:: How To Write A Novel.

"Writing is a form of therapy. Sometimes I wonder how all those who do not write, compose or paint can manage to escape the madness, the melancholia, the panic fear which is inherent in the human situation." - Graham Greene.

I forget how impossible this is. I forget the voice in the back of my head telling me what a hack I am. I forget the suffocating feeling of self-doubt. Of course I love writing, of course it's something I can't not do. But it's not the writing that's so painful. It's all the time I'm not writing, when all the doubt creeps in. And I hate it.

I always feel like I've forgotten how to write a book. I wish I had documented writing the last one, figure out how I did it. Writing a book feels like trying to walk down a hallway in the dark except the walls move around and staircases appear out of nowhere and I keep stubbing my toe and cursing. Not that I curse. But I can curse in these metaphorical situations.

So obviously I have an insane amount of admiration for everyone else out there trying to do the same thing, and not bitching about how hard it is like I am. To everyone who is writing or has written a novel, you are brilliant. Even if it never gets published, or read by anyone else but you, it's a wonderful achievement. You've created something amazing and unique - imaginary people, whole worlds - out of nothing but your own head. It's like magic. Now, tell me - how did you do it?

Are you writing a novel?
What's it about, and where did the idea spring from?
Where did you start, and where are you at right now?
How do you feel about your writing and yourself as a writer?

A GIRL LIKE ME by Penny Matthews

A Girl Like Me is about Emmie, a 16-year-old girl living on a farm in an isolated community near Adelaide in 1901. She's just finished school, and when she's not helping out on the farm, she's writing a novel - inspired by her favourite book, Wuthering Heights. Then, a German girl from a poor but hardworking family, Bertha, is hired by her parents to help at the farm. Emmie is at first shocked by Bertha's wildness, but she can't help liking her - she's funny, and wise for her age (three years Emmie's junior). But Bertha also has terrible secrets, which she confides in Emmie - secrets that, if revealed, will have unthinkable consequences.

Oh, wow. YA Historical fiction isn't usually to my tastes, but this was brilliant. I think it was the realism everything in this book had that really appealed to me - Emmie wasn't perfect, or particularly special, but the book was written in such a way that it felt as if she were really the one writing it. You know those great contemporary YA novels that seem like they're about real teenagers? Emmie felt like a real teenager. Just one living in 1902.

I think about the first third was slightly slow, as we warmed into the story, into the lives of Emmie and Betha and those around them. If you pick this up and find yourself a bit bored through these pages, I strongly encourage you to keep reading - Emmie really grew on me as I read, and the story picked up greatly midway through. By the time I finished reading I felt emotionally drained (which, for me, tells me that the author did a very good job). I did think the excerpts from Emmie's novel didn't add anything to the narrative, and I often found myself skipping over them (they made up very little of the entire book, however, so it didn't bother me as I read).

I don't want to say much more about the story or the characters, because I'm worried I'll spoil it for you (I think it'll be a whole lot better if you come to the book not knowing what's going to happen). All I'll add is - if you like YA historical fiction (especially that inspired by true crime, or set in Australia), I strongly recommend this book.

Do you read much YA historical fiction?

Do you like books inspired by true events (i.e. crimes)?

How to Write a Bad (Teen) Romance: The Magic Formula

Write down all of your personality traits. Give all of your unattractive qualities to your protagonist, and all your attractive qualities to the love interest. Make both characters beautiful. Make one a red-head, and the other some kind of supernatural creature that sparkles. Have them both be immediately attracted to each other for no reason other than their mutual beauty. Neither of them may be socially awkward. The male half of the relationship must be older by one to three years and at least two inches taller than her (if he’s 18 and 6’4” and she’s 15 and 5’3” that would be excellent. No girl dates a boy her own age and height, sheesh. We like nice strong manly boys who will fight with other boys over her! Foreign accent and sparkles optional).

Then, create a dilemma that means they cannot be together (they are of different religions/socio-economic backgrounds/species. Her parents have banned her from dating. He’s gay and/or wants to suck her blood. She swore off dating for the remainder of her natural life after her parents divorced/she broke up with her first boyfriend at thirteen/because she’s just a pain.) They somehow get over their first issue (they date in secret/break their vow of celibacy/change religions), only to find a second issue (another guy who has the hots for her and is a different supernatural being/he really is gay/his mum’s dating her dad). They overcome this issue too! And a third issue! They all grow as people! They get to hook up! Life is given meaning because they are wanted by someone else! Everything conveniently wraps itself up just as the book runs out of pages!

This is how I wrote a book, people. Don’t diss the Magic Formula.*

Do you have anything to add to the Magic Formula?

*So I took some liberties with the Magic Formula when I wrote my book. The girl is older than the boy by a few months. The boy is not tall or a supernatural creature. There are no red-heads. And, okay, it’s not even really a romance. I’ve totally screwed up the Magic Formula, really.

I Love My Computer Because My Friends Live In It

How do you feel about the people you know online?
Are those relationships 'real'?
Do you feel as if you really know people online?
(Do you feel as if you know me?)
Do you have a sense of community?
Do you think the world is changing and more and more people will make friends online?

I'm really curious to know how you feel about these things, so please share. If you want to talk about good experiences or bad experiences or your opinion or the way of the world, go right ahead. If you want to talk about internet safety or your parents' attitude or your kid's attitude or the attitudes of your real-life friends, please do. I am really interested in other people's feeling towards communicating with others online, and making friends that way.

THE PIPER'S SON by Melina Marchetta

The Piper's Son is a beautifully written novel, that picks up the story of Tom Mackee from Melina Marchetta's earlier novel, Saving Francesca, five years on. He's just moved back in with his aunt, Georgie, after his flatmates throw him out of the house. He's still grieving after the death of his uncle in a bomb blast in London two years before, and is still regretting walking away from Tara Finke. The novel also tells the story of Georgie, who's pregnant at 42 to a man she's no longer with.

The Piper's Son isn't as plot driven as On The Jellicoe Road or Finnikin of the Rock, and I think it's a lot more mature that Looking For Alibrandi. Third person narrative usually makes me feel really distant from the characters, but in this instance I think it worked really, really well - all of the characters were so realistic, and the family felt so real to me. The book just flowed, and everything was so... I can't even think of a word to describe it. It was like I knew these people. Even though most of the time I wanted to hit Tom (and then Georgie... I mean, Georgie, Sam could have done a bit more grovelling, don't you think? You were way too lenient on him), I still loved all the characters. If you like your books character-driven and with a focus on family, you'll love this one. (And, oh! The emails worked so well. Joe was probably my favourite character, in spite of the fact he was dead for the entirety of the book.) This is a book that will make you cry. Well, it made me cry. And all the music references, did I mention them? Paul Kelly and the Waifs for the win. It was wonderfully Australian.

The Piper's Son struck me as more of an adult novel than a young adult novel - not that anything was inappropriate for an Upper-YA audience (there are sexual references and moderate swearing and maybe a sex scene, I can never really tell, everything goes right over my head) but that the characters and situations that they were in didn't seem like they would appeal as much to teenagers as they would to adults. The two central characters are 21 and 42, and they are living distinctly adult lives. Not that I wouldn't recommend it to teenagers - certainly mature teens will love it - but that I'd mainly recommend it to adults. It is unspeakably wonderful. Read it.

Q: Have you read any Melina Marchetta novels? Which is your favourite?

THE SUMMER I TURNED PRETTY by Jenny Han

The Summer I Turned Pretty is a gorgeous novel about first love that occurs over the course of a summer. Every year, 15-year-old Isabel (known as Belly to almost everyone) goes to the beach house her mother's best friend, Susannah, owns. Susannah's eldest son, 18-year-old Conrad, is aloof and moody, and Belly's been in love with him since she was ten. Jeremiah, the youngest son at sixteen, is friendly and like a brother to Belly. Then there's Cam - a boy she meets at a party. After spending every summer her entire life left out of things - Conrad and Jeremiah always going places with her older brother Steven and leaving her out - Belly is finally a part of things, and the boys aren't looking at her like a little sister anymore.

This was a lovely, quick read - I read it in an afternoon, and it was surprisingly funny and touching. The blurb I felt as if we got to know the character's around Belly more than we got to know Belly herself - and we hardly got to know Conrad at all. However, this is the first in a series, so I think there will be plenty of opportunity for further character development (hopefully!). The other characters, though, I loved - Jeremiah, Cam, Susannah... all great.

Though I felt the novel was really wonderfully written - believable dialogue, interesting characters, a narrative that perfectly weaved between the current summer and summers past - the whole concept that 'she's gotten pretty and now the boys like her' turned me off. I would have loved to have had more of a sense of her having more of a connection with the boy she ended up with, like maybe shared interests, or values, or mutual respect. Obviously this isn't something that will bother everyone, and it was only something I thought about once I finished the novel - I was that caught up in the story while I was reading.

The Summer I Turned Pretty will appeal to those who love Sarah Dessen novels. I recommend it to all teenage girls who enjoy YA romance novels. It's the first in what promises to be a wonderful series.

Q: Which of the covers of The Summer I Turned Pretty do you like best?

(The graphic cover is the Australian cover, the photo cover is the US cover.)

GIRL, ALOUD by Emily Gale

Girl, Aloud is about Kass, an average teenager with a dysfunctional family. Her father has decided she has to audition for The X-Factor - problem is, Kass can't sing, and she really doesn't want to be a star. But when her dad decides to do something, it must be done - and he's not giving up on the idea of his daughter being a star - so now they're spending every spare moment practising for the audition, while Kass tries to figure out a way to get out of it. Then, when a boy who Kass's friend Char has had a crush on for years shows interest in Kass, she has a falling out with her two best friends. On top of this, Kass's mother seems to be keeping secrets, and her brother's in trouble, and the only person who can help is Kass...

When I started reading Girl, Aloud I expected it to be a light and funny read about a girl auditioning for a reality TV show. And it was light and funny - hilariously, laugh-out-loud funny in some parts - but it was a lot more than that, too. It dealt with a vast range of issues - including mental illness, among problems with family, friends and boys - always with a great deal of honesty and tact. Kass was an easy to relate to character, and a very entertaining narrator. I usually find myself skipping over chat transcripts in books, but the use of IM chats was really well integrated into Girl, Aloud.

Sometimes, when I'm reading something that gets me really angry, I have to stop reading and get up and stamp around the room (luckily I was reading this at home. That mightn't have gone down well had I been out in public). I really sympathised with Kassidy - so I was really annoyed, first by her incredibly frustrating friends, infuriating dad, her brother, her mother and most of all dumb Cass (Kass and Cass - different people, similar names. Read the book and you'll see). Everything just kept going wrong for her, and it irritated me no end. Of course, everything will somehow work out... You'll have to read the book to find out whether or not she actually auditioned, though!

I recommend this book to teenage girls looking for a funny, smart and easy read - if you're a fan of Jacqueline Wilson's books, I think you'll love this one.

Q: Would you ever audition for a reality TV show? What if your parents wanted you to?

32 Tips For Newbie YA Writers

Okay, so if you count how many years I've been seriously writing (um... one and a half) it does seem an awful lot like I'm a newbie myself. But I have been writing for the past decade, if you count that short story I wrote when I was six. Which I totally do. It was awesome.

Anyway, ages ago there was a YA Lit Chat on Twitter about advice for newbie writers. I'm sharing here the things I tweeted then! Obviously you shouldn't feel obliged to take writing advice from a 16-year-old, but these are mostly things I've picked up from elsewhere, so they might come in handy!
(By the way, I set up a Steph Bowe Facebook fan page! Should you feel like becoming a fan, here is the link.)

1. Be polite and professional with everyone. You never know who will turn out to be a great contact down the road.
2. Learn to sell yourself, starting with your query. You'll need to be a salesmen when your book is published.
3. After a rejection, don't email back and ask why they rejected you. Just don't.
4. You can have the most amazing query in the world, but it's no good if your book falls flat.
5. Develop a thick skin. Rejections won't hurt as much.
6. Always be professional online. Always. Agents will google your name.
7. Tack your first page on the end of your query. Make it an amazing first page. And an amazing novel, naturally.
8. Agents are not evil. They don't hate writers. They aren't a higher life form. But be respectful.
9. Previous publications or degrees aren't necessary. The writing/book is what counts.
10. Believe it or not, there actually are teenagers that aren't obsessed with sex.
11. Have someone else read your query letter - other writers, family to proofread, etc.
12. Don't query until your novel is well and truly finished.
13. Don't write YA because it's 'hot'
14. Never, ever badmouth other writers/publishing folks online or anywhere else
15. Read your dialogue out loud. It has to sound natural. Adding 'like' as every second word doesn't work.
16. Don't sanitize your writing because you're afraid of the YA gatekeepers - parents and librarians.
17. To teenaged writers: Don't think you can write YA well just because you're a teenager.
18. Editing isn't just running a spell check, FYI.
19. Avoid cliche characters like the plague. Hot myserious bad boy, popular blonde cheerleader, etc.
20. Make sure the reader can relate to the protagonist. Totally shallow teenaged characters aren't good.
21. Don't use slang. Becomes dated very quickly.
22. Teenagers are awkward. Remember this.
23. Never ever write what's trendy. Trends will be outdated by the time you start querying.
24. Don't assume writing for teenagers is easier than writing for adults. It isn't.
25. Don't write a million prologues. One is fine.
26. Don't compare yourself to other writers. Thoughts like, 'That person is so much better a writer than me' gets you nowhere.
27. Don't rush into publication. Writing is not a race.
28. Don't let your family or friends critique your work. They will lie and tell you it's great. Always.
29. Don't put in tons of sex or drug use solely for the sake of 'edginess'.
30. Finish your book before you query. And by finish I mean edit until your brain explodes.
31. Don't write books solely on a 'message'. Characters and story come first.
32. Don't start a book with the weather. No teenager gives a flying fish about the weather.

Share your own tips in the comments!

How To Write A Query

I’m not really and expert on query-writing. I only sent out three queries, but I also had a personal recommendation (from those three queries I received two offers of representation). The agent I have now didn’t actually see my query.

But I do have a reasonably good idea of how to write a query. And I’m here to say: Don’t get yourself too worked up over it, okay? If you have absolutely no idea how to write a query, here is a super simple guide. Remember: literary agents are not the enemy!

Here’s the general structure of a query:

Dear [agent’s name],

Make sure you get their name right. Don’t address it to Mrs Smith if the agent is a man. Spell it correctly!

I’m seeking representation for my [word count] [genre] [title of book].

My line was: ‘I’m seeking representation for my 50,000 word, contemporary YA novel, THESE BONES.’ You could also say, ‘My contemporary YA, THESE BONES, is compete at 50,000 words’. HINT: The ‘complete’ bit is very important. Your book must be well and truly finished.

[personalisation]

Not totally necessary, but a good idea to include. Something like ‘I chose to query you because of your excellent blog’... or something like that. If you love one of their author’s work, and think your own work is similar to that, say so. Let them know that you’re not sending this same email to every lit agent in existence and just changing the name at the top. But keep it simple and brief, okay? This is not the most important bit.

[your pitch]

But this is the most important bit! This is something I write before I start a book, so this bit was always easiest for me. Write something that you would imagine on the back cover of your book – something that tells you enough about the story to intrigue you without giving too much away. Try writing it in under 250 words. Don’t be nonspecific. Don’t tell the agent the book will make them a million dollars. Just sell your story. If you don’t have a writer’s group (I don’t!), try workshopping it on Absolute Write, or the YA Lit Chat forums. Have other people read it. Ask yourself: If I were an agent, would I want to read this? If I were a reader in a bookstore, would I pick this book up? Don’t give everything away, or be too mysterious. Supply enough info to intrigue the reader.

[your bio line]

Keep it short and sweet. If you’re querying an agent in another country, make sure you mention your country. It’s up to you if you want to mention writing prizes you’ve won, or writing qualifications you have. If you haven’t won any prizes or studied Creative Writing, guess what? It really doesn’t matter. This part of the query isn’t as important as your pitch. Agents don’t take you on because you’re qualified and you won an award for a short story. They take you on if they love your book and they think they can sell it.

I look forward to your response. You can contact me on [phone number].

Sincerely,
[your name]

[the first page of your manuscript]

This is something I included even if the agent didn’t ask for it. If you’re going to do this, make sure you first page is as strong as it can be.

--

And that’s it! How to write a query. Let me know if I missed anything.

If you’re sending your query by snail mail, include a SASE. This is a self-addressed and stamped envelope, so they can post you a response.

Length should be no more than one page, single spaced.

Formatting should be 12-point Times New Roman, black. No pictures, fancy colours, or funny fonts, okay? But you already know that.

Feel free to ask questions in the comments! And if you have tips or things I've missed, share those as well!

Computer Game Heaven: A Guest Post by George Ivanoff

I recently watched the trailer for TRON Legacy with great excitement.



Why am I so excited about this? Well, I was a teenager in the 1980s when the original TRON hit the screens, and it was one of my favourite films at the time. It was about people going into a computer-generated world and playing computer games… for real! What could be more exciting?

As a teenager I spent most of my spare time either reading books, watching movies or playing computer games. The idea that these things could be combined, absolutely blew my mind. In its day TRON was a visually groundbreaking film, and even now, after all these years, it has a unique and captivating style. For me, it will always be the ultimate combination of film and computer game.

A couple of years after TRON, The Last Starfighter caught my attention. The premise of this film was that aliens were using video games as a way to test human beings. Anyone reaching a certain score on The Last Starfighter game would be offered the chance of becoming a real starfighter pilot in outer space. How cool was that?

The only other piece of screen fiction to capture the computer game experience for me, albeit to a lesser extent, was the animated television series Reboot in the 1990s.

Much as I enjoyed watching movies and playing games, it was reading that was my first love. So after seeing TRON, I yearned for a novel set inside a computer game. Imagine, then, my absolute delight at the release of Gillian Rubinstein’s Space Demons in 1986. It’s the story of four teenagers sucked into a computer game. This was followed up by two equally engrossing sequels, Skymaze and Shinkei.

So I guess it’s no surprise that I’ve made the computer game connection with my first novel, Gamers’ Quest. With this novel I made a deliberate attempt at trying to capture the feeling of a computer game within the pages of a book. There are different classes and levels of player, and there are different rules that apply to the different levels. The world that the novel’s heroes, Tark and Zyra, inhabit has the pace and excitement of a computer game, along with a feeling of tongue-in-cheek fun. It is non-stop action, and there is no sense of night and day. The characters progress from one challenge to the next, without sleeping or eating, with no real sense of time, until they reach their goal.

And to top things off, the book is accompanied by a computer animated book trailer.



So, were my endeavors worthwhile? Have I successfully recaptured my youthful obsession with computer games, distilled the essence into the written word and produced a book to loved by literary minded game enthusiasts? Only time will tell. But what I have done is written the sort of book that I would have loved reading as a teenager. What more could I ask for?

--

George Ivanoff's novel Gamer's Quest (Ford Street Publishing, 2009) recently won a Chronos Award for speculative fiction. Find out more about Gamer's Quest, George Ivanoff and his other novels at his website, http://www.georgeivanoff.com.au.

Are you a fan of books & movies based off computer games? Do you have any favourites?

YA Lit and Teens: A (Future) Librarian’s Perspective: A Guest Post by Melissa Higey

Hi, I’m Melissa and I’m a YA-lit-aholic. And I’m far (OK, not that far) from being a teen. But I have a great excuse, and will one day have the perfect job to feed my addiction: I’m going to be a young adult librarian in a public library. When Steph asked for guest bloggers, I leaped at the chance, as lately I’ve been musing over my chosen career path and what I can do to become the kickass librarian I’ve always dreamt of being. Do I have what it takes?

What do I love about YA lit?

What don’t I love about YA literature? Books for teens have so much optimism, even when they’re dark and depressing, in the smallest things. The teen protagonists have the world at their feet, choices to be made, mistakes to stumble over, first crushes to go gaga over, and maybe even a world to save. YA books are uber-creative, and despite the current trends in the paranormal genre, YA books are distinct and represent a wide variety of characters, settings, emotions, and stories.

Why did I decide to go into YA library services?

I could say something like I wanted to influence future generations, or increase literacy amongst youth, and on and on, and those types of things are important to me, but the biggest reason is that teens are cool. Teens are creative. Teens are diverse and awesome and if I could, I’d be a teen forever. I want to give teens the best library experience they’ve ever had. And maybe that library experience will mean more than just a “library experience.” Maybe a teen’s reading skills will improve, or they will try a different genre than they normally would, or maybe a teen would meet someone they’d never meet normally, or maybe they’ll just learn how to inform themselves and educate themselves. If I can be just a little bit of that in what I do, then I’ll feel like a success.

What are the challenges I will face as a YA librarian?

Many communities today still don’t respect that teens deserve and need library spaces and collections of their own. I’ll be faced with issues of censorship by parents and communities. I may have to encourage reluctant readers to try something new. I may face a lack of resources or lack of budgeting for my teens’ needs. And I may just not know what to do in a tough situation.

What advice can I give to someone that wants to work with teens in a library?

Get in a library and get experience working in the children’s and teen’s departments. Many teen librarians may also work as children’s librarians, so having some experience in a children’s department is helpful. If jobs aren’t available, volunteer! That’s what I do. And definitely read YA lit, keep up to date on pop culture, take workshops with peers, and on and on. Always keep learning. I’m early on in my career and still learning myself, but I know that these things are very important.

What’s your point of view on YA library services?

Have you had great experiences in libraries, or are you treated as a “second-class citizen”?

Does your library have an outstanding teen room or teen programs?

I’d love to hear from you!

Check out my blog at bibliochic.com where I write about YA lit and library services and you can also follow me on Twitter!

Best YA Fantasy Books Of All Time: A Guest Post by Mariah

YA book blogger Mariah shares her favourite YA fantasy books...

I love YA, it is such a varied genre! The authors are incredible and the stories are original and beautifully written! At this point of time we can access authors better than ever so, I now realize how awesome authors are, and YA authors have to be some of the funniest, fabulous authors ever! But some YA books are even better than others, and fantasy is my favorite so I am going to share with you some of my favorite YA fantasy books of all time! And why they are fabulous!

Beauty by Robin McKinley
This was one of the first YA books that I ever read, I had always loved Beauty and the Beast, and this retelling was beautiful! Very eloquent and the scenery was beautiful. If you have not read this book you need to!

Why YA: Because teens are usually reading because they love it, they will appreciate the beauty of Robin McKinley’s writing, and in Adult fiction many people would just dismiss this book as just a fantasy book, where in YA it has been more embraced!





Eon: Dragoneye Reborn
This is a underrated, amazing book! I loved the mixture of culture and plot lines, and the innovative plot! The characters are well written and relatable in their reaction to things! I also love the strong female characters in this novel!

Why YA: This book would not have worked as well if she had been older, and more sure of herself. Also this book would have blended into the sci-fi/fantasy books to much in Adult fiction, also adults may have found parts of the book to be too unbelievable, the parts that enchanted me!




Graceling and Fire by Kristin Cashore
These are two of my favorite books! With the combination of strong female characters, amazing plots, and beautiful writing that I getting better with each book, these book have it all.

Why YA; These books are really about finding yourself so they may not have been so appreciated in adult fiction. Also the enchantment of first loves may not have been as touching had it been with adult characters!




These are just some of the amazing books YA has to offer! YA is so special to me, and I love how almost any one will enjoy YA books, I really encourage anyone who has never read a YA novel to pick one up and reach into a growing but wonderful genre!

--

Mariah blogs about YA books at A Reader's Adventure!

What are your favourite YA fantasy novels?

Writers - We're All In This Together: A Guest Post by Gretchen McNeil

Ever since I joined up with the YARebels (http://www.youtube.com/yarebels), I've been getting a lot of emails asking me for writerly advice. And whenever someone asks me for writerly advice, I freeze.

Why me? I'm no expert. I'm barely floating along as it is!

Instant panic attack. Why? Because I'm not entirely sure I'm a real writer.

"Christ on a Cross," you say. "You don't think you're a real writer? What the hell does that make the rest of us?"

Just like me, baby. Just like me.

Three years ago, if you'd asked me the question "What do YOU do?" I'd have answered thusly: "I'm an opera singer currently working in television production." Notice the lack of the word "writer" in the above statement. Yeah, that's because I'd never written anything – ever – in my life.

Even so quickly may one catch the plague? Olivia asked herself in TWELFTH NIGHT. Fo shizzle. I literally woke up one morning and thought "I'm going to write a novel today." And either from sheer stupidly, overwhelming naiveté or obsessive single-mindedness, I wrote a novel. It took me five months. It was a piece of crap.

Once completed, I needed to figure out what to do with the damn thing. Doorstop? Too flimsy. Kindling? To feeble. Paperweight? Bigger than the paper. Crap. I guess I'd better query the damn thing.

135 rejections later, I could have made a door stop out of the "Thanks but no thanks" emails. Who knew?

"You should give up," the annoying voice of Doubt whispered in my ear. "You've failed."

Me? Give up? Puh-leez. "F off, voice of Doubt. I'm going to write another novel."

And I did. This time, I was lucky enough to land an agent, a Rockstar of an agent, the agent I share with my host Steph: Ginger Clark!

Yay! Streamers are dropped from the ceiling, champagne corks are popped, "We Are the Champions" booms through the loudspeaker. I won! I'm the big winner!

Yeah, no. Turns out, landing an agent is just the first in a seemingly endless array of hoops and mazes the writer must finagle on his or her way to being published. And each time you think you've mastered this Prisoner's Dilemma, a new beast rears its ugly head in front of you, like a publishing industry Hydra regrowing its heads into even more monstrous forms as soon as you've hacked one off.

Perhaps I'm being a bit dramatic.

My point is that we're actually all on the same road at the same time – the writer who only has an idea, the writer plugging through their first manuscript, the writer querying, the writer on sub, the writer submitting their second book proposal to their editor, the writer with nine NYT bestsellers who still agonizes over the next project lest it not live up to the public's standards. We're all there, together, slogging through the mire.

Why? Because we're all writers. And we are all in this together.

Bootay shake!

---

Gretchen McNeil is an opera singer, television producer, voice over artist & YA writer. Her agent is Ginger Clark of Curtis Brown. Visit her website at http://www.gretchenmcneil.com/ and read her awesome blog, http://gretchenmcneil.blogspot.com/.

Raised By Books: A Guest Post by Kate Gordon

I wrote before I worked in a book shop. I worked in a library (my Dad’s), before I wrote. I read before I was born.

Not ... really.

But I did have two English teacher parents who bought me books and read to me while I was in utero, so maybe that counts? And I'm sure if my Mum could have been like the Incredible Book Eating Boy and swallowed a book or two for me to peruse, she would have.

She knew I would be a reader. She could feel it in her bones. My Dad also had complete faith that I would be a cricket nut, though, so not all pre-birth premonitions about me actually came to fruition.

But I did end up a reader.

I read everything. I read street signs, cereal boxes, warning labels, Mum's magazines, my books, Dad's books, any book I could lay my hands on.

It's not an unique story, I know. There are probably lots of you out there saying "So what? I read War and Peace when I was Four," or "My Mum actually DID eat books. I was born wearing glasses and holding a copy of Middlemarch."

You people are odd. But I also sort of really want to meet you!

I guess what does make my story sort of unique is that books were ALL I was good at.

Maths? Still can't remember the difference between Sine, Cos and Tan (but I can remember the poem about Three Old Angels Singing Over Heaven, Carrying A Harp. I'm sure it means SOMETHING).

Phys Ed? Picked last. Every time. Didn't mind. Even if I got picked first I'd still sneak away as soon as the first ball was tossed to hang out at the end of the footy oval, reading William Corlett.

Home Economics? I once made ANZACS biscuits without golden syrup. I pretended they were my own special recipe for albino ANZACS. I still failed.

But reading? I was my school's Reading Cathy Freeman. I was my school's Reading Rock Star. If you wanted a black market copy of Are You There God, It's Me, Margaret? I was your girl. If you wanted to know which Bennett sister ended up with whom in Pride and Prejudice, look no further.

I also wrote stories.

In secret.

Mostly about dragons.

I never showed anyone, because I didn't think a girl from rural Tassie could ever really be a writer. People who were really writers were magical beings with names like Isobelle Carmody and Mem Fox and Garth Nix. They weren't called Kate. They didn't live just west of a town of less than 4,000 people (just passed the milk factory, next to the big paddock).

Years passed, dragons were written about, pages were turned and I was a contemporary arts graduate with too many stories still in her brain and not enough Maths or Science.

But I did know a thing or two about books.

So here I am now, a few years later, and I work in a place where it's a good thing to know a thing or two about books (and about minus a thousand things, about everything else).

I work in a bookshop.

From Monday to Friday (and the occasional Saturday when a colleague is fluey, or when I am required to transform into my alter-ego, superhero storyteller, Miss Cackle), I live, breathe, smell, touch and occasionally cuddle up to, books.

I work in the kid's section. This means I spend a lot of time sitting on the ground, enjoy many sticky hugs, get Valentine's Day cards written in crayon, and have not read an adult book for at least six months (Nick Earls' True Story of Butterfish was the last. It was awesome).

It also means I know which books sell; which ones do if you write a tag; which ones do if you write a tag and give a ginormous spiel about how awesome they are; which ones do if the publishers finally work out the old cover sucked and reissue the book with a new cover; which ones do if there's a movie out about them, or books like them; and which ones just plain don't.

And I get to talk to kids - and parents - about WHY.

And maybe this is why I have finally worked up the courage to let some of my own stories waddle out into the real world. Because I think now, finally, I have an idea of what sells, and how to sell it. I still don't believe I'll ever be as magically, magnificently marvellous as my literary heroes with the cool names, but I actually think that, in some ways, I'm luckier than they are. I'm on the front line. I get to read books long before they come out, and I get to talk to the people who read the books - the kids. I get to see how a great book can suffer from a bad cover, and a terrible book can do amazingly well if it just so happens to have the paranormal creature of the month on its cover.

(the fact that I am currently writing a paranormal trilogy has NOTHING TO DO WITH THIS KNOWLEDGE. HONESTLY.)

But I don't want you to think it's all capitalist and mercenary. I still write exactly what's in my heart. It's just I now have the knowledge to realise that some of what I write - even though I might love it so much - should not be sent to my agent. Sometimes not just yet. Sometimes never. It means I have at least five manuscripts that I love like they were my children, but might not ever see the fluoro lights of a bookshop.

I still write about dragons, for example. But, at the moment, dragons are a bit "last year". They kind of got done to death. So my dragons live with me in my little cottage in Hobart until it's time for them to fly the coop.

But Daisy Blue is swaggering out into the world this October (after she has finished fake-tanning and lip-glossing). She has her own little book called Three Things About Daisy Blue. She thinks this development is, like, totally awesome.

And, when I'm not writing, I read, read, read. Writing isn't an inherent talent. It's a craft. And to perform a craft, you have to learn it. Luckily, I've been learning from a very young age.

Thanks, Mum!

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Kate Gordon is a former children’s librarian. She is currently managing the children’s and YA section at Fullers Bookshop, Hobart, where she is known to Hobart youngsters as “Miss Cackle”, fearless leader of the Fullers Ferrets. She blogs at http://misscacklemisscackle.blogspot.com/ and you can follow her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/misscackle. You can read her DVD reviews in Film Ink magazine. Kate holds a Bachelor of Contemporary Arts, and is currently working on her Masters in Arts (Literary Studies), through Deakin University. In 2009, she was a recipient of a Varuna fellowship. Kate’s first novel will be published by Allen & Unwin in their Girlfriend Fiction series in 2010. In her spare time, Kate makes small rabbits out of Fimo, sneaks more books into the house and surreptitiously reads them while her husband isn’t looking and is, currently, learning to rollerskate and play the ukelele.

Were you raised by books as well? Share your reading history!

‘Our legacy was love’ – In praise of Paul Zindel: A Guest Post by Kathy Charles

When I was writing my debut novel ‘Hollywood Ending’ I had no idea it could fit into the category of ‘Young Adult’. It’s too dark, I thought – too confronting. There was swearing, sex, violence and death, all the things I love in a novel but not necessarily something a high school would be comfortable having on its library shelf. When ‘Hollywood Ending’ came out it was embraced by the YA community, and in August this year MTV Books, a YA imprint of Simon & Schuster, will publish the novel in North America under the title ‘John Belushi is Dead.’ I decided to investigate this new wonderful world of YA further. It has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my reading life.

Young adult fiction is undoubtedly one of the most exciting categories in publishing today. The breadth and depth of amazing voices, both new and established, has knocked my socks off. I can’t get enough. I am devouring the work of writers like Courtney Summers, Jennifer Echols, Stephanie Kuehnert and Laurie Halse Anderson, and rediscovering the work of the masters of the genre such as Robert Cormier, S.E. Hinton, Judy Blume and J.D.Salinger.




My most treasured discovery during this period of YA investigation has been a Pulitzer Prize winning author by the name of Paul Zindel. I read a review from a reader online about how my own novel had reminded them fiercely of Zindel’s seminal work of grief and loss, ‘The Pigman’, so I decided to check it out. Reading this novel was akin to a literary punch to the face. I was left devastated, elated, emotional and destroyed (once again, all the things I look for in a novel – I like my literary experiences dramatic!). I’ve started to devour Zindel’s work, picking up dog-eared paperbacks at second hand stores and ordering out of print editions from the internet. I’m quite happy to make the statement that when it comes to YA literature, I personally believe no one touches Zindel. I am a convert to his church, a devoted disciple. Nothing is taboo in Zindel’s work, and he doesn’t shy away from the ‘big’ topics like teen pregnancy, mental illness, animal rights, death and grief. But I find that I have to take small breaks between reading Zindel novels because sometimes they are just too much. They affect me in ways that I can’t control. It’s like when I read ‘Of Mice and Men’ when I was thirteen, and I was so devastated by that book that I punched my bedroom wall (I guess I was emo before they had a term for it!). EVERY Paul Zindel book moves me in this way. The most recent culprit was a novel as bizarre as its title, ‘Pardon Me, You’re Stepping On My Eyeball,’ which was as hilarious as it was heartfelt. I’m eagerly awaiting a Zindel renaissance, and until then I’m going to spread the word far and wide, that if you’ve read Zindel and forgotten him it’s time to pick him up again, and if you’ve never experienced him, buckle your seatbelt. You’re in for a HELL of a bumpy ride.

So, are you a fan of Zindel? Has a novel ever touched you so deeply in an emotional way that you thought you were going to lose it?!?

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Kathy Charles was born in 1978. She works in the film industry and divides her time between Melbourne and Los Angeles. Hollywood Ending is her first novel. Visit her website at http://kathycharles.com/.

Why I Write Fantasy: A Guest Post by Michael Pryor

Best-selling Fantasy author Michael Pryor tells us why he writes fantasy...

I write Fantasy because I’m an incurable and unabashed, romantic. I want a world where good can triumph, where virtue can be rewarded, nobility and self-sacrifice are lauded, not scorned. I want a world where honesty, loyalty and friendship are prized possessions, not causes for embarrassment. I want a world where the extraordinary is a challenge, where might is not right, where brave deeds are honoured. I want a world where horizons are unlimited, where something grand could lie on the other side of that mountain range, where adventures are waiting.

I write Fantasy because I love using my imagination. I love going beyond the here and now, leaving the constraints of the mundane world behind. I love the challenge of creating whole new worlds, while also taking care of characterisation, plotting and prose. I love the sense of working with a canvas as large as I want.

I write Fantasy because it lets me explore questions that are big, not small. Writing Fantasy lets me ponder questions that are universal and eternal, questions that have been with us forever, questions that make us think about things beyond the here and now. Writing Fantasy gives me permission to grapple with profundities.
I write Fantasy because I love reading Fantasy, and I always have. From my early days reading of lions, witches and wardrobes and wondering about round doors in hobbit holes through to today’s reading about lost kings and doomed female warriors, I’ve been a Fantasy reader.

I write Fantasy because it’s the closest I’ll ever come to doing magic. When I write Fantasy, I create whole new worlds from nothing. I invent names for things and thereby make them real. I bring characters together who would never, ever meet if it were not for me. I conjure an experience for a reader and help them step into the world of their own imagination.

I write Fantasy because Fantasy is the home of Story. In some types of writing, the lure of narrative is seen as old fashioned or lame, but in Fantasy (and other genres such as Crime, Romance and Horror) we can re-engage with our fundamental need for a Story, our desire to find out what happens next, our excitement to turn the page and keep turning to make sure that our favourite character will survive, or triumph, or find what they are desperately looking for.

I write Fantasy because I love it, and because it’s important.

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Best-selling author of the ‘Laws of Magic’ series, Michael Pryor was born in Swan Hill, Victoria, and currently lives in Melbourne. He has worked as a drainer’s labourer, a truck driver, a bathroom accessories salesperson, an Internet consultant, a software developer, a textbook publisher, in a scrap metal yard and as a secondary school teacher.
Michael has published over twenty popular and critically acclaimed novels and more than forty short stories, and has over one million words in print. Along the way his work has been six times shortlisted for the Aurealis Award, shortlisted for the WAYBR award, Longlisted for an Inky award, and been four times listed as Children’s Book Council of Australia Notable Books.
For more information, see his website http://www.michaelpryor.com.au/

Why do you write/read your genre?

The Vampire Trend Sucks: A Guest Post by Kailia Sage

Kailia talks about what's hot and what's not in YA... and why she doesn't really care...

I am what many would call a bookworm. I love to read and a lot of my free time is spent reading. I like to read mostly all genres but young adult, urban fantasy and paranormal are closest to my heart. Like a lot of you, I like to read book blogs and look around other sites to find really good books to read.

Something I’ve noticed in my “good book hunt” is that a lot of bloggers/readers tend to read/review books that are “in”. “In” meaning books that everyone is reading about one topic or another. Lately I’ve been reading a lot of UB and Paranormal book that have to do with faeries. This also means that the market is selling a lot of books with this topic. It’s a trend that I’ve noticed is a big player in what kinds of books we read and buy. These book trends also tend to change from one topic to another.

First there was the huge Twilight Saga craze with the good/bad vampires and the werewolves. Mostly thought it was just vampires falling in love with mortal girls. There were vampire books before this series was published but it was because of this series that vampires became so popular and people began hunting for books with vampires.

Not only were the readers looking for vampire books, but so were the publishers and book store owners. Publishers wanted books that would sell well in the market and the book stores wanted people to buy from their store. What better way to achieve this goal than to publish/sell books about things people wanted to read about?
Of course as soon as this trend started, another trend took its place. From what I’ve seen, it’s the fairies trend. Now I see more and more books dealing with fairies or pixies or something similar to that. I’ve recently read Need by Carrie Jones that has faeries in it. There is Faeriewalker, Book 1: Glimmerglass by Jenna Black a book soon to be rereleased.

The books might sell well but as with everything, there is something bad hiding in the corner. With these trends, it’s the quality or how well it’s written that’s the bad thing. With so many different books all based around the same one topic or something similar, we all tend to have expectations. The more books we read on one topic, the high the expectations are for the next book. This can be bad because (1) we lose interest in the books (2) the books just sit on the bookshelves and gather dust and (3) well, we get tired of reading so many “bad” or “not good enough” books and we want more. So, the trend changes and everything happens all over again.

But of course there are the trends and then there are the “non-trenders.” In one case point, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. I’ve recently read this book and it was as far from vampires and fairies as can be. But this book was really good and in my point of view, better than some of the books that are following the trend. Though The Hunger Games is a work of fiction and not really UF or paranormal, it captures the reader’s attention from the first page and keeps it till the end. But it doesn’t stop there. No, this is one of those books that make you want to read the second book and if the second book isn’t out or there isn’t going to be a second book, you get really mad.

Personally, I think I’d like to see more hype for stand-out books that don’t necessarily follow the latest trends (which at the moment just happens to be about fairies) and are just pure works of fiction (with some reality, of course.) And one thing I’ve never understood is why don’t other YA books get as much hype as books like The Twilight Saga or some other books? In my opinion, they are just as good and deserve just the same recognition as any other book out there, if not more.

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Kailia Sage is the pen-name of a high-schooler and aspiring author, who writes a book blog called Reading the Best of the Best!

Would you rather read a book that's on-trend, or something else just as good, but not 'hot' right now? What do you think other readers think of book trends (teenagers, namely)?

To Leet or Not to Leet: A Guest Post by Ricki Schultz

Being an aspiring author as well as a writer of contemporary young adult lit, I have devoured my share of Maureen Johnson, Meg Cabot, E. Lockhart, John Green, Wendy Toliver, and Lauren Myracle novels (to name a few).

However, since thrusting myself into the YA genre, I cannot ignore a trend that chills the former English teacher in me to her very core: leet speak and its many derivatives.

WHAT SPEAK?

Leet speak (also, l33t speak) is a form of Internet and text message shorthand, where one combines numbers, letters, and sometimes symbols in order to form certain words. Leet refers to the word elite, as this Internet language is a learned behavior, primarily used among tweens and teens—many of which who mock adults using it for trying to engage in something outside their realm of understanding. (Hence, only the elite—ahem—“3l33t” can use it.)

Intertwined with this form of communication is using acronyms, where the first letter of each word in a group of words forms a pronounceable abbreviation (i.e., Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome becomes AIDS); initialisms, where each letter is pronounced separately (i.e., The National Broadcasting Company becomes NBC); or a host of combinations and mutations of the two (i.e., ROFL means “rolling on the floor laughing,” and LOL means “lots of laughs” or “laugh out loud”).

THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY

Even though I’m not in love with the idea of intentionally mucking around with grammar and spelling, leet speak has its place in the world.

With text messaging being a staple of most cell phone plans these days as well as billions of folks belonging to social networking sites where they limit the amount of characters one can use to communicate, even English language elitists recognize that this trend is quickly becoming its own language—and it’s also becoming increasingly accepted in society.

And all of this has me asking: Is this a good or bad thing?

EMBRACING THE TREND

The most recent novel to adorn my nightstand is the fabulous Lauren Myracle’s ttyl, which is the first book in her best-selling “IM”/“Internet Girls” series.

Now, I’ve met Myracle—I’ve interviewed her—I admire her. I even consider her to be a mentor of mine. I use her as an example not to single her out, but because her “IM” series (which includes ttyl, ttfn, l8r, g8r, and bff) is the first set of books written entirely in Instant Messages—a feat in its own right!—and that means it’s riddled with leet speak. It’s so specifically teen, which—aside from great storytelling and an impressive command of dialogue—is part of what makes the series so popular.

In the first few pages of ttyl, the publishers include real teens’ feedback, praising Myracle for hooking them. One reader says she doesn’t typically read, but this book speaks to her because Myracle is so in tune with the way she and her friends talk to one another.

A GRAMMARPHILE’S NIGHTMARE

A former English teacher, I have shed many a tear over students’ inattention to detail
when it comes to spelling and grammar—and, to some degree, I blamed what I called “Text Message Lingo.”

It amazed my students that I included Text Message Lingo in my rubrics as a major
no-no in all written work.

“Who would do that in an English paper?” they’d ask . . . and, inevitably, I’d get at least two assignments a year where someone would substitute a “2” for the word “two”—or, even more offensive, for “to” or “too.”

So, does embracing leet speak in contemporary YA help or hurt the cause?

One might use the argument that, in order to break all these grammar rules, you must
first know what they are—but I doubt half the people out there think once (let alone twice) about the spelling and grammar rules they’re breaking when they Tweet.

A LIT TEACHER’S BEST FRIEND

On the other hand, in the last school where I taught, the English department was always looking for ways to get teens interested in picking up books. In that regard, Myracle and fellow embracers of leet speak in YA novels really seem to be on to something.

As well, contemporary YA is one of the healthiest subgenres in the entire publishing industry—so, yeah, kids are reading.

THE GREAT DEBATE

All that said, I recognize that leet speak is true to the contemporary teen and, therefore, has a place in literature. I love Myracle’s books and the books of other YA authors who’ve used Text Message Lingo—and, confession: I’ve even used it in my own manuscript.

However, I’m still not sure how I feel about it.

We live in a society where a great debate exists between the old and the new. Heck, the publishing world is a microcosm of this, with daily disputes in the news and the blogosphere over e-books and the state of the industry.

So, I leave you with a few questions:

• Is it more important to get young people reading by hooking them with compelling characters and masterful storytelling—even at the expense of proper grammar? (Craft vs. Content?)
• Does using leet speak and the like perpetuate poor writing skills?
• If this new “language” does contribute to the downfall of grammar as we know it, is that necessarily a bad thing?

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A freelance writer and editor, Ricki Schultz is a contributor to Writer’s Digest Books, with three articles forthcoming in 2010 (in the 2011 editions of Guide to Literary Agents, Children’s Writer’s & Illustrator’s Market, and Screenwriter’s & Playwright’s Market). She also interviews literary agents for the Guide to Literary Agents blog.

She has published poetry, has written for St. Ignatius Magazine and Northern Virginia Magazine, and has won awards for both her YA manuscripts. She belongs to Southeastern Writers Association, South Carolina Writers Workshop, Romance Writers of America, and Young Adult Romance Writers of America; and, in addition to being the coordinator of Shenandoah Writers and Shenandoah Writers Online, she will be teaching workshops at both the Southeastern Writers Association’s annual conference and the Romance Writers of America national conference in the summer of 2010.

Originally from Ohio, Schultz taught high school English and journalism for five years, and she holds a BA in English and an M.Ed. in secondary education, both from John Carroll University in Cleveland. She currently lives with her husband and beagle in McGaheysville, Virginia.

Her website: http://www.rickischultz.com/
Her blog: http://www.rickischultz.wordpress.com/

Dear Writers, Respect YA: A Guest Post by Madeleine Rex

Madeleine talks about why authors need to respect YA, and the importance of compelling characters in YA novels...

Young Adult fiction has become a dominant force, invading the shelves of people of every age. An enormous amount of space at my local Borders has been turned into a sort of YA theme park. School libraries are streaming with kids, some of whom have been readers since they were munchkins and some on whom it’s suddenly dawned “Hey! I like reading this stuff! Who would’ve thunk it?” Whatever their story may be, they head for the YA shelves like bees to a particularly nectar-filled blossom. It appears YA is at its prime.

There’s a catch, though. A con to all these pros. There are authors lurking in the shadows who write these books because they know (just like everyone else) that YA is “hot.” If you’re going to write YA, you have to respect it; work with the genre as you’d collaborate with a valued coworker. After all, who wants to work with someone who doesn’t respect them? It’s imperative that the YA authors of the day have a respect and an evident, underlying love for their genre.

So what makes YA novels beautiful in your eyes? What are you looking for?

I look for a combination of things, little details and intricacies that really make the book real. Foremost, though, I seek out compelling characters. Just as the world would be nothing but stray breezes and raindrops without people and animals, books are lonely wildernesses of words, cold and unfeeling, without characters. Beneath the action and excitement of the plot, the characters breathe miraculous life into the story. Life so miraculous that when a late night reader wrenches herself from the end of a chapter, her weary eyes screaming “you really must stop”, she goes to sleep restless and unsatisfied. Unconscious, her fingers twitch toward her bedside table where the book lies watching her, laughing silently as she struggles. You may think that it’s the blasted cliff-hanger of a chapter ending that holds the mind suspended in mid-air, but deep down you know it’s not. You wouldn’t care what happened to a napkin if it were being yanked down a river by strong currents as its friend blew alongside, up on the riverbank. No. You care about what the heck is going to happen to the character- Will they die? Will they end up in the sewer? Oh, good gosh, can they swim?!?

For the Young Adult writers out there, it’s incredibly important not to take character development lightly. Look upon your love of reading YA for guidance. Never quit reading; it’s the simplest and most enjoyable way to remind yourself why you’re spending hours slouched over a laptop, the bright screen withering your eyeballs. As you read, you’ll remember why you love the Young Adult genre, and why you particularly love those young adults on your pwn list of main characters.

These troubled younglings are so much more than names printed in typeset “Book Antiqua.” The lives of these characters (made all the more appealing by their rollercoaster, adolescent emotions) hold infinite possibilities for storytelling. It’s these characters that we need to focus on as writers. They make the story. We read for them. And we need to write for them, too.

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Madeleine Rex (age 14) is an obsessive reader and writer. She blogs at Wordbird.
Follow her tweets at http://twitter.com/MadeleineRex.

So what makes YA novels beautiful in your eyes? What are you looking for?

The New 'Young Adult': A Guest Post by Amber Maguire

Aspiring author Amber Maguire talks about the changing world of YA literature...

Nothing is too filthy for young adults as long as you treat the characters and situation with respect. This was just one of the many gems of advice I received during a recent Young Adult Lit Chat via Twitter, and one I thought summed up my dilemma best.

I’m a twenty-something so you’d think given my age I wouldn’t have a problem knowing what can and can’t be written into a novel for today’s teens. Wrong. I feel so out of touch that I may as well be a sixty-something trying to write about teen issues of today while reminiscing about my fifties childhood.

But it’s not as tough as I think. While I’m tapping away on the keyboard stressing about the scene I’m writing – How many expletives is too many? Is it okay to have a teen masturbate on the page? Will my blink-and-you’ll-miss-it sex scene have to be cut during the edits because it’s simply “too much?” – I’m forgetting one fundamental thing. Times have changed.

The YA genre has been pushed wide open in recent times. Teens are no longer only reading books like Enid Blyton’s ‘Malory Towers’ series or Emily Rodda’s fantastical world of fantasy – books I grew up with and fell in love with in my day. Now they’re reading about death and drugs and sparkly vampires with insatiable appetites. And sex. Today’s issues no longer only revolve around having enough money for the tuckshop or who’s sleeping over whose house this weekend; there’s added issues about losing one’s virginity and recreational drug-taking and underage drinking, and they’re no longer taboo.

I remember reading a series of books when I was thirteen (and I can’t even remember what the books were called now) about high school students and a brutal murder where a young girl’s body was shoved into a locker. I remember being horrified and wondering what my parents would think if they’d known I was reading these books. I’d hired them from the school library: my name was on the cardstock, immortalised in ink, so there would be no question that I’d hired them, read them. If my parents knew they never said anything, but at the time I couldn’t quieten the voice in my head that told me I shouldn’t be reading them. I was too young to be reading such things, it said. Maybe I was just a prudish parent before my time, or maybe I just liked the thrill of reading something I thought my parents would disapprove of – typical teenage rebellion in literary form.

Whatever the reason, thinking about those books now and what was in them – death, murder, minimal gore by today’s standards – makes me blush. Not because they were so terrible, but because teens today would probably wonder what the fuss was about and think them tame.

The times have changed. The boundaries in YA literature have been re-drawn, and what was considered inappropriate even ten years ago is no longer considered so today. I’d almost go as far as to say that anything goes when it comes to writing for this generation of young adults. I just have to remember one thing: whatever the situation, it has to be treated with respect.

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Amber Maguire is a twenty-something living on Queensland’s central coast that is pushing the boundaries of what is considered ‘Young Adult.’ She is currently editing her first manuscript and blogs intermittently about the stresses of writing at http://www.thewritingant.wordpress.com/.

What do you think of the more 'mature' teen books of today? Have the standards and expectations of YA literature changed?

What if? Dystopian YA: A Guest Post by Heather Trese

What if women had no rights, and were assigned their roles in society?
What if all the adults in the world were dead?
What if everyone had a portal in their heads and constantly received information?

Questions like these absolutely fascinate me, and that’s why I have a great love for dystopian literature. What is dystopian literature? A dystopian novel is one that features a society characterized by an authoritarian or totalitarian form of government. It typically features repressive social control systems, a lack or total absence of individual freedoms, and a state of constant warfare or violence. Sometimes, as in The Giver, the reader might think the characters are in a utopia, or ideal society, when actually, as the layers are peeled away, you find that it’s really a dystopia.

Lately, dystopian novels have seen a huge upsurge in sales, particularly in the YA genre. Publisher’s Weekly posted a phenomenal article on the topic. I think teens relate well to dystopia simply because of the turmoil in their life. The teenage years are when most people realize for the first time that their parents and teachers might not be as all-knowing and powerful as they think, so they relate well to the rebellious characters which feature prominently in dystopian books. We’re also living in a society where war, poverty, and environmental disaster make headlines every day. Not to mention the supposed 2012 end-of-the-world, and the simple uncertainty of wondering what the future holds. For many readers of dystopian literature, it’s just interesting and a little fun to guess what the world will be like 400 years from now.

So what makes a great dystopian novel?

To successfully write dystopia, the concepts should be rooted in truth and based off of something we know today, just taken to the extreme. That’s what makes the ideas so haunting. The Hunger Games takes our obsession with reality TV and turns it on its head. Scott Westerfeld’s Uglies series plays on ideals of beauty and the current environmental crisis the world is facing to make the future seem real. Fahrenheit 451 takes the censoring of books to the most extreme circumstance possible. All of these books are eerie and effective because the reader can actually see the world turning out that way.

If you want to tackle dystopian writing, the best way to get an idea is to look at something that we, as a society, consider commonplace, or a problem that is just emerging. Then take that to its extreme. An example would be, say, how America consistently falls behind other industrialized countries on school aptitude tests. What if that trend continues, and in 100 or 200 years America is no longer a world power, but one of the poorest countries in the world? Or consider genetically modified food – these are becoming more and more common, but the long-term effects aren’t known. What if eating GM fruits and veggies is fine…until 20 years later, when you grow carrot sticks for fingers and blueberries for eyes? The point is, there is no shortage of material if you want to try your hand at creating a dystopian world – just look at the world around you.

I’ve heard people saying that the dystopian trend in YA is similar to the vampire phenomenon, and that it will soon die out. But I don’t think that’s the case. Dystopian literature has been around for centuries, and although it’s never been as popular as it is right now, I think it will always have a place in the hearts and minds of those who want to wonder…what if?

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Heather Trese is a magazine editor from Clearwater, FL. She is currently editing her first novel, a YA dystopian book that all sprang from a simple “What if?” Find her at her blog, http://seeheatherwrite.blogspot.com/, or on Twitter at www.twitter.com/HeatherTrese.

What do you think of the dystopian trend? What is your favourite dystopian novel?

Why I Love YA: A Guest Post by Robby

Teenaged blogger Robby talks about honesty, banned books and why he loves YA...

I am fourteen years old, barely a Young Adult. I could probably still be considered a pre-teen. I could probably still be considered a lot of things-naïve, immature, clueless. And I probably am all of those things, but that doesn’t mean that I am stupid.

That’s the first word that came to my mind when I began reading about the controversy that has surrounded Bloomsbury the past few months. They’ve released book after book with lies all over the cover, yanked them from the shelves, and tried to cover themselves up.

Bloggers throughout the blogosphere spread the word about this, blogged and tweeted. News traveled quickly and we all came together to fight back against this, to fight for honesty.

As I wrote before, we are not stupid. Many YA book bloggers are teenagers (including myself,) and many YA book bloggers are also adults. We read YA literature because we want to read honest stories about real people. If a book has lies all over the cover, if that is known, people won’t want to read it. Maybe I’m just speaking for myself. Maybe I’m completely wrong. This is just how I feel.

Another thing is banned books. This has always confused me. In the library at my high school, there is a shelf at the front of the library that says Banned Books in big, bold letters across the top. Our librarian is always talking about these books, telling us to read them. And that’s another thing-if a book is banned, it doesn’t make teenagers not want to read it, but it instead sparks interest.

Forever by Judy Blume, The Perks of Being A Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky-there are countless books that have been banned throughout the US , and all of these books have become bestsellers. The term “banned books” is false, in my opinion, because all this does is promote these books. All this does is make teenage readers even more curious.

In high school, there is sex. There are drugs. Kids party and spread rumors, lie and cheat. Honestly, kids are mean. The kind of books I want to read are books that reflect this.

For example, I am currently reading Some Girls Are by Courtney Summers. This book is exactly what I am talking about, a book that shows that girls in high school can be mean, vicious, and everything adults think teenagers aren’t.

All it takes is one adult in one school telling the school board that a book is inappropriate and it’s taken off the shelves. Just like that. But, again, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

In YA literature, there are countless genres-realistic/contemporary, paranormal, horror. There are love stories, hate stories, all kinds of stories. There is always something to read in YA literature. For every book that is not so great there are dozens of books that are great. Being a teenager and also an avid YA reader, I will tell you that Young Adult novels are the reason why I have fallen in love with reading.

So, banned books are good. Honesty is good. Young Adult literature is the reason I haven’t yet lost my mind. Reading is getting me through life, escaping into another world, another story.

Honestly, I’m not sure what the point of this post was. But, the three words below say it all.

I love YA.

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Robby is fourteen years old, blogs at Once Upon A Book Blog/Fourteen Years. There, he posts book reviews, interviews, blogs about life being a relatively normal teenager. He also posts poetry he has written, writes about music on occasion, and rambles the same way he did in the above guest post.
One day, Robby hopes to be able to go into a bookstore and see novels he has written on the shelves. One day, Robby hopes to change someone's life with his words.
Someday.

Why do you love YA?

Why do good girls go for bad boys? A Guest Post by Magan Vernon

Magan talks about a theme in YA she loves - good girl/bad boy literary couples...

My favorite YA novel theme, or really any novel theme is the good girl and bad boy hook up. This is a theme that is not only prevalent in so many young adult novels, but it's a theme that can be seen in almost every aspect of pop culture. So in celebration of that theme, I wanted to pay homage to my top five favorite bad boy/ good girl literary couples.

5.) Edward Cullen & Bella Swan (Twilight) - This is one I am a little bit reluctant to list. Though, yes, I did read the series it's not like I am a huge Twi-hard. I do believe though that since this relationship has such a big following, that Bella and Edward are worth mentioning. The new girl plus the high school heart throb will always be a classic literary love.

4.) Annabel and Owen (Just Listen) - The teenage model with a secret and the brooding music snob. It's like a match made in literary heaven. I had a girl once say that she loved Sarah Dessen's novels because it was always the same premise: a girl with a messed up family and a boy with issues and they find something to bond over. It may be the same themes repeated, but it's one that can suck me in like a vortex over and over.

3.) Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennett (Pride and Predjudice) - The classic bad boy, Mr. Darcy. True story: When you google "Literary Bad Boy," Mr. Darcy is the first name to come up. I do believe that Elizabeth and Darcy give hope to every person with unrequited love, and therefore can make any girl feverously turn the pages of this classic novel.

2.) Landon Carter & Jamie Sullivan (A Walk to Remember) - I cannot lie. I am a huge sucker for Nicholas Sparks. I don't know if Landon Carter could really be qualified as the quintessential bad boy even though the movie tried to make him out to be one. Either way, the brooding Landon with the emotional issues and Jamie Sullivan with her down home roots and bible in hand make for a great couple to root for.

1.) Jessica Darling and Marcus Flutie (The Jessica Darling series) - Marcus Flutie is the boy with sexual numbers that rival Will Chamberlain and Jessica Darling is the over achieving track star. But when Marcus asks Jessica to pee in a cup for him all bets are off and it's the beginning of my favorite bad boy/good girl literary relationship. Through five books I hung on every word of this novel and half the time would even forget that I actually didn't know Jessica and Marcus…and that people would think I was crazy for talking about a couple that I only knew from reading a book.

So why does the bad boy/good girl relationship seem to work so well for novels? I honestly couldn't tell you why this formula seems to work so well, or even why I chose to use this theme when I wrote my novel. But what I can tell you is that no matter how many times I see this theme in novels, I still love it.

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Magan is an aspiring YA writer who is currently stuck in Bloomington, IL working in Insurance. Her first novel, My Own Summer, is still lurking around in cyber space searching for an agent, and being submitted in just about every writing contest under the sun including Textnovel. Besides writing Magan enjoys watching bromance movies, eating coffee flavored ice cream, and trying to bake her way into being a southern belle. Magan also has promised that the first agent to offer her representation will get a batch of homemade lasagna. Follow Magan on Twitter!

Who's your favourite good girl/bad boy YA literary couples? Is it a trend you like, or not?

My Top 5 YA Literary Crushes: A Guest Post by Rachel Simon

College student and aspiring author Rachel Simon drops by to tell us about her top 5 YA literary crushes...

1. Tobias from Animorphs
Tobias was a boy, who at the beginning of this sci-fi series was turned into a red-tailed hawk. I know…you’re all confused. Let me explain. Animorphs was not a YA series, however I totally count it as one because the characters go from being thirteen to around sixteen or seventeen by the end of the series. Anyway, Tobias became stuck in the form of a red-tailed hawk but was sooo still a boy. And a cute, shy, sensitive boy. Who stole my heart. He also liked to read (always a plus in my eyes!), and thought school dances were pretty dumb (me too!). Unfortunately, he fell in love with another Rachel (not me) and when she died at the end of the series, Tobias became a recluse.

2. Tom Marvolo Riddle, Jr. from Harry Potter
I know what everyone is thinking: ARE YOU CRAZY???? But something about Tom was swoonworthy to me. He is brilliant – as one can see throughout the Harry Potter series, he was head of his class – and wants to take over the world. …What? You seriously mean to tell me, NO ONE ELSE has ever thought that taking over the world might be fun? Anyway, Tom went onto to be something pretty evil (cough- Voldemort- cough), but he will always have a place in my heart.

3. Valentine Morgenstern from The Mortal Instruments
I know, me and these villains… Like Tom, Valentine wants to have absolute power. Unlike Tom, Valentine had a wife and a son and then went crazy. In other words, he was Tall, Dark and Handsome as a teen with a side of Crazy later on in life. I’d totally date him if he wasn’t hell-bent on confusing people and mixing up cute-couples-I-totally-root-for-in-the-books.

4. Macon Faulkner from Someone Like You
Sarah Dessen is the queen of writing modern cute boys in my opinion. And while she has A LOT of them, you may be wondering why I chose Macon. To me, Macon is the most realistic boy out of every Dessen boy there is. He is cute, kind of dorky but totally tries to be cool, and most of all he tries to pressure his girlfriend into sleeping with him. Wait…what? I’m not saying I find that trait attractive, but I do recognize that many teenage boys today sometimes do that. (Not all, not all!) I also think that after the car accident, the way Macon doesn’t know how to act around Hailey is so realistic. Plus, I TOTALLY imagine Macon with a Southern accent even though he probably doesn’t have one. But a girl can dream, right? (Sidenote: I just found out this book released on my birthday…in 1998.)

5. Peeta Mellark from The Hunger Games
Peeta… Peeta… What can I say about you? Well besides that every time your name makes me think of pita bread and the Middle East, I have a huge crush on you. You are blonde and your dad owns a bakery, which is excellent because I love bread and sweets of all kinds. Peeta is also very loyal, patient and kind. He is willing to help out and fight for the girl he loves even though she may not love him back. Need I say more? Just read Catching Fire.

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Rachel Simon is a college sophomore, majoring in English and Creative Writing and hopes to one day have a dual career in the awesomeness that is both writing and publishing. She is currently editing her YA fantasy retelling of Beauty and the Beast with a feminist twist and is writing a YA historical about Zelda Fitzgerald, the wife of F. Scott. When asked by her mother if she will ever read adult books, she says never. In her spare time, she eats too much sweets, daydreams about studying abroad in Australia (which will be happening in 2011), and throws 90’s dance parties…with herself. You can find her on Twitter and Livejournal.

So, who are your YA Literary Crushes?

Comment and tell us!