Writing a Young Adult Novel

Begin the course by getting to know Carola Martínez, who tells you about herself, her life, how she started writing, and how she improved her work. She then shows some of her favorite writers and explains how books and, more specifically, their authors have influenced her throughout her professional career.

Reflect on the concept of reading and why it's important for writing as well as the crucial role it plays in childhood and adolescence. Learn some techniques to generate ideas you can draw on for inspiration and get your first look at the tool you'll be using to elaborate your story throughout the rest of the course: the plot outline.

To start, create your characters using a character sheet and develop their personalities through dialogue. Lay the foundation by working on the plot and the conflict. Then, fill in the gaps with equally important details such as the narrators, setting descriptions and emotions, possible endings, and the distinction between internal and external time–when events occur versus when they are narrated.

Finally, explore the processes of writing and rewriting your plot outline. Carola shows you how to turn a stack of pages into a manuscript and edit with a critical eye to rework it as many times as needed. To round out the course, Carol teaches you everything she's learned about the publishing world and markets for young adult books.