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242nd out of 296 books
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64 voters
Writing Great Books for Young Adults: Everything You Need to Know, from Crafting the Idea to Landing a Publishing Deal
From a top young adult literary agent, the only guide on how to write for young adults
With an 87 percent increase in the number of titles published in the last two years, the young adult market is one of the healthiest segments in the industry. Despite this, little has been written to help authors hone their craft to truly connect with this audience. Writing Great Books
...morePaperback, 191 pages
Published
September 1st 2009
by Sourcebooks
(first published August 1st 2008)
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I have an aversion to reading books on writing so I was a little surprised when I saw this on the library shelf and actually checked it out. I'd seen it recommended on a few sites and was a little curious about what this agent would have to say, what she thought was different in YA than the rest of the market, and if she had any great advice. It failed to impress me.
The first part of the book I kept thinking this was for all those people who at close of Twilight thought, "I could do that, and be...more
The first part of the book I kept thinking this was for all those people who at close of Twilight thought, "I could do that, and be...more
I am really passionate about the young adult/teen genre of novels. (I could talk about this for ages.) This book was written by a seasoned literary agent who works with young adult books, which gives it a good perspective of someone who is watching the genre grow and change as well as seeing what succeeds and what fails. It has a lot of writing tips that I already knew because I am pretty studied in that area, but it also had a new way of looking at some of these aspects of writing (for example,...more
Regina Brooks does a fantastic job of outlining the fundamentals of writing for the YA audience. Calling on her vast experience as a literary agent, she breaks down the entire process--from developing ideas to submitting queries to agents--in an easily digestible fashion. She discusses many of the rules you've probably heard before, such as "show, don't tell" and "avoid adjectives and adverbs," but instead of presenting them as inviolable laws, she explains why those guidelines are there and whe...more
About 95% general writing advice, and only 5% (about 10 pages total) insights into YA fiction, mostly common-sense. The author repeatedly advises the reader to go do the research him/herself instead of providing research/examples. I wish more niche genre books would skip the Novel 101 material and get to the specifics of the niche.
Some head-scratchers: Brooks incorrectly refers to a present participle in the progressive tense a gerund and makes the all-too-common mistake of advising that first-p...more
Some head-scratchers: Brooks incorrectly refers to a present participle in the progressive tense a gerund and makes the all-too-common mistake of advising that first-p...more
I was trying to find a book with the basics in novel writing and my intention was to write for young adults. On the shelf, sandwiched between books of no interest to me, was Regina's book. It was an easy-read with a to-the-point approach. I used my high-lighter and wrote notes in the margins, keeping it at arms length while got to writing my novel. This book is great to guide the new writer into creating characters and stories that are vivid and relevant to the YA market. It gives you great tips...more
It was worth reading, but I'm not going to rave about it. Early chapters are good for anybody thinking of writing a novel, about generating ideas, characters, plot, story, setting, point of view, dialogue, and theme. I thought the chapters on plot and theme were particularly thorough and helpful. The author is an agent, so gives a lot of good advice from that perspective. The book also included snippets from other industry insiders, which I found interesting reading. I was annoyed with some slop...more
A good, solid book on the craft of writing that is geared primarily toward beginners. Most of the advice is tailored to the young adult market, though the principles apply across all genres. I did not, however, appreciate the repetition that young adult readers (read: teens) aren't emotionally, physically, mentally, etc. mature enough to handle certain topics, themes, or literary styles with the same nuance and sophistication as adults. This sentiment follows a rule that the writer should never...more
Starring Zooey Deschanel on the cover!
This book has a lot of annoying exercises which are more for someone who has zero inkling of what they want to do with a YA novel. I guess that's hedging bets for the audience of the book, but it winds up forcing someone who has an existing idea to have to skip around in the text to make the most of what's here/ unnecessary.
There is good, general literary stuff here (list of conflicts, character types, etc), as well as a good section on thinking about litera...more
This book has a lot of annoying exercises which are more for someone who has zero inkling of what they want to do with a YA novel. I guess that's hedging bets for the audience of the book, but it winds up forcing someone who has an existing idea to have to skip around in the text to make the most of what's here/ unnecessary.
There is good, general literary stuff here (list of conflicts, character types, etc), as well as a good section on thinking about litera...more
Definitely had some helpful tips. I've always been petrified of starting to write and Brooks gives you some great pointers for developing your plot and characters. Specifically, I really found her chapter on dialogue useful. I always feel like dialogue is the hardest thing to write, and she made me much more confident and willing to give it a try.
A quick and easy read that any aspiring YA author should be required to purchase.
A quick and easy read that any aspiring YA author should be required to purchase.
Decent enough, commonsense advice on how to write and sell books for young adults. The YA genre isn't that different from any other, and most of the advice could apply to all fiction books. Like all "how to write" books, however, this is of limited use -- I think if you really needed a book like this to be able to write well then you might as well not even bother.
I had to read this for the Oxford course I took this year. The book isn't bad, but it can't be considered a stand-alone read. It provides food for thought and investigation if you're trying to write a story aimed at young adult readers, but it's not a manual on how to write a bestseller of course and you can't follow all the advice blindly.
Please, for the love of all that is holy, don't read this. It's okay until Chapter 4, when things start not making sense. Do not read a book on writing for teenagers that is written by someone who thinks teenagers are too immature and inexperienced to read and understand the breadth of adult fiction.
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This is one of the best How To books I've read since starting my MFA. It reiterated a lot of what we've been taught, but added a great deal that I hadn't heard. She also gives advice from publishers on each of the chapters she discusses.
There are an unbelievable number of TYPOS in this book! The author works in the field; where the heck was her editor??? It's really hard for me to take advice seriously - about WRITING no less - when this happens. I'll probably still finish it. Eventually. But for now, Insurgent was just released yesterday, so THAT is where my attention is at!!! :-)
Great tips and info about the YA publishing market. My only quibble: sometimes she makes it sound like teens are simple-minded. Like they can't handle dense material, symbolism, literary allusions, etc. I'm not doing to dumb down my stories so they satisfy the kid sitting in detention. There are plenty of smart young adults out there who want to read rich, meaningful stories.
I think this is an excellent book for beginning writers who want a comprehensive all around look at writing and revising. It's not a bad review for more experienced writer's, but probably not the kind of book to push your writing to the next level if you're intermediate or beyond.
I love this book. The author's writing style is fun to read and her take on the industry, as an agent specializing in YA, is of good quality. I love hearing directly from authors and agents, and she is both.
I am attempting to write a YA novel and I thought this book was pretty helpful. I liked the parts about what types of stories, characters, endings, etc. to avoid. That was good to know. Luckily I wasn't planning on using any of those!
This is generally a pretty solid introduction to what makes a good YA novel. It gives some great tips from inside the industry, as well as information about the entire process of crafting a novel, from idea to finding an agent/publisher. If you're just starting out as a YA writer, you'll find some solid base knowledge and advice here.
If you're a more advanced YA writer who's involved in the community, either online or professionally, then you probably already know most of what's to be found in t...more
If you're a more advanced YA writer who's involved in the community, either online or professionally, then you probably already know most of what's to be found in t...more
What a great resource for anyone who plans to write a book for young adults. It is packed with useful tips for the entire process, from coming up with an idea, to getting an agent.
It was a gift from a friend. It's one of those cases where you've read all the info before, but something clicks in your read and you finally get it. Liked it very much!
This struck me as a very sharp, up-to-date guide to writing for this age group. Useful to me as I try to figure out if what I'm working on might fit into YA-world...
I found this book very helpful and informative. I'd recommend it to any writer whether you're a newbie to the craft or you just need a little refresher.
This doesn't contain anything you can't find for free on a blog, so I'm glad I checked it out from the library instead of buying it.
Excellent book for anyone interested in writing YA fiction. Or anyone just wanting to know the difference in YA and adult fiction!
This is an excellent primer on the basics of writing young adult fiction. It’s written in a clear, accessible style and walks you through the entire process, from conceiving your story to contacting agents. If you read a lot about writing, the information won’t be new to you, but it’s nice to have it gathered in one place. Review at www.noracoon.com
Aug 17, 2010
Martha Ramirez
added it
This is an AWESOME YA writing book! Every YA writer should have it on their shelf.
Anyone who's longing to be a writer of YA fiction, this is AMAZINGLY helpful! The author doesn't talk down to you like an idiot, and goes through character analysis and plot formations that are really helpful.
I hadn't gotten to the end of the book yet, but she helps you with securing an agent and what goes on in the post-publication process.
Not matter what genre you write! Definitely a keeper in my opinion! :)
Keep on writing! :)
I hadn't gotten to the end of the book yet, but she helps you with securing an agent and what goes on in the post-publication process.
Not matter what genre you write! Definitely a keeper in my opinion! :)
Keep on writing! :)
I didn't concur with everything Miss Brooks asserted in this book, but it is a great tool for newcomers to the young adult scene.
Pretty standard in terms of the information offered, but some good detailed advice on writing and submitting query letters.
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Regina Brooks is an award-winning author and literary expert with an indefatigable passion for guiding the careers of some of the publishing worlds best and brightest stars. As the founder and president of Serendipity Literary Agency LLC., a full-service company based in Brooklyn, NY, which was hailed by Writers Digest Magazine as one of the top 25 literary agencies of 2004, Ms. Brooks continues t...more
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