Writing Young Adult Novels

Rating:
Summary: Well written, quick read, good information
Review: While some of this out-of-print book is obviously way behind the times, it was still a good read and had some good timeless information. Perhaps the most interesting tidbit was the telling of a bit of advice from a friend in the publishing business. He relates that most of the time he can tell if a book is worth anything in the first 3 pages, certainly by the first 10. Sounds like another book I reviewed (positively) "The First Five Pages" by Lukeman.

The two authors in "Writing Young Adult Novels" had previously published some of their own work, so they had some experience in which to back up their advice. They also relied on a lot of quotes or small passages from popular YA books that were successful and I found that information very helpful.

This book was a fairly light and quick read, and the few hours I spent I considered worth my time. I quickly glossed over the few sections that gave general "how to advice" and laughed at few times they mentioned the problem of looking at a blank white sheet of paper in the typewriter. I can't recall the last time I actually saw a typewriter, and I am quite sure that my two year old will never touch one, however the general advice on how get started, how to proceed and how to finish was all in line with what I have read in more recent books on writing.

For writing in general, I would skip this book and look at some of the more popular offerings (several of which I have reviewed), however, if you have an interest in this field I would recommend reading this book, it is well written, reads quickly and has sound advice.