Recently, Robin and I had a conversation about how there seems to be a lot of confusion surrounding the differences between YA novels and MG novels. Most people know the basics, such as MG books are shorter than YA books, and MG protagonists are younger, under 14 as opposed to YA protagonists who are 15-18 […]
When it comes to writing for teenagers, the general rule regarding language is this: Don’t use slang in your YA novel. I abide by this rule, yet it’s come to my attention that I may be using slang accidentally! WTF? Read the post on WriteOnSisters.com to find out what happened.
This month at writeonsisters.com Caryn and I review YA thrillers! This is one of my favourite genres, and I’m stoked to recommend one of the best books I read this year: Heather’s Pick: HOW TO LEAD A LIFE OF CRIME by Kirsten Miller Lately I’ve been fascinated with the psychopaths in our midst, those people who are […]
Over at Writeonsisters.com on the last Saturday of every month, Robin, Caryn and I blog about what YA books we’re reading. This month’s theme is romance. Caryn picked THE FAULT IN OUR STARS, I chose THE SISTERHOOD OF THE TRAVELING PANTS, and Robin read THE SELECTION. Click here to read the full post. Now, romance is not my genre. […]
This weekend I spoke on a panel at TAAFI (Toronto Animation Arts Festival International) about Writing for Animation, and it got me thinking about who writers write for. For example, as a screenwriter I write for the people who hire me (story editors, producers, broadcasters) and through them there’s a lot of focus on writing for the […]
This week was my birthday. To me, it was a small milestone – crossing the line into the latter half of my thirties. It wasn’t met with much cheer. By this age I had expected to be a successful writer, or at least be living above the poverty line. Life as a starving artist is cool in […]
Great books inspire great writing. Without further ado, the books that push me to be my creative best… SPEAK by Laurie Halse Anderson… This is the first YA book I ever bought. I read it yeeeeeears ago, when I was about 22. Though I can’t remember the details, I do remember the issue and feeling like […]