Writing the Young Adult Novel
Audience becomes a more than usually important consideration when drafting a young adult (YA) novel. In this course, we’ll familiarize ourselves with the genre and audience of the YA novel, learn specific strategies for improving the core components of your YA book—such as character, plot, and setting—and, finally, unearth the mysteries of querying agents and editors. By focusing on specific writing techniques—and using K.L. Going’s Writing & Selling the YA Novel—you’ll learn how to turn your idea for a YA novel into a finished, and saleable, novel.
Course level: Beginner / Intermediate
Required Book: Writing and Selling the YA Novel by K.L. Going
Workshop Length: 8 weeks
Tuition: $399.00 ($359.10 for VIP)
Start Date: View Writing the Young Adult Novel Course Schedule
Course Structure
The workshop will consist of eight one-week sessions. Each session will include online lectures (text based), associated textbook reading assignments, and writing exercises submitted to the instructor for private review. In addition, the course provides an interactive area which you might use to further the conversation with your peers and thus create a community of writers that may be helpful to you even after you finish this course.
You will learn:
- Key elements of the YA genre
- How to develop complex teen characters
- How to craft convincing dialogue
- Strategies for revealing character emotion
- The relationship between character, plot, and setting
- Techniques for outlining your novel
- Tips for becoming your own self-editor
- How to query and submit your manuscript for publication
Who should take this course:
- Individuals who want to explore the Young Adult genre
- Graduates of other beginner level workshops
- Fiction writers who want to develop their idea for a YA novel
Course Outline
Session One: The Teenage Perspective
- Course Introduction
- YA FAQ
- Creating believable and compelling teen protagonists
- Understanding the teen perspective
- Exploring POV
Writing Assignment (Fundamental): Write a 250-word character bio/sketch of a potential teen protagonist for your novel. Be sure to include details about her/his history, motivations, complexity, and appearance. What does she/he like, dislike, fear, etc.?
Next, write two scenes (250 words each): One in which this character witnesses a shocking or startling sight, from the first-person POV, and another that explores the same scenario from the third-person limited POV.
Writing Assignment (Advanced): Select a character from your novel-in-progress and write a 250-word character bio/sketch. What is your character’s history, experiences, likes, dislikes, fears, etc.?
Next, rewrite two scenes (250 words each): One should be your favorite scene you’ve written so far, from the first-person POV. And another scene should explore this same situation from the third-person limited POV.
Session Two: Say What?: Developing Dialogue
- Writing convincing and compelling dialogue
- Using dialogue to reveal character
- Dialogue dos and don’ts
Writing Assignment (Fundamental): Select one of the scenes you wrote for the previous exercise. Expand this scene to 600 words, adding dialogue between at least two characters. Remember, what a character says is just as important as how he says it. Be sure to read the dialogue out loud to catch any stilted or awkward language.
Writing Assignment (Advanced): First, select a scene of dialogue from your novel-in-progress and write a 200-word analysis (for your own benefit only—no need to turn this in for critique). What did you do well? Where have you used dialogue to simply describe setting or narrate plot events? What could use improvement? What is the text versus the subtext? Now, rewrite this scene of dialogue, paying close attention to revealing character interiority through direct lines of speech. How do the lines of speech differ from your character’s internal thoughts? Aim for 600 words.
Session Three: Love, Angst, Hate: Exploring Emotions
- Conveying emotion through physical description
- Using scenes of flashback
- Utilizing action to reveal character depth
Writing Assignment (Fundamental): First, write a 400-word scene where your character from the previous exercises feels a deep emotion. Perhaps he’s exceedingly angry or upset or sad. Be sure to use physical description to convey his emotions, and do not directly state what he is feeling. Next, write a 400-word scene where your character says one thing, but acts in a way contrary to his words. Consider how his actions might define her emotions. Try incorporating at least a paragraph of flashback.
Writing Assignment (Advanced): Select a scene from your novel-in-progress where your teen character is feeling a strong emotion. Rewrite this scene using physical description to convey emotion. Incorporate a scene of flashback that provides clues to your character’s interiority, and try to show how your character’s actions reveal a depth of emotion. Aim for 800 words.
Session Four: Plotting the Plot, Setting the Setting
- Using your character’s motivation to propel the plot
- The believability factor and your teen audience
- Using setting to reveal character mood and set the tone
Writing Assignment (Fundamental): Using a character you’ve developed in a previous lesson, write a scene (500 words) that immediately (within the first sentence or two) puts your character in a situation of conflict. (For example: The door was locked, and the one thing Charlotte needed most was behind it.) Make sure to clearly reveal what the conflict is. What does the character want, and what stands in her way?
Next, write a 250-word description of your character’s room or favorite space. What can you reveal about your character through this description of setting?
Writing Assignment (Advanced): Working with the protagonist of your novel-in-progress, write or rewrite a scene (500 words) that immediately immerses your reader into a conflict your character is facing. Pay attention to getting to the conflict as quickly as possible. What does your character want? Why can’t she have it? What stands in her way?
Next, rewrite a scene within your novel that relies heavily upon setting. What sensory details can you use to sharpen the description? How can you use the setting to reveal the mood of your character or set the tone of the chapter? Aim for 300 words.
Session Five: Charting Your Novel: Beginnings and Endings
- Thinking about the general structure of a novel
- The function and purpose of novel beginning and endings
- Writing compelling novel openings
- Crafting reflective, conclusive endings
Writing Assignment (Fundamental): Write two scenes, each approximately 400 words. The first should be your novel’s opening scene, which should reveal information about your character, her history, and motivation, while at the same time establishing or hinting at the conflict. The second scene should be your final scene. How has the character changed from the first scene to the last? How do you plan to resolve the major conflicts. Be sure to be reflective in tone and connect, in some way, to your opening scene.
Writing Assignment (Advanced): Rewrite the opening and closing scenes from your novel-in-progress. Aim for 500 words apiece. In the first scene, work on revealing the character’s motivation while establishing the conflict. In the second scene, focus on revealing how your character has changed from the beginning. Remember, scenes in Act Three are often more reflective in tone.
Session Six: Charting Your Novel, Part II: Stuck in the Middle
- The purpose and function of novel middles
- Developing conflict
- Signposting your novel
- Pacing and the YA novel
Writing Assignment (Fundamental): For your own reference, create a signpost outline of the middle portion of your novel. Now, write two of these scenes (500 words each). How can you develop and deepen the conflict for your character? What is at stake for your character? Be sure to pay attention to getting to the conflict/action of the scene as quickly as possible.
Writing Assignment (Advanced): For your own reference, create a reverse signpost outline of your middle section. That is, I want you to outline what scenes and scene types you already have and provide a brief summary of each scene. Now, analyze this outline. What kinds of scenes could you include in your novel in order to deepen your conflict? Now, write one scene (aim for 1,000 words) in which you complicate your protagonist’s path to achieving her goal. Be sure to pay attention to pacing; try to immediately get to the heart of the action.
Session Seven: Become Your Own Editor
- Reading as your target audience would
- Finding outside readers
- Evaluating and revising scenes
- Tips on your first words and your last ones
Writing Assignment (Fundamental): Select a scene you wrote for a previous lesson, and revise it (600 words), making sure the scene has a clear beginning, middle, and end. Have you started the scene in the middle of the action? Finally, answer the following questions:
- Which characters are involved in the scene?
- Where is this scene set?
- What is a one-sentence summary of the scene?
- What does the character want?
- What is the obstacle that is standing in her way?
- What is the purpose of this scene?
- How is this scene related to the rest of the novel?
Next, write the scene that would logically follow this one in the natural progression of your novel (600 words). What will happen next? How will the conflict be continued or deepened?
Writing Assignment (Advanced): Revise two scenes from your novel-in-progress, making sure that each scene has a clear beginning, middle, and end. Aim for 600 words each. In each scene, pay attention to starting as close to the action of the story as possible. How can you develop and introduce your protagonist more immediately? Is the pacing quick at the start of your novel? In your closing scene, pay close attention to tone. What has your character learned?
Session Eight: Querying, Submitting, and Publishing, Oh, My!
- Examining traditional publishing versus self-publishing
- The role of agents and editors
- How to write an effective query letter
- Submitting your manuscript
Writing Assignment (Fundamental and Advanced): First, Write a 600-word synopsis of your novel, including as much detail as possible. Next, research a real editor or agent and draft a 500-word query letter to her. Be sure to include any of your writing credentials and maintain a professional tone.
