Fiction Writing

Most children enjoy stories about kids getting away from their parents, even the ones who are perfectly happy at home. The young Jim Grant was never very happy at home.  Read more

I've kind of given up telling non-publishing people that I write for young adults. They nod knowingly and then say something dismissive like "isn't that just vampire romances?"

This leaves me with two options. Option one: bite them on the neck. Or option two: explain very politely that young adult fiction is without doubt the most exciting, innovative space in publishing today.  Read more

Some writers won't read a word of any novel while they're writing their own. Not one word. They don't even want to see the cover of a novel. As they write, the world of fiction dies: no one has ever written, no one is writing, no one will ever write again.  Read more

Conventional wisdom in the Western literary tradition holds that character determines plot. A protagonist possesses a fatal flaw that dashes his otherwise charming character and sets him on a path to slay the dragon, save the world, and get the girl - all while resolving the problem of this fatal flaw. Captain America saves the day.  Read more