Teen Author Challenge

“Don’t think, just do.”
~ Reiko Horton

Welcome to the You 2.0 Teen Author Challenge!

If you’re an aspiring writer of YA or middle grades fiction, this feature was created specifically for you. It’s my way of paying it forward, giving a little bit back to other writers the way so many authors generously helped me on my own writing journey. And when you become a published author, I know you’ll pay it forward too. Because I know that’s how you roll. :-)

Good karma is a wonderful thing.

The Teen Author Challenge is a writing challenge hosted on the You 2.0 blog. Everyone is coming to the Teen Author Challenge from different mile markers on the road to publication. You might be toying with your first story idea or trying to figure out how to get it down on paper to start with.

Or maybe you’re well into the story, but always find yourself second guessing your choices and starting over before you ever reach The End.

Or maybe you’ve written an entire novel–Congratulations! That’s a HUGE accomplishment!!!–but aren’t sure how to go about editing it or getting it ready for submission to agents and editors.

No matter where you are on the writing journey, there’s a bit of something for everyone in the Teen Author Challenge. And don’t let the name fool you. You don’t have to be a teen to participate (though I know a lot of you are and I think that ROCKS!). You just have to be passionate about writing YA or middle grades fiction. (P.S. Teachers are welcome to use the Teen Author Challenge as an online resource in their classrooms!)

To kick things off, each week I’ll be sharing exclusive writing tips from some of your favorite authors like P.C. Cast, Alyson Noel, Rachel Caine, Susan Beth Pfeffer and more! You’ll also hear inspiring first sale stories, words of wisdom from authors about what they wish they’d known before they sold, and insider peeks at the fun/cool/amazing things that happen between that first sale and seeing your book on the shelf.

Once you’re feeling utterly inspired, we’ll dive into the official Teen Author Challenge of the week. The Teen Author Challenge is a year-long writing challenge that will take you from initial story idea to fully-polished manuscript in just one year. It doesn’t matter if you’ve never completed a manuscript before. I’ll walk you step-by-step, week-by-week through a unique writing adventure to help you achieve your goal of completing a manuscript you can be proud of. I started hosting writing productivity challenges almost five years ago, so I’m delighted to bring the best of those programs to you when we get to the “getting it down on paper” part of the Teen Author Challenge.

Here are some of the topics we’ll be covering over the next year:

** Creating a crystal clear story concept
** Plotting vs. “pantsing” and strategies for both
** Setting (and achieving!) writing goals that inspire you to keep working
** Strategies for getting your story onto the page
** Editing in all shapes and sizes
** Creating an engaging synopsis
** Crafting a stellar query
** Recognizing when you’re ready to submit
** Submitting with style and confidence

Just like with the exclusive writing tips from your favorite authors, I’ll be including tons of writing advice and strategies from successful authors and writing teachers in the weekly challenge posts. I’ll share some of my own tips as well, but my goal is to show you lots of different options for getting from Point A (the idea) to Point B (a complete, polished manuscript). There’s no right or wrong way to accomplish this. It’s all about finding what works best for you.

So what do you think? Are you ready to write your masterpiece? I hope you’re as excited as I am about embarking on this writing adventure together. It’s going to be fun, energizing, eye-opening and… most of all… rewarding. Buckle in for a great ride!

Week 1 – Be a writing pro
Week 2 – Story ideas that pop
Week 3 – Hooking your reader
Week 4 – Bringing characters to life
Week 5 – Plotting strategies, part 1
Week 6 – Plotting strategies, part 2
Week 7 – Plotting strategies, part 3
Week 8 – Plotting strategies, part 4
Week 9 – First draft, here we come!
Week 10 – TAC logo & buzz tips
Week 11 – When bad = good
Week 12 – Be realistic
Week 13 – Track it
Week 14 – The big “What if?”
Week 15 – Mix it up
Week 16 – NaNoWriMo tips
Week 17 – First draft Qs
Week 18 – The “So what?” factor
Week 19 – What to do when you’re stuck…
Week 20 – Celebrate!
Week 21 – First line grabs
Week 22 – Juggling the holiday chaos

"Girl power, baby! This is the book you want when you want to believe you can do anything!"

~ Becca Fitzpatrick
New York Times
bestselling author
Hush, Hush

"The Cinderella Society is just as much about empowering yourself as it is about the fun and romance, and the super secret society will appeal to fans of Ally Carter."

~ Tirzah, age 17
The Compulsive Reader

“The Cinderella Society is girl power in a great new package! Kay shows a real girl on a real path to finding out who she is who just happens to have a great support team there to help her when she falls! The Cinderella Society is a must read for teen girls! It deals with real issues that we’ve all had and are still facing in regards to how we fit into the world.”

~ Stacey Canova
Bookseller
Page Turners

"Empowering, flirty, and fun... The Cinderella Society was a blast to read!"

~ Jessica, age 14
Chick Lit Teens

“I loved watching Jess transform – to start to see what was inside of her and how to let that out. The conflict, the fantastic characters, the overall fun this book was to read… chick lit isn’t usually my thing, but this is so much more.”

~ Kristen H.
Children’s librarian
Bookworming in the 21st Century

"The Cinderella Society sent out such a positive message for girls and was a book showing girls CAN do anything. This is a must read!"

~ Erica, age 16
The Book Cellar