Gargoyles are creatures you see outside a church or even on top of an old mansion. They’re the ones that watch you with their rather grotesque eyes. They’re the ones who are perched at the very edge of the building, almost beckoning us to taunt...
In Cinderella, a young woman who had managed to capture the prince’s heart must leave the ball on the stroke of midnight before the enchantment that made her beautiful wears off. Stephenie Meyer’s draft, Midnight Sun, tells the story of Twilight from Edward’s point of view, though the...
Once you understand how the Lexile system works (Writing Early Readers, Part 1: Understanding Lexile Levels), the next step is to use the Lexile system to write at the desired level. This matters most when you are writing books to be read by young readers....
In young adult fairytales, we find nannies and mothers telling tales of how young girls will find love in the form of a rich prince or lord from far, far away. When girls are still growing up, sometimes they’d even dream of that themselves. The...
In front of our house is a beautiful flower called an amaryllis. My father told me he saw some seeds that were thrown out into the garbage. He planted them. Afterwards, the small seeds grew and soon became beautiful flowers that my dad usually shows off to me...
In Meg Cabot’s series, Avalon High, a young high school student moves to a new school called Avalon High, where she meets a whole host of stereotypical students, one of which is the reincarnation of King Arthur himself. When the book became a graphic novel,...
Greek mythology is certainly a popular topic to write about. From Rick Riordan, to Josephine Angelini, to Aimee Carter, Greek mythology has often been incorporated within a plethora of genres, including young adult. What’s more, many TV shows have taken a different perspective on these...
From the horrific Greek legends that have graced literature, to the modern interpretations involving them, sirens have had an important impact when it comes to mythology. For example, in Supernatural, the Winchester brothers had to fight against a siren, a creature that almost succeeds in...
Perfect. You’ve decided upon a conflict, the conflict of war, but before you move forward ask yourself a few of the following questions:
1. What could cause a war?
2. Win or lose?
3. What sort of war is this going to be?
4. What are civilians doing while...
The legend of Persephone and Hades is a rather odd romance, to say the least. From the forceful abduction to the arranged marriage, to even the twisted concept of love at first sight, their relationship has influenced various modern novels. In Abandon by Meg Cabot,...
