Writing Tips from YALLWEST: My top takeaways from a galaxy of stellar writers at a most amazing YA festival

By Susan Gray Foster

YALLWEST panel with Nicola Yoon, Jennifer Niven, Robin
Benway, Heather Demetrios, and Stephanie Kuehn

After living inside the deep, dark revision cave for many months, I emerged into the sunlight, packed my bags and made the six-hour drive from Phoenix to Santa Monica for #YALLWEST. For those as in-the-dark as I was, #YALLWEST is a mind-blowing young adult literature festival, created by NYT bestselling authors, Melissa de la Cruz and Margaret Stohl. It attracts a host of top-name and debuting young adult writers who give panel presentations on a huge variety of topics and also sign books for fans. In addition, there are ARC and swag giveaways galore, as well as opportunities to meet and make connections with YA readers and writers. I focused on attending panels, seizing the opportunity to listen to some of my favorite authors share their insights on YA literature and writing YA. Here are some of my takeaways:

On writing “the truth of characters”:

Rainbow Rowell (Fangirl, Eleanor and Park) starts with characters, since characters are what interest her. She loves Buffy the Vampire Slayer for the characters but can’t follow the plot.

Kiersten White (Paranormalcy) shared that her characters (both villains and heroes) are drawn from her own feelings.

Gwenda Bond (Lois Lane: Fallout) told the audience that, “Every person has a universe inside them,” and that characters should reflect that.

Jennifer Niven (All the Bright Places) advised writers to, “Live in the story.”

Robin Benway (Emmy and Oliver) uses, “research and empathy.”

Heather Demetrios (I’ll Meet You There) told writers, “Put yourself in that person’s position,” using “method writing.”

Nicola Yoon (Everything, Everything) believes that, “Experiences that are widely different have a common thread.”

On plotting vs. pantsing:

Rainbow Rowell shared that she writes with a vague idea and no intention, and never even worries about whether her work is YA or adult; she just writes it. Ransom Riggs (Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children) expressed that writing is often like “a journey using a map drawn by an idiot.” Other pansters include Simone Elkeles (Perfect Chemistry series) and Evelyn Skye (The Crown’s Game).

Gwenda Bond explained that she tells the story to herself, and has a loose outline so that she doesn’t lose “the magic of discovery,” while Leigh Bardugo (The Grisha Trilogy) uses a twelve beat story outline.

On the value of YA literature:

Jennifer Niven expressed how books “open other worlds and make us feel that we’re not alone.” This sentiment was echoed over and over by authors throughout the festival. Newbery award-winner, Matt de la Pena and Coretta Scott King award-winner, Jason Reynolds stressed the importance of giving those who feel like outsiders, “a home in literature.”

General writing advice:

Sara Zarr (The Lucy Variations): “Read widely. Pay attention.”

Jessi Kirby (Things We Know by Heart): “Don’t be afraid to write crappy stuff.”

Adi Alsaid (Let’s Get Lost): “Make time for writing.”

Siobhan Vivian (The Last Boy and Girl in the World): “Finish a first draft.”

Jason Reynolds: “Know all the rules and then break every single rule.”

Matt de la Pena: “Talk less and listen more. The answers are all around you.”

Kiersten White: “At the end of a writing period, write three lines of the next chapter.”

Libba Bray (The Gemma Doyle Trilogy): “Learn to be brave.”

Evelyn Skye: “You’re telling your story.”

Jennifer Niven: “You have to feel the emotion if you want the reader to feel it.”

Adi Alsaid: “Originality is over-rated; just be personal.”

On those days when you feel like a failure and everything you write is crap:

Matt de la Pena and Jason Reynolds discussed how success can be as paralyzing as failure.

Leigh Bardugo shared that what’s important is the way you deal with those days.

Heather Demetrios talked about how sometimes changing one’s perspective makes all the difference. She also stressed the importance of “taking care of yourself creatively.”

Stephanie Kuehn (Charm and Strange) advises writers to read (or watch) something they find compelling that makes them feel inspired rather than defeated.

Jennifer Niven shared her mom’s wisdom: “There’s only one Jennifer and only she can write what she writes.” And also, “There’s room for all of us.”

Robin Benway told writers, “Let it suck! You can go back and fix it.”

Nicola Yoon advises, “It’s part of the process. Trust that you can get past it.”

With Everything, Everything author, Nicola Yoon

On writing love and romance:

One of my favorite moments of the weekend came when Nicola Yoon passionately defended novels that focus on love and romance against those who dismiss them or regard them as inferior, saying, “I dare anyone to say that love isn’t important; it’s the thing that makes the world go around. Even the critics who say those silly things are obsessed with it.”

And my number one takeaway: Go to YALLWEST next year!! It’s like an all-you-can-eat smorgasbord of fabulous YA authors and books. Don’t miss it!

Many thanks to my fellow Pitch Wars ’14 alums, Traci Chee (The Reader) and Tara Sim (Timekeeper) for waking me up to the fact that YALLWEST was taking place and for introducing me to a fun group of writers who let me tag along and showed me the joys of free ARCs! Thanks also to Pitch Wars mentor Jennifer Hawkins who, sadly, was unable to make use of her VIP pass, but, happily, sent it to me. Most of all, HUGE thanks to #YALLWEST organizers, Melissa de la Cruz and Margaret Stohl, and to all the authors and the behind-the-scenes people who made this amazing event happen.

Brought home some goodies!

The 30K Curse

Plotting. It can be scary. There’s so many ways to do it. So many ways it can go right. So many ways it can go wrong. If you're not experienced with it, then it can be intimidating. 

Every book I’ve written has, what I call, the 30k curse. I would get a concept, flesh out my characters, and roll with it. At that point the excitement had swelled and the urge to write was strong as hell. So I put fingers to keys to see where the words took me.

Up until 30k words, I'd be on a roll. I'd be ecstatic thinking I was on the right track. Then, some thought, muse, or secnario would come to mind and I realized that somehow this wasn't right. I'd started in the wrong place, or I'd written to the wrong place. I wrote that the hero and heroine knew each other prior, but really it would be better if the just met because of X, Y, and Z. Yes, we all figure stuff out as we write, but for me, the problem was the stuff I figured out would make me have to start over, because it meant writing the story in an entirely new way because I hadn't thought it all the way through to begin with. Cue the frustration and tears.

The 30K curse became tedious and for me at least, a waste of precious time. When we aren't full time writers, but are striving to be, we may only have a certain amount of time in our day to write. So 30k in, I've wasted a week or more worth of writing time just to start over again. 

Up until four months ago I was a total pantser. Complete advocate for it. Now, I’ve become a plotter with a dash of pants. So a plottser if you will.  What does that mean exactly?

I don’t outline every little detail. That’s too much for me, plus despite having a clear basis, things ultimately do change. For me, having my scenes laid out, with the main point of that is scene keeps me focused. It lets me have the full view of my story to make sure that from beginning to end, the details I want to be there are actually there. It also lets me realize if something isn't working and I need to go back to change it. 

Damn. It's hard sometimes. The urge to just start writing tries to take over, but I know if I don't plot first, that 30k curse will come back and bite me--and not in the fun, sexy way mmkay. 

So how did I go from winging it to plotting it? I sat down and told my story without all the bells and whistles. On each card I wrote what I wanted to happen. The first step, then the next. It’s not pretty, and it’s not every detail, but my basic blue print is there. I can see the next mile marker in the road. I’ve got my target and my aim is ready--but sometimes, as I'm writing, I still need to add, subtract, or move around scenes.

A phyiscal board becomes tedious--at least for me--fast.

Scrivener is my favorite writing program, for many reasons. One of them, is the bulletin board with index cards. This acts as my virtual plot chart. I know a lot of people like hands on, but sticky notes and push pins become tedious for me and I wind up losing half of them anyway. Especially since I may decide a scene should come earlier than another. So instead of tacking and retacking, I can click a tab and go over to my bulletin board, see what’s next or what I may need to add and take away before clicking right back to my document.

No matter anyones plotting style, it’s not an easy transition from just winging it. Sitting down and forcing myself to think through the story made me want to pull my hair out. The urge to write is always there, more so as I flesh out the story. It’s also not for everyone, but the more deadlines that come, the more it might be beneficial to at least have the bare bones of a story.

With any luck, this transition will keep me from having the 30k curse at the forefront of my manuscript.

What about you guys? What's your plotting style? Did your originally pants? Ooh were you a plotter who became a pantser? That's a story I'd love to hear!

Happy Writing!

Plotters, Unite!

by: Brighton Walsh

In Authorlandia, writers usually fall within three groups: the plotter, the pantser, or the plotser. The biggest hurdle, I think, is figuring out which of these fits your writing groove best. I’m sorry to say that whatever I tell you in the next thousand words isn’t going to be the magic beans of the writing world. Unfortunately, the only way to figure out which will work for you is to try one or more and see what works best.

I’ve tried both plotting and pantsing a novel. I attempted to pants my first novel, and after a year I still hadn’t completed it. While that sucker was on hold, I got the plot bunny for Caged in Winter, extensively plotted it out, and 4 weeks later I had a complete manuscript. Magic? Unfortunately, no. I just realized that I work best under a script (and a massive deadline, but that’s fodder for another time), so I knew what needed to happen before I sat down to write. Otherwise, I found I had Stare-At-The-Blank-Doc-itis.

Even within each of those categories—plotter, pantser, plotser—there are a hundred different ways to do them. Again, finding what works best for you will be trial and error and the key to your writing success.

Once I figured out I was a plotter, I dove headfirst into that world and looked for any technique I could utilize. I’ve written nine novels, and I’ve tried a different method for nearly all of them. So far, I haven’t found one that works better for me than another, but that doesn’t stop me from searching.

The biggest thing I hear from pantsers is that they don’t like plotting because they don’t want to be tied into anything specific in case their characters start to go in a different direction. But I’ll let you in on a little secret: even if you plot out every single detail of your story, you can still listen to your characters and veer off the path when needed. Know why? It’s your book, and you can do what you want.

…

The Plotting Techniques

Beat Sheets

The first thing I do as a mentor is have my mentees fill out one of these. I have yet to get a manuscript that didn’t have some issues in the pacing department; I think it’s pretty common for many manuscripts. And since pacing can make or break your book, it’s important to pay attention to it. There are certain things that need to happen at certain points in the book—that’s true no matter the genre or category. Blake Snyder’s Save the Cat is a great resource, and I’m pretty sure you can apply it to any genre. The one I use for my mentees is Jami Gold’s beat sheet, as it’s specific to romance. In fact, she’s got a ton of different beat sheets—not just for romance—and you might find one that clicks for you. Even if you don’t plot this way, it’s a great resource to check after you’ve drafted to make sure your pacing is spot on.

The Snowflake Method

This method is a great, non-overwhelming way to plot. It takes you step-by-step, building on each item until it—yep, you guessed it—snowballs into the big picture. If you write in Scrivener, I’ve got an even bigger treat for you. Did you know there are all kinds of free templates online that you can use to build your novels? YES, SIR. And there’s a Snowflake Method template out there to get you started.

The Tentpole Method

I first saw this mentioned on Chuck Wendig’s blog, and I was immediately intrigued. Sometimes, sitting down to plot a novel can be overwhelming. It is a lot to tackle at once. Because of that, I really liked the idea of the Tentpole Method, because it allowed me to figure out the really big things that happen (based off the beats needed, per the beat sheets), and then I could fill in from there. Or not. Whatever works for you.

The Outline

This is exactly what it sounds like. It’ll take you back to fifth grade and those godawful reports you had to do, but it really works for some people. I’ve tried this method as well, and I did it in the following format:

A.     Chapter 1 – Brief descriptor (i.e. Meet Cute)

a.     Scene 1 – Brief descriptor

b.     Scene 2 – Brief descriptor

B.     Chapter 2 – Brief descriptor

a.     Scene 1 – Brief descriptor

b.     Scene 2 – Brief descriptor

And so on and so forth. This allows you to really get into every small detail of your book and figure out what’s going to happen and when.

Storyboard

Personally, I think this is best done with either a blank wall or a large posterboard and some colored post-it notes, but you can do it however floats your boat. The different colored post-its can represent anything you’d like—hero and heroine; Act I, II, or III; villain; tentpole moments; whatever strikes your fancy. The idea here is to write out all the parts that you know need to happen and move them around as needed once you get into the thick of things. I found this method really worked well when I was revising a novel. It’s daunting to look at a novel already completed and figure out where you need to fix things. This helped lay it out for me and made it clearer.

…

There are dozens upon dozens of other methods out there, and if you Google “plotting techniques”, or even ask around in your writer circles, you’ll no doubt find something else that works for them, and maybe for you too. One thing I want to stress is that no method has to be black or white. There’s no wrong way to plot, and if you want to mix five of these together and get your method, you can do that. If you want to start plotting, then get halfway into your story and toss your outline in the garbage, you can do that too. If you want to pants the first half of your book, then tentpole the remaining half? Yep, you guessed it. You are the boss and you can do what you want.

Because I’m always on the lookout for other techniques, do you have any that you’ve used and found success with? I’d love to hear about them in the comments!