School’s out! Spring is making way into summer, which is one of the best reading and writing seasons for YA authors. Teen bookworms all over the country are ready to toss the textbooks and cuddle up with some new YA reads. At SparkPress, we’re ready for the Best Writing Summer Ever, and are kicking it off with this SparkPress YA author roundup to help you get ready for summer.
We’re bringing you a diverse collection of tips from 5 SparkPress authors, some that we see as the best and brightest in YA Fiction. Read on for juicy tips from spring 2016 author Jessica Stevens, and then check out what some of our other YA authors have to say, including Colleen Oakes, Sandra Kring, and Brady Stefani.
Jessica Stevens, author of Within Reach
Authenticity
When writing YA, it’s critical that the characters be authentic, I believe it is also essential for the characters to be extremely identifiable. YA readers need to relate, to find a commonality, and believe that all of the amazing things they are reading about could happen to them. Unconsciously or not, young adults love immersing themselves into a world where someone is going through similar struggles – because, then, they are no longer facing the problem alone. Readers look to characters to help guide them, show them it’s okay to be who they are, that it’s okay to hold on to the hope that someday you will find “your one,” and that everything is going to be okay.
Inner Thoughts/Back Story
We react to situations in life because of experiences we’ve had. No two humans respond to any situation in the exact same way. It’s impossible. Characters should be created with that in mind that they need to be humans, not just names on a piece of paper. If you know where your characters have been and what they’ve been through, it makes it a lot easier to know what motivates their choices. You will know what happened in your villain’s past that makes them choose to drink at the party or why they decided to lie about what they ate that day. You’ll know how your protagonist will react when she is rejected, because she has never been loved before. You’ll know that one of your supporting characters always takes the long way home from school because he saw his brother get hit by a car on the quicker route. Even something as simple as understanding why someone always chooses a red shirt over the blue one. Every action is ultimately a reaction.
Character Traits
Each character in your story will obviously have very different traits. However, good people are not always “good” and bad people are not always http://www.besttramadolonlinestore.com “bad.” For every dominant trait my characters demonstrate, I make sure to show, at some point, the polar opposite. By doing this, a whole new dimension is created for the characters. As a writer, taking this approach forces you to dive in, giving your characters a deep and complete identity. Whenever a character does something contrary to what they normally do, readers will expect an internal and external reaction from them, and that reaction must be acknowledged through your writing.
Take in All the Senses
Let’s say, you are having a conversation with a friend about what’s going on this upcoming weekend. More than dialogue exists. The entire world and universe continues on as you talk. A plane could fly above your head and the sound of its engines reminds you of a trip you took, which in turn triggers a memory of a story want to tell your friend. The temperature might drop, causing you to notice that your friend has a sweater on – you think, “I should’ve brought a sweater”. Your phone rings or vibrates in your pocket and you must decide whether or not to answer it – you will definitely wonder who it is, there most likely will be a physical reaction to it as well. You might notice a chip in your nail polish and start to pick at it. The opportunities are endless because the human mind is constantly noticing its surroundings and responding to those inputs. Thus, when writing, and attempting to bring your characters to life, it is extremely important that you allow your characters to live, and to observe as well.
About Within Reach, May 2016
What if, after you died, you had a chance to come back? Fix the one fatal mistake that turned everything around. One more chance with the one you left behind? Dying wasn’t on sixteen-year-old Xander Hemlock’s summer to-do-list. Finding ways to spend more time with his girlfriend, Lila, was the most critical thinking he planned on doing. That was before he found himself trapped in a realm of darkness with thirty days to convince Lila he’s not dead, well, not completely. Discover this book and more at SparkPress.
About Jessica Stevens:
Jessica Stevens grew up knowing without a doubt that she would become a professional ballet dancer. When life told her otherwise, she went to college like the rest of the world and earned a degree in psychology. Shortly after, while raising her two boys, she found herself glued to her computer, writing, all hours of the night while everyone else slept. Today she lives in suburbs of Milwaukee, where she spends as much time as possible on lakes and rivers.
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