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Tips For Young Writers
Some writing advice to young writers and suggestions for teachers to assist in developing writing skills in their students.
Writing can be one of the most rewarding and fulfilling experiences of your life. There are many reasons a person decides to write: to share their life’s experiences, to tell a good story, to express the feelings and situations of others … the list is endless. Some people even write just for fun. I wrote my book because I visited Egypt with my two nephews and wanted to write a short story to help them remember a special time. To my surprise, the short story turned into a book, and then a book series. So, you never know what’s going to happen once you begin!
Any good story is composed of a really gripping plot and realistic, believable characters. What comes first? Everyone has their own ideas but I believe the plot should come first. What’s the point of great characters if they sit around and don’t achieve very much. So, step one, write your plot down in a few words (that’s all you need). “My story is about … who manages to … and goes on to ….” Example from my book: two cousins go to Egypt with their aunt Isabel and their Gran and are given an ancient scarab that plunges them into a whirlpool of exciting events. I have my two main characters, two secondary characters, a great location (open to all kinds of amazing events), an important object, and … well, the amazing events are up to my imagination.
How To Choose a Great Story Topic. You may think, “But what can I write about?” Write about what you know best, or what excites you, or what you enjoy. You’ll find that when you are really keen on something—it can be an activity, a place, an event, or a person (real or imaginary)—it becomes easier to write. Do you love reading about faraway exciting places? Then research a place you find interesting and set your story there. Do you enjoy mysteries? Think about something that’ll keep people guessing. Are you good at a skill or a sport? Set your story around a character with those abilities.
How to Construct your Storyline. Structure is very important otherwise you’ll end up writing away like crazy but forget some vital detail here and there, and your story will fall to pieces. Sit down and draw your storyline—remember, you have already written it down in a few words. You may not stick to it exactly, but it’s important to map out where the story is going. You don’t want to give away the plot too soon, or tell the reader everything all at once. So begin with a simple 3-point system: the Beginning (your hero appears—what is he doing? What does he want to achieve?); the Middle (something will happen to him and he has to …? ); the Ending (your hero resolves the situation). From those three vital points you will fill in your other plot points—how did… why did… what happens next…
Make Your Characters as Interesting as Possible. Tip: take them from real life examples. You could write about someone like yourself, or else model the characters on friends at school, teachers, or other people you know. The dialogue between your characters is also important because that’s one place to develop the plot line. Their interaction will reveal the chain of events as the characters work out various situations.
Make your information to the reader as interesting as possible by weaving it into the story. Don’t say that it’s cold. Get your character to shiver because he left his jacket at home. You can set the scene around your characters by using adjectives and adverbs to enhance your descriptions and actions but don’t overdo it. The reader is also going to use his or her imagination, so don’t overload your writing with too many descriptions.
A final piece of advice: writing should be fun and exciting. Just enjoy yourself and let your imagination take you to places you only ever dreamed of…
By Fiona Robyn Ingram
Young Writers
If you’re under eighteen and love to write, come on in! Read through the commonly-asked questions below, and if you have a question of your own, use the email links to the left and send us your question. We’ll respond to all sincere questions. Please read through the questions and answers below to see if your question has been addressed already. We also recommend reading our articles on writing on our Writing for Children Resource Site. Even if you aren’t writing for children, there is a lot of good general advice on how to write and how to submit your work to publishers.
Can young writers get published?
Yes! The possibilities for young writers are somewhat more limited than for adults, but there are ways that young people can get published.
Mainstream publishers are often reluctant to publish works by people under the age of 18. This is because publication requires a contract, and people who are not yet 18 cannot legally sign a contract. Special contracts would have to be arranged that their parents would have to co-sign, and there could be some legal gymnastics around who owns the rights to the work and when they would transfer to the author. However, it’s not completely unheard of for a young writer to get published by a mainstream publisher.
What you have to keep in mind, though, is that you have heavy competition from professional adults writers. Make sure your writing is polished, professional, and ready for publication before you submit.
Before aiming at the mainstream market, however, consider submitting to markets that cater to young writers or that only accept work from young writers, such as Merlyn’s Pen or Stone Soup. Also, get your hands on a copy of The Young Writer’s Guide to Getting Published, a complete guide to the young writer’s market.
Where do I send my work to get it published?
This is a more complex question than many new writers believe at first. There is no one single clearing house where you can send all of your work, much as we might wish it. If you need addresses of publishers, get a copy of The Young Writer’s Guide to Getting Published, but do make sure that the names and addresses are up-to-date. You can check on a publisher’s website to find out. Market guides such as the Young Writer’s Guide list publisher addresses, the names of the editors to whom you should send your work, and what you need to send them. Read the guidelines carefully and follow them exactly. Also read our articles on Submissions.
I saw an ad in magazine for a publisher who will publish my book. Is this a good deal?
The short answer: No. Publishers who have to advertise for authors are almost always fee-based publishers, known in the industry as vanity presses. A few print-on-demand vanity presses are free, but most of these publishers charge large fees to “publish” your work, and you’re left with the hard job of trying to find people who want to buy your book. Read more about vanity publishers in our article, How not to get burned.
Self-publishing is different from vanity publishing. Self-published authors knowingly take on the expense of getting their book laid out, printed, bound, and distributed. They purchase a copyright, and ISBN number, and a bar code if they want to sell through online bookstores. They create their own imprint or publishing company. They often have a niche market in mind already before they publish. Self-publishing is a lot of work, and those who do self-publish succeed by learning all that they can about the publishing business before they start.
If you’re not self-publishing, remember this rule: legitimate publishers pay YOU for the rights to publish your work, even if that payment is only in magazine copies.
I found an ad for a poetry contest where I can win $1000. Should I enter?
Sorry, but this is another vanity publishing scheme. These “publishers” hold a contest, charge an entry fee, and accept just about every poem that is sent to them. Out of the entry fees they may award a prize if they want to remain legal. If you want to actually see your poem in print, you’ll have to pay for an expensive copy of the anthology of “winners,” which makes the contest a cash cow for those who run them, but does very little for those who are “published” in them. Instead of responding to magazine ads, read as much as you can about publishing poetry and find out which poetry contests are legitimate and respected. Most legitimate contests are sponsored by poetry magazines.
Where can I learn more about writing?
Start with your own local library. There should be many, many books there on writing and getting published. Find some that are closest to the kind of writing you want to do or that answer the questions that are most burning for you.
Check with your school’s Language Arts department. Is there a teacher there who is willing to mentor you, and who has time to read some of your work? Teachers are very busy, but sometimes you’ll find a special teacher who is happy to help mentor a budding writer.
If there is a community education program in your area, check for classes on writing. Some may only be for adult writers, but may let talented teens join in. There may also be writing classes for kids.
Check the National Writing Project website for local chapters, and see if the one nearest to you has Young Writers Camp or similar program. NWP is all about teachers teaching teachers about writing, and many projects are excited to share their love of writing with young people.
Ask your local city library if they sponsor a young writer’s group. If not, ask if there is a librarian there who would be willing to help you start one. If you have several friends who are also interested, you can tell the library that if they will provide the program, you can provide the participants.
Try the Barnes & Noble University. They often have free online reading courses. You may have to buy a book to fully participate, but otherwise the courses are free and can be a good community experience.
Check the Write 4 Kids Message Board, sometimes called the “yellow boards,” an online community of children’s book and magazine writers. This group has always been highly supportive of beginning writers, including young writers, and many participants are writers of young adult fiction, which is often an interest of young writers.
I want to write but I can’t think of anything to write about!
Try our writing prompts page for some ideas. Also see our article about the Idea Engine.
Question from Aly K.: I am a young writer under 18. I had a question for you. When I send a manuscript to a mainstream publisher, do I have to tell my age?
You don’t have to say anything about age in your query or your submission. In fact, most of us writers reach the point where we don’t really want to admit our age. The only point where you’d have to discuss your age would be if you get accepted, because there are legal issues in signing a contract when you’re a minor.
One thing to keep in mind, though, is that you’re competing with other writers with a lot more experience than you. So make sure your work is as polished as can be. Get other people to critique it for you. Read it aloud (amazing how many errors become evident that way). Print it out, change the font, change the pages to have two columns — any change makes errors pop out at you.