They are young and brooding—they wear a lot of black. Seriously, are you telling me that it shocked you when this guy got a following? I have a theory that this archetype is actually a desirable element in your fiction.
Has death ever let you down? Death can be considered the ultimate drama—but perhaps because of that, it can become a solution that is too easy to reach for. Unfortunately, death is a temperamental ingredient to add to your stew. It can quickly spoil an otherwise adequate story, turning it …
Does A YA Protagonist Have To Be A Teen? Are there exceptions? What about the immortal protagonist? I’ve mentioned this topic in passing in other posts—but it’s the current thorn under my skin so I figured it deserves its own article to mull over. One of the key attributes of …
So, recently I got to have dinner with some actual teens to learn more about their tastes in YA books & entertainment. Teen entertainment tastes will have significant bearing on the success of my writing. I only realized in the last few months that my books would be categorized as …
Once upon a time adults didn’t read children’s books—well, except to their children, of course, when the children were small and you hoped for them to become readers one day. My mother read me children’s books- The Secret Garden, Little House on the Prairie, A Girl of the Limberlost. She …
Violet Glass Was Originally Named Lillah Grey As a protagonist name, Lillah Grey fit all the criteria—short, straightforward, but interesting and nicely thematic, with no problematic strings attached. That is, until 50 Shades of Grey became popular. That changed things. So Lillah’s last name had to change as …
Constraints of Genre Complexity Are some genre better suited for self-publishing? Yes, yes they are. There are several key considerations—but your first question needs to be, “Am I eventually planning on supporting myself with my fiction writing as my sole income?” If the answer is no—then you may not need …
Its late at night and I want something to read. Eyes scanning my library shelves, I see many familiar titles—books worthy of precious shelf space. Any voracious reader knows the high bar of shelf space. That inch is paid for with reading pleasure. My displeasure, my distaste, and you molder …
Rejected Terrible Titles Your titles can make or break you as an author—they are the first thing a reader sees about a book—and the first bar most books fail. Waxing Dark actually went through multiple title changes. It started out as Ending Academy, which was unbelievably dull. Deciding I needed …
Today is Easter—it’s also April Fool’s Day. Do books surprise us, do they pull April Fool’s style pranks? Sometimes. More often than not, though, they fulfill our expectations—and that’s often not a bad thing. The books I re-read the most are usually comfort fiction—when my world is dark, I turn …
