Expert Advice Roundup: Tips I Love from Successful YA Authors
Nowadays, it’s easy to find advice about pretty much anything online. Whether you want it or not, someone’s always got an opinion to offer, and it’s often hard to figure out what’s credible and what isn’t. Thankfully, there are plenty of experts out there willing to offer their advice, whether through paid masterclasses and workshops or as soundbites and quotes. I’ve gathered some of the top tips from successful YA writers that resonate with me as an author to share with you.
Jenny Han
“My best advice is to first write for yourself and stay in your story and just pour all of your good stuff and bad stuff into it. By ‘stuff,’ I mean all the experiences and pleasures and little hurts that make up a life. Because even (and especially) the really hard experiences are worth having, if you can channel those emotions into something beautiful.”
Books
To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before
The Summer I Turned Pretty
P.S. I Still Love You
Becky Albertalli
“I guess I feel it’s funny to be looked to for advice on writing when I am still taking in so much from other people.”
Books
Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda
Leah on the Offbeat
Kate in Waiting
Nicola Yoon
“Let your freak flag fly. Your odd, quirky, unique voice is what makes your story special. Be who you want, and be joyful.”
Books
Everything, Everything
The Sun is Also a Star
Blackout
Angie Thomas
“Had I not been afraid so much, I probably would have written The Hate U Give sooner. Had I not been afraid so much, I probably would have pursued publishing and writing — and started writing —sooner. I took forever to decide that I wanted to pursue writing, because I was afraid that people would say I wasn’t good at it.”
Books
The Hate U Give
On the Come Up
Blackout
Nic Stone
“When I was starting out, I wanted to layer in a bunch of backstory in the beginning as a means of situating the reader. You don’t need to do that. You have to trust your reader, and starting with action is really the best way to do that.”
Books
Dear Martin
Dear Justyce
Blackout
Masterclass: How to Write a Fiction Novel
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Suzanne Collins
“I grab some cereal and sit down to work as soon as possible. The more distractions I have to deal with before I actually begin writing, the harder focusing on the story becomes. Then I work until I’m tapped out, usually sometime in the early afternoon.”
Books
The Underland Chronicles
The Hunger Games trilogy
S.E. Hinton
“If you want to be a writer, I have two pieces of advice. One is to be a reader. I think that’s one of the most important parts of learning to write. The other piece of advice is ‘Just do it!'”
Books
The Outsiders
Rumble Fish
Taming the Star Runner
Philip Pullman
“Forget about inspiration and get into the habit of writing every day. Habit has written far more books than inspiration has. If you want the Muse to visit you, she needs to know where you are: so stay at your desk.”
Books
His Dark Materials trilogy
The Book of Dust trilogy
Galatea
Laurie Halse Anderson
“Don’t worry if the early drafts don’t make sense. You need to write and write until you understand the characters and what wonderful and horrible experiences they’re having, as well as what their relationships are like and how all those things change their lives.”
Books
Speak
Wintergirls
Twisted
John Green
“Reading is just as important as writing when you’re trying to be a writer, because it’s the only apprenticeship we have, it’s the only way of learning how to write a story.”
Books
The Fault in Our Stars
Turtles All the Way Down
Truly Devious trilogy
I look to many great writers when I need guidance, which can help me get out of a rut and stay motivated. As we take in the advice from authors we respect, we build our own lessons and mantras to help guide others in their process.
I love that idea, which brought me to where I am today, sharing my novel (soon to be ‘novels’!) and trying to help other new authors learn from my self-publishing journey. For me, the key takeaways I always champion are:
- To read often
- To write often
- To work with what I know (like how Getting By is inspired by my life!)
If you’ve been enjoying these top tips from successful YA writers, check out my free guide to help you kickstart your self-publishing journey. I also welcome you to reach me at jsims@jairesims.com or check out my social media, where I share more insights and resources.
About Jaire Sims
Award-Winning YA Author, Course Creator, Blogger, and Self-Publishing Consultant. At twenty-one and as a junior in college, Jaire was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome. Fast forward one year, Jaire proved that he had overcome all of the challenges he had faced up until this point by graduating from Monmouth College with a Bachelor’s Degree in Communication Studies.
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