You wouldn't expect YA authors to be particularly nasty folk, and yet it's true we are often found being mean to teenagers - the ones in our fiction that is.
Read More5 Things I Learned About Writing This Year
I’m only in the first year of my Creative Writing PhD, but here are some of the things that have helped me write my YA novel so far.
1. Focus on process
I’ve stopped obsessing over word count and started logging what I do each day. I found that walking helps when I hit a wall. And that early mornings and late afternoons are my best times for writing.
Read MoreMeg Rosoff tells me about her latest book, how a novel can start with a single line, and her tips for new writers.
I’m very excited to interview one of my all-time favourite authors, Meg Rosoff. One of the finest writers working today, her 2004 debut novel How I Live Now is set in a contemporary Britain being all-too convincingly torn apart by war. She went on to publish more award-winning novels, including Just In Case, What I Was and Picture Me Gone – all utterly different from each other, but all featuring characters who may be odd or damaged or searching, but who are surprising and unforgettable.
Read MoreThis week I am guest posting at Write-Track.co.uk
I'm delighted to have been invited to guest on the excellent writers' productivity website and blog: write-track.co.uk. If you haven't already seen it, take a look at their wonderful site and writers' goal-setting tools and community.
Thanks!
Joss Stirling on her newest books, why character and chemistry come first, and tips for writing successful YA fiction
YA novelist Joss Stirling is just one identity of the prolific writer also known as Julia Golding and Eve Edwards. She talks to me about juggling personas, why she writes in a café, how writing teen fiction is like Freaky Friday, and her tips for aspiring writers.
Read MoreDavid Almond on playfulness in writing, his favourite books and tips for writers
David Almond writes like no one else. His lyrical stories set in the north-east of England have captured the imagination of generations of readers. Here he describes how his breakthrough novel Skellig came as a surprise; how to handle writer’s block; and why he loves writing for young people.
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