Deborah Halverson

Deborah Halverson founded the writer's advice website DearEditor.com and was a veteran editor for young adult and children's fiction before picking up a pen and writing the teen novels Big Mouth and Honk If You Hate Me.

Articles & Books From Deborah Halverson

Cheat Sheet / Updated 03-15-2022
The elements of storytelling are the same for young adult fiction and adult fiction, but writers of young adult fiction must come at those elements with a wholly different mindset. After all, this category has its own rules, its own quirks, and its own very opinionated audience: teens and tweens.Young adult fiction categories and age rangesThe two categories of young adult literature — young adult (YA or “teen fiction”) and middle grade (“MG fiction”) — are split into several age ranges to help book buyers and readers judge the age-appropriateness of the content and the writing.
Article / Updated 03-26-2016
Writing dialogue that sounds like it spilled from the lips of teens makes your young adult fiction novel more believable to your audience. Use these five tips to defy your age and write dialogue that's both young-sounding and youth-pleasing: Blurt things out. Teens often talk first and think second. And their tact filters aren't fully developed yet.
Article / Updated 03-26-2016
As you write your manuscript for young adult fiction, edit your work by evaluating characters and plot. Self-editing lets you address story issues even before you ask someone to read your young adult novel. Here are five questions to help you decide whether you still have some character- and plot-shaping to do: Did you force your protagonist out of his comfort zone at crucial moments?
Article / Updated 03-26-2016
The two categories of young adult literature — young adult (YA or "teen fiction") and middle grade ("MG fiction") — are split into several age ranges to help book buyers and readers judge the age-appropriateness of the content and the writing. The shift from tween to teen begins around age 12, and standard age ranges reflect that.
Article / Updated 03-26-2016
Narrative voice — what your narrator says and how he says it — is a defining feature of young adult fiction. Here are five ways to make your narrative voice teen-friendly, whether your narrator is your young main character or an all-knowing omniscient being: Embrace your inner drama queen. Use hyperbole, or words and phrases that suggest an overly dramatic view of the situation, its extent, its implications, and its impact on the protagonist herself.
Writing Young Adult Fiction For Dummies
Your hands-on, friendly guide to writing young adult fictionWith young adult book sales rising, and bestselling authors like J.K. Rowling and Stephenie Meyer exploding onto the scene, aspiring YA writers are more numerous than ever. Are you interested in writing a young adult novel, but aren't sure how to fit the style that appeals to young readers?