Writing YA and middle grade stories

Do you sometimes go through phases in your life? I know I do. Years ago, I was into pattern drafting, then cake decorating, then ceramics, flower arrangements, bowling, and on and on. When I first started writing, I wrote nonfiction stories. Then I was a staff writer and did interviews and feature stories. Now I’m into writing children’s picture books, which I still love to do. But I also want to write middle grade and young adult stories. For me, it’s a challenge. But I’m learning. It might take a while, but I’ll get there. Nothing like a challenge to make the old creative juices flow.

If you want to write for children or older teens, there is an excellent article on HubPages by jonbard on just how to go about this. The title of the piece is “Creating Characters for Tween & Teen Readers.” It mentions one of my favorite writers, Richard Peck, 2001 Newbery Medal winner (A Year Down Yonder).

If you’re into writing children’s picture books, visit author Anastasia Suen’s blog. She is an author, teacher, and consultant. I was lucky enough to hear her speak at a writer’s conference not too long ago. She has excellent tips on writing for children.

"I identify very strongly with kids. Twelve and thirteen-year-olds feel things intensely. They need to know about what they are feeling, and more than anything else, they want reassurance that their feelings are normal." -- Judy Blume