Australian young adult fiction for readers and writers
Australia produces some fantastic writers of children's and young adult literature. Here you'll find heaps of stuff about mainly writing for young adults, with a few articles about children's books and writing as well.
Whether you love reading, are a published writer or just want to learn more about YA and children's lit in Australia, you're sure to find something of interest here.
Research or imagination? What's more important in YA fiction?
This morning I downloaded a great talk by author Jodie Picoult, a US author of adult books. Early on in her speech she said how she was always told as a young writer to "write about what you know". But Jodie said that as a 17 year old who'd grown up in a normal, loving home with two parents, she didn't "know" anything. So she turned that piece of advice around and decided to write about what she was willing to learn.
During her talk Jodie discusses how she researched a number of her books. She goes far beyond library research and has spent time ghost busting and watching open heart surgery among many other things.
Due to the nature of the books she writes, this level research is vital. But is it necessary for writers of young adult fiction?
Personally, I gained many ideas and insights through researching brain development and mental illness in teenagers for my current manuscript, Girl in the Shadows. This research was done as part of my masters' degree.
Of course, you don't have to do a masters to do research. But for me, the research really helped clarify and solve several problematic areas in my manuscript.
So how important do you think research is for YA fiction? Is it more important than imagination? Or is imagination the key that helps writers turn the research into something much more? Add your comments to the guest book.
During her talk Jodie discusses how she researched a number of her books. She goes far beyond library research and has spent time ghost busting and watching open heart surgery among many other things.
Due to the nature of the books she writes, this level research is vital. But is it necessary for writers of young adult fiction?
Personally, I gained many ideas and insights through researching brain development and mental illness in teenagers for my current manuscript, Girl in the Shadows. This research was done as part of my masters' degree.
Of course, you don't have to do a masters to do research. But for me, the research really helped clarify and solve several problematic areas in my manuscript.
So how important do you think research is for YA fiction? Is it more important than imagination? Or is imagination the key that helps writers turn the research into something much more? Add your comments to the guest book.
Great advice for writers from a top YA editor
Avoid these phrases in your writing
A couple of weeks ago our master's group was lucky enough to have leading Australian children's/YA book editor, Leonie Tyle, come and talk to us.
She spent more than an hour with our group giving us some great information, but one tip she gave us really hit home for me.
Get rid of 'I felt'!
Leonie said it's vital to be drawn into what the character is feeling. And to do that you need to bring your reader right into the story with you. Using phrases like 'I felt', 'I saw' or 'I looked' can remove your reader from the action.
After hearing Leonie's advice I checked my manuscript and found half a dozen or more places where I'd been lazy and used 'I felt.' Sure enough, the writing where I'd used the phrase was taking the reader out of the action. The character might have been feeling something, but the reader wouldn't be. I went back and rewrote those passages, taking care to describe exactly what it was the character was feeling and bringing the action to the reader.
So now, when I eventually send my manuscript off into the slush piles, I can be confident that I've managed to avoid at least one writing pitfall.
She spent more than an hour with our group giving us some great information, but one tip she gave us really hit home for me.
Get rid of 'I felt'!
Leonie said it's vital to be drawn into what the character is feeling. And to do that you need to bring your reader right into the story with you. Using phrases like 'I felt', 'I saw' or 'I looked' can remove your reader from the action.
After hearing Leonie's advice I checked my manuscript and found half a dozen or more places where I'd been lazy and used 'I felt.' Sure enough, the writing where I'd used the phrase was taking the reader out of the action. The character might have been feeling something, but the reader wouldn't be. I went back and rewrote those passages, taking care to describe exactly what it was the character was feeling and bringing the action to the reader.
So now, when I eventually send my manuscript off into the slush piles, I can be confident that I've managed to avoid at least one writing pitfall.
Author websites
Websites of Australian YA authors
A list of links to websites for Australians writing for young adults. Many of these authors include helpful tips for new writers within their websites.
- Sherryl Clark
- Sherryl Clark writes for kids and teens and also teaches creative writing, including writing for older children and teenagers. Check Sherryl's website for writers' resources, information about writers' groups and much more.
- Paul Collins
- Paul Collins is best known for his young adult fiction titles The Jelindel Chronicles, The Quentaris Chronicles and The Earthborn Wars trilogy. His website includes author FAQs and some valuable writing tips.
- Libby Gleeson
- Libby Gleeson is an award winning Australian writer of books for children and young adults.
- Libby Hathorn
- Find out about Libby Hathorn's writing career, which includes, books, film scripts and interactive games.
- Jackie Hosking
- Read about Jackie Hosking's writing career, her manuscript assessment service and find out more about PIO, the must-have newsletter for writers of children's and YA fiction, non-fiction and poetry.
- Bren MacDibble
- Bren MacDibble writes science fiction and comedy for children, teens and adults. She's also written a guide to becoming a children's writer - details are available from this website.
- Garth Nix
- Garth Nix has written several successful young adult book series, including The Keys to the Kingdom. His website has competitions, downloads and more.
- Michelle A Taylor
- Michelle Taylor's verse novel, The Angel of Barbican High, is an excellent read for young adults. Taylor has also published poetry books for younger readers.
Blogs for readers and writers of YA fiction
Blogs written by YA fiction writers for their fans and for other writers.
- Girl in the Shadows
- This is my blog following my progress (and at times lack of it!) through my Masters in Young Adult Literature at QUT. As part of my masters I'm writing a YA fiction manuscript, Girl in the Shadows.
- Mother Behaving Badly
- Blog by the multi-talented Jackie Hosking, editor of PIO, published poet and writing of kid's fiction.
- Shiny Mag blog
- Shiny Magazine is a new online mag for young adult speculative fiction. The blog has reviews of YA spec fiction, interviews, submission guidelines for Shiny Magazine and more. A must for anyone interested in young adult speculative fiction.
- Good Reading Magazine blog
- This blog has entries about young adult fiction and related topics for both writers and readers. Some recent entries of interest include "Crossover books", "The villain problem" and "The Potter decade".
Great links for starting and emerging YA writers
Some good stuff here for fans of Aussie YA fiction too
If you're interested in writing young adult literature in Australia, these links take you to some excellent resources.
- Aussie reviews - young adult fiction
- Aussie Reviews has reviews of Australian books, movies and more. This page has reviews of well over 100 young adult fiction titles by Australian writers. If you're looking for a YA book to read, this is the place to find one.
- Buzzwords magazine
- Buzz Words (All the Buzz About Children's Books) reviews current YA novels in every fortnightly issue. It's a great resource for writers, illustrators, librarians and readers and includes author interviews, writing opportunities and more. There's also a bimonthly review magazine, Books Buzz. Another must-read if you're into Australian YA fiction.
- Pass It On (PIO)
- Pass It On (PIO) is a weekly networking newsletter for Australian writers of young adult and children's fiction. Packed with articles, latest news and information about the world of writing for kids and young adults in Australia, it's essential reading for anyone interested in writing in this field.
- The Reading Stack
- The Reading Stack is a free online book review magazine with a focus on Australian authors and illustrators. It welcomes reader input.
Australian publishers of childrens and young adult fiction
All the publishers listed below are Australian publishers who publish fiction and/or non-fiction books for young adults.
- Allen and Unwin
- Allen and Unwin are an Australian publisher. Their children's and young adult division is based in Melbourne. This link goes to their submissions page which tells you how to submit your young adult manuscript.
- Ford Street Publishing
- Ford Street Publishing are based in New South Wales and publish books for children and young adults. Their list of authors includes top Australian writers Isobelle Carmody, Sean McMullen, Justin D'Ath and Alyssa Brugman.
- Pan Macmillan
- Pan Macmillan include young adult and children's fiction titles in their publishing lists. There is a link to their manuscript guidelines from the 'Information' link on the homepage.
- Penguin
- The Penguin Group (Australia) publishes a range of fiction for children and young adults. Submission guidelines for Penguin are listed under their 'About Penguin' tab, which is on the homepage.
- Omnibus Books (Scholastic)
- Omnibus Books, a division of Scholastic, publish fiction for young adults and children. Check under 'About us' for manuscript guidelines.
- UQP (University of Qld Press)
- UQP is based in Brisbane and specialises in publishing Queensland and Australian writers. Their children's and young adult writing list includes fiction and non-fiction and has won many awards. Read the Manuscripts FAQs for information about how to submit a manuscript to UQP.
Reader feedback
What do you think of my lens? If there's anything you think I should add (or delete) let me know. Suggestions of great websites, blogs or articles to link to are always welcome. Or if you just want to say 'hi', you're more than welcome to do that, too.
Lensmaster
Sally Odgers wrote
About the poll... I went for Imagination, because Research can be taught/acquired, and imagination can't. However, I really believe both are equal. It's like building a house. You need architectural know-how AND aesthetic sense.
Posted August 25, 2007
