagonist sees their love interest for the first time and gravity shifts and the world turns differently and everything changes in that single moment and…blah, blah, more gushy stuff. This is a trope you should avoid at all costs. While it may seem romantic initially, it’s also incredibly unrealistic and won’t align with anything a reader could relate to. Love is something that happens over time–use scenes throughout the book to build it up. Another common trope, especially among YA dystopian books, is the reluctant hero/chosen one. The protagonist is the only one who can save everyone, but he/she just wants to be a normal high school student… There are several other tropes you’ll find throughout YA (enemies to lovers, love triangle, dead/missing parents, etc). We’re not suggesting you avoid these tropes completely, but if you’re going to use them at least give them their own spin so readers don’t find them so predictable. Except for Insta-love–avoid that like the plague.

5) Avoid Archetypes

Another common mistake among YA writers is creating archetypical characters instead of unique individuals. We’ll say it again for the people in the back: teens are not stupid. They’re intelligent with growing minds. Making your characters simple and stereotypical isn’t going to make them easier to relate to. People aren’t as simple as ‘the bully’, ‘the nerd’, ‘the tough girl’, ‘the jock’, ‘the popular girl’- and teens are more aware of that now than ever. They, as well as adult readers, want to see authentic, three-dimensional, complicated characters because that’s what people are actually like in the real world (and in high school too).

6) Avoid Slang

Another thing teens can smell from a mile away? Pandering. The most obvious sign of pandering in teen/YA writing is if you try to use slang that you feel like they’ll understand. Don’t say that party was LIT, or those tacos were FIRE because, very quickly, teens will start to feel like they’re reading a book meant to mock them rather than relate to them. You need to adapt your voice to that of a teenager but remember: teens don’t speak an entirely different language.

7) Learn by Reading

As with any genre, one of the best tools for perfecting your writing is to look to other writers as examples. Checking out successful writers of Teen/YA books will help you learn what you’re doing right, what you’re doing wrong, and even what your book may be missing. To help you get started, we’ve compiled a list of some of the top Teen/YA books from different decades throughout history. How many have you read?

The post Genre Focus: Teen and Young Adult appeared first on Dorrance Publishing Company.

Many of us struggle to have an honest conversation with ourselves about the strengths and weaknesses of our writing habits. We all want to believe that we’re taking so long because we’re pulling a George R.R. Martin and carving out a masterpiece worth the wait, but that’s not always the case. Writing a book takes time, but you may be keeping yourself from making the progress of which you’re capable. How, you ask? Take our quiz to learn about your writing discipline and how it could be impeding your progress:

1) The Shiny New Idea Writer

The Shiny New Idea Writer is a writer who is constantly coming up with new book ideas. As a Shiny New Idea Writer, inspiration is always around the corner. Whether you’re walking through the park, watching a movie with friends, or even just taking a shower, you’re constantly racing toward your notebook or phone to jot down your latest brainstorm. You pray that the day never comes when your notebook or phone is discovered because your crazy scrawls would likely land you in the nearest mental institution.

Strengths:

You will never be one of those writers who struggles to think of their next story. In fact, you have so many ideas that you could even give some away to less imaginative writers (but you won’t, though- they’re yours). Because you find inspiration virtually anywhere, you’re generally excited and always ready to engage in a passionate discussion of any kind: from your latest book idea to your latest TV or literary obsession. When a new idea comes your way, you are overcome with excitement, making incredibly detailed plans and outlines including plot twists, character arcs, and even specific lines of dialogue. People may assume that you simply have these fleeting and vague musings, but what you actually have are dozens of fully fleshed out book plans– an invaluable currency in the writer-world.

Weaknesses:

Though you’re overflowing with high-quality material, you have trouble sticking to one project at a time. You often find yourself combing through your series of notebooks and phone notes, disorganized and unsure of where to even begin. They’re all amazing ideas, which one is best? If you’re overwhelmed and having trouble finding a place to start, we recommend using a friend as a sounding board. Pitch your friend a few of your ideas. They can tell you which one they like best and, if you find yourself disappointed by their answer, then you’ll know which one you really want to work with.

Another struggle for The Shiny New Idea Writer is that, even when they do settle on one idea, they have trouble seeing it all the way through. Because, as inevitably as the sun rises each morning, a new idea will strike. And when it does, all of that excitement for the book they’re writing evaporates and is replaced by an irresistible longing for this shiny new idea. If you’re in the middle of writing a book and a new idea comes…fight it. We know the urge to drop everything and plot it out is strong, but you’ll get trapped in a time loop and you’ll never finish a single book. Your ideas are a gift, don’t let them become a curse.

2) The Closet Writer

The Closet Writer is basically a writing vampire. The sun (AKA the idea of someone seeing your book) burns your skin so you only come out at night. You also can’t see yourself in a mirror because, if you could, you’d see how silly it is for you to hide. You’ve sustained several hand injuries from slamming your laptop closed too quickly because you heard a noise downstairs. Any time you’ve contemplated letting others in on your writing, you tell yourself one of the following: a) It’s for me not anyone else, b) What business do I have writing a book? c) People will hate it, d) It’s too personal or e) AHHHHHHHHHHHH! Writing is an incredibly personal art and it takes a lot of courage to share it, and you just don’t have that courage yet.

Strengths:

Every writer should start out at least a little bit closeted. Even if you have told people you’re writing a book, your instincts to wait a bit before sharing are correct. The process of getting your book off of the ground should be between you and the page- that’s it. Because it’s very easy to get discouraged or overwhelmed when you’re clogging your writing up with other people’s opinions from very early on. Right now, your book is only you, untainted by the outside world or anyone’s opinions or criticisms. Your cases of writer’s block are minor to nonexistent because there’s very little pressure when writing is just between you and your characters. That pureness is a beautiful thing to be savored and appreciated for a little while throughout the writing process.

Weaknesses:

The problem in this writer type lies when you let your work be closeted far longer than it should be. We know the prospect of sharing your work and having someone criticize it can be horrifying to think of, but criticism is the only way we learn and improve. If you want your book to be as good as it can be, you have to open it up and let others be a part of it too. Sure you’re bound to get some criticisms, but the important thing is to know the difference between those that are helpful and those that are not. And to remember that you don’t need to listen to every criticism. If someone tells you to change something that you feel very strongly about- don’t. At the end of the day, it’s your book and it should reflect you, not them. So be brave, be strong, and let your work out of the closet. We promise the sun won’t burn your skin.

3) The Over-writer

The Over-Writer is a writer who is always exceeding their anticipated page count. This is the type of writer who was going for a 70,000-word book and accidentally ends up at the 170,000-word mark…oops. As an Over-writer, you’re incredibly detail-oriented, spending weeks and months researching specific minutiae. Everything from the types of clothing during a time in history to the symptoms of bipolar depression to their protagonist’s shoe size when they were ten- you’ve thought about it.  Over-writer’s pray every day that no government official is monitoring their Google searches because they don’t know how to explain why they Googled ‘how a body decomposes in space.’

Strengths:

Because you’re incredibly detail-oriented, you’re the least likely of the writer personalities to have any inaccuracy or error slip through the cracks. You check and triple-check every fact while also anticipating every possible fan question. People could spend years excavating your work and never spot a plot hole. You’re also very good at scene writing, painting very vivid and colorful images. Because you already have a character history on each character that makes an appearance in your book (even the mailman who has one line) every line of dialogue, mannerism, and action included is purposeful and makes character motivation very easy to follow.

Weaknesses:

Being extremely detail-oriented can be a double-edged sword (and not one from your favorite fantasy novel). Although plot holes are non-existent, you struggle with finding the correct pacing for your book. You feel that every moment and detail in your book is equally as important so you spend as much time describing the type of armor as you do the battle, which will lose you a lot of readers. As an Over-Writer, an editor will be both your best friend and your worst enemy because they’ll take an ax and chop up a large chunk of your beautiful prose. But they’re a necessary evil because, unlike you, they know the difference between an important and an unnecessary line. For this type of writer, we don’t recommend trying to fix your problem in the writing stages. Heck, there are writers out there who’d kill for your ease at hitting your page count (and we’ll get to them later). In addition, if you’re constantly second-guessing yourself in the first draft stage, your writing quality will go down fast. Instead, wait until the editing stage to look over your work and ask yourself with each line, “Does this line give important information about one of my characters? Does it further the plot?” If the answer to both questions is no, remove the line. Don’t roll your eyes, you know we’re right.

4) The Under-writer

This isn’t the type of Under-writer you’re familiar with (though they may be a bit of a liability). The Under-writer is the antithesis of our friend the Over-writer as they struggle to hit their word count goals. As an Under-writer, you’re also detail oriented, but to a fault. You’re constantly overthinking each line you write instead of letting the words flow. Although you typically churn out gorgeous first drafts, it takes roughly five times longer for you than for your Over-writing peers because you don’t allow yourself to write badly. Any great writer will tell you that your first draft should be bad, but you still get down on yourself in the editing process if you see any sloppy writing. To fix this, your solution is to make even your first drafts amazing.

Strengths:

The Under-writer’s strength lies in their prose. Because you put so much stock in every word you write, your drafts will be trimmed to exactly the right length and your sentences will contain no extra or unnecessary words. You have a very systematic approach to writing, knowing the elements necessary in a scene and always having a checklist going in your head to make sure each of them is included. You’re very conscientious of staying right in the sweet spot with your writing- not too much but not too little. You’re also good at showing rather than telling, using mannerisms and action to hint at your character’s inner thoughts or ideas. Readers will enjoy your writing because it doesn’t hand them every detail on a silver platter. The Under-writer operates under the assumption that their reader is a relatively intelligent and quality reader who will be able to pick up on details and hints without shoving them down their throats.

Weaknesses:

Because the Under-writer overthinks every word before writing it, writing can become choppy and won’t flow as well as other writing styles. That checklist in your head, although an incredibly helpful tool in the editing stage, can be detrimental in the initial first draft stage. Rather than allowing details to come out and flow naturally, your writing may feel more like a checklist of scene elements with rough transitions and little added flair. Our best advice for this type of writer: be kinder to yourself. Every great writer throughout history has written bad prose in their first drafts, allow yourself to do the same. Throw out the checklist at first and just follow the scene as it progresses naturally in your mind. Save your masterful diction and your checklist for draft number two.

5) The Fifty-Steps-Ahead Writer

This is the type of writer who has their head so high in the clouds that they can’t see what’s right in front of them (I.E. all the work they have left to do). You’re the type of writer who really believes in your work, so much so that (even though you’ve only written two chapters) you’re already looking into publishing options and thinking about who would direct and star in a movie adaptation of your book. Although believing in your book and pushing for yourself are great qualities to have for writers, you tend to spend valuable hours that you could be writing your book on researching and emailing literary agents or publishers.

Strengths:

As a writer, dreaming big is never a bad thing. In fact, being so ambitious about your book means that you’re likely equally ambitious as a writer. You have a frankly ginormous book idea, the characters are fleshed out in your mind and (whether it’s a fantasy trilogy or a dramatic memoir) it’s nothing short of epic. Why else would you already be thinking so far ahead if you weren’t so sure it would be amazing? Your confidence in real life makes you an equally confident writer, allowing your prose to flow out well throughout the various drafts. You could fill an ocean with all of your ideas and your passion for this book. And when the time comes to push for a book deal (unlike other writing types) you’ll take to it like a fish to water. You believe in your book so much that no salesman on earth could sell it better than you can.

Weaknesses:

The key phrase from the previous paragraph is this- when the time comes. This type of writer struggles taking things one step at a time. They want to prepare for the future, they want to ensure that their amazing book will be read by millions when the time comes to publish. They think, in order to do that, they need to start looking at publishing options as soon as they begin the writing process. Unfortunately, they couldn’t be more wrong in that regard. Rather than ensuring that you have a publisher by the time your book is finished, it will actually decrease your options drastically if you start to research literary agents or publishers before your book is finished. Publishers will only review a completed manuscript. And literary agents, specifically, will only take submissions one time- and that includes submissions with mistakes, errors, or ones that don’t follow directions correctly. Therefore, if you attempt to submit before you have a completed manuscript, you’ll have been rejected by half of your available options by the time your book is completed. Our advice: take everything one step at a time. Your writing will take longer and lack quality if you’re constantly daydreaming about future publishing opportunities. Focus on creating a good book, the rest will come in time.

The post What Kind of Writer Are You? appeared first on Dorrance Publishing Company.

Memoir vs. Autobiography: Know the difference

Writers often make the mistake of using these two terms interchangeably, but they are actually two very different things. An Autobiography is the story of the entirety of one’s life. All of the events one has experienced or remembers from birth to present. Typically these are done chronologically with an emphasis on factual information, but that isn’t required.

A Memoir, however, draws on a select set of stories or anecdotes from your life to support a specific theme or message. This message would either be something the readers are meant to learn from or a statement on the human condition as a whole. So, for example, say you wanted to write about your experiences being a victim of domestic violence. A memoir would involve pulling the specific stories necessary to tell your experience with that part of your life and, ultimately, how you overcame it and the lessons you learned along the way.

Choose Wisely

Which you choose, ultimately, depends in part on both your goals as well as your influential status. So, for example, if you’re writing the book to be a piece of you to leave with family so they have a chronical of your life, an Autobiography would be best. In addition, an Autobiography would also work well if you’re a celebrity or an influential public figure. When you have influence, readers clamor to hear all of the intricate details of your entire life.

However, should neither of those be the case, we’d recommend going with the Memoir format. This style is more about allowing readers to experience and learn from your life and, if you’re hoping to be established as a writer through this book, this is the right way to go. The focus of a Memoir is more to how to allow readers to gain something valuable from your book, which is conducive with building a following.

Choose a Theme

If you choose to write a Memoir, your first step will be choosing a theme. You’ll likely already have something in mind because that’s typically what prompts people to pursue Memoir writing in the first place. But think on the subject in more detail. You may have a traumatic experience or unique upbringing you’d like to share, but ask yourself: How did the experience affect me? How does it still affect me? Did I overcome the adversity I faced? If so, what did I learn from it? If not, why didn’t I? Make sure you’re choosing a subject that involves a conflict or a journey of some sort, otherwise readers won’t be able to gain any insight from your experiences. Think about it, if your book is about how you easily put yourself through grad school, how are readers supposed to relate? What would they learn from that experience?

Organize Your Story

This next step is applicable to both Autobiographies and Memoirs: get organized! Figure out the best order for the story you want to tell. For some, it’s chronological, but for others, their stories work best jumping back and forth in time. You want to create suspense, drama, and reveals–this is part of what makes any story good. Write down all the events that get the readers from point a (the conflict) and point b (learning the lesson) and figure out the most effective order of events.

Be Brutally Honest

You’re not going to like where we’re going with this, but bear with us. Some writers make the mistake of writing a memoir or autobiography that is actually a barely disguised Burn Book. They write the whole novel from the perspective of how blameless they are for every misfortune in their lives and how everything bad about their life is person A and person B’s fault. If you go this route, similar to the girls from Mean Girls, you’re making a big mistake -huge (different movie, but you get it).

Readers want to relate to you as the protagonist of this book and it can be difficult to relate to someone who paints themselves as perfect. In addition, if you make yourself seemingly flawless and blameless, you’ll come across as arrogant. Never be afraid to own up to things you’ve done wrong and paint a flawed picture of yourself. Not only will readers gain a lot more insight from an honest take, but they’ll relate and empathize with your journey a whole lot more.

Use Fiction Writing Techniques

This is solely for Memoir writers- start thinking like a fiction writer. The goal of your book is to create a compelling story with a specific theme or message that readers can receive. To do this effectively, you’ll need to think of yourself not as yourself, but as the protagonist of a story. Show details rather than tell them, create scenes in a visual and sensory way that readers can experience rather than simply hear about. Use direct and indirect dialogue, character arc, point of view, setups/payoffs, etc., the way a fiction writer would in order to tell a compelling tale that will hook readers in. Your life is no longer your life now, your life is a story. What does that story say?

The post Genre Spotlight: Autobiography/Memoir appeared first on Dorrance Publishing Company.