By Almitra Clay “So what is your novel about?” This is the point where I go from smiling to my deer-in-the-headlights grimace. See, I’m not
Tag: young adult
6 Stylistic Techniques in YA Novels
There are two aspects to each story— what it is about and how it is written. Three young adult novels I’ve read over a span
How Many Queries Does it Take to Get an Agent?
The query letter. It’s something that strikes fear in the heartiest of us. Asking a stranger if they want to review the book of your
Age Group and Genre: Targeting Your Manuscript
Are you certain you know who you are writing for and what species of story you’ve concocted? These two significant pieces of information must be
How To Build Better Readers: IMHO…
I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that just about everyone perusing this post would agree that reading is a vital
Audiobooks as Leisure Time: Part II
In Part I of Audiobooks as Leisure Time, I discussed considering the hours I spend in the car commuting back and forth to work leisure time.
A Twisty Path to Publication–with Dragons
Post #5: Morris Award Finalist Blog Tour Week YALSA’s Morris Award honors the year’s best young adult novel by a debut author. The Morris Award
THE SCAR BOYS by Len Vlahos
Post #4: Morris Award Finalist Blog Tour Week YALSA’s Morris Award honors the year’s best young adult novel by a debut author. The Morris Award
THE CARNIVAL AT BRAY by Jessie Ann Foley
Post #3: Morris Award Finalist Blog Tour Week YALSA’s Morris Award honors the year’s best young adult novel by a debut author. The Morris Award
The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender by Leslye Walton
Post #2: Morris Award Finalist Blog Tour Week YALSA’s Morris Award honors the year’s best young adult novel by a debut author. The Morris Award
The Story of Owen: Dragon Slayer of Trondheim by E. K. Johnston
Post #1: Morris Award Finalist Blog Tour Week YALSA’s Morris Award honors the year’s best young adult novel by a debut author. The Morris Award
Revising Your NaNoWriMo Mess-terpiece
By Heather Fenton If you, like me, participated in the highly-focused, highly-caffeinated National Novel Writing Month this past November, hopefully you have a 50,000 word
Book Review: SAVE THE CAT! by Blake Snyder
I found SAVE THE CAT! The Last Book on Screenwriting That You’ll Ever Need through a novelist’s blog. I was scouring the internet for help
Why Being a Writer Is Better than Creating Jelly Belly Flavors (A Tale of Gratitude)
Last week I did a school visit where we discussed “show don’t tell”. To keep things fun, I asked a few brave 5th graders to sample
What Shape Is That Story?
While reading John Green’s Looking for Alaska recently, I was surprised by the shape of the story. It reminded me of other authors who have
World-Building Errors, as Illustrated by Divergent
By Almitra Clay Even if you haven’t read it or seen the movie, chances are you are aware of Veronica Roth’s Divergent. In the first
