Young Adult Fiction Writing Workshop

Turn your idea into a published novel in today's hottest genre.

Last updated 2022-01-10 | 4.4

- Turn Your Idea Into a Young Adult Novel
- Explore What Makes Bestselling Young Adult Fiction
- Create a Premise That Sells

What you'll learn

Turn Your Idea Into a Young Adult Novel
Explore What Makes Bestselling Young Adult Fiction
Create a Premise That Sells
Develop Real
Engaging Young Adult Characters
Construct Your Novel Using Easy-to-follow Checkpoints
Learn to Structure Powerful Scenes
Explore Viewpoint and Tenses Choice That Pack a Punch
Learn Techniques That Create Bestsellers
Polish Your Manuscript
Create Cover Art That Sells
Discover Marketing Techniques That Work
Get Published!

* Requirements

* Open to all aspiring writers
* young or old
* experienced or just getting started

Description

  • Turn Your Idea Into a Young Adult Novel
  • Explore What Makes Bestselling Young Adult Fiction
  • Create a Premise That Sells
  • Develop Real, Engaging Young Adult Characters
  • Construct Your Novel Using Easy-to-follow Checkpoints
  • Learn to Structure Powerful Scenes
  • Explore Viewpoint and Tenses Choice That Pack a Punch
  • Learn Techniques That Create Bestsellers
  • Polish Your Manuscript
  • Create Cover Art That Sells
  • Discover Marketing Techniques That Work
  • Get Published!

Course content

6 sections • 40 lectures

Welcome to Young Adult Fiction Writing! Preview 06:18

Meet Steve and Dani Alcorn, and enjoy this preview of all the material covered in the course!

Young Adult Fiction Origins Preview 10:05

Where did Young Adult literature come from, and where is it going? This lecture shows you.

What is Young Adult Fiction? Preview 17:47

Explore the themes of modern Young Adult Fiction.

Young Adult Genres Preview 14:36

The range of genres for Young Adult fiction is as broad as fiction itself. In this lecture we take a look at some of the bestselling genres and what makes them so popular.

Why Write Young Adult Fiction? Preview 04:08

There are a lot of great reasons to write Young Adult fiction. Can you guess which one is most important?

What Makes Young Adult Fiction So Good? Preview 03:31

Why is Young Adult writing better than most mainstream fiction? This lecture suggests a number of reasons.

How to Write Great Young Adult Fiction Preview 07:37

These simple techniques will start you on the path to writing your own great Young Adult novel.

Plot vs. Story Preview 12:16

Plot and Story are two very different things. This lesson explains why. It's perhaps the most important topic of the entire course.

The Dramatic Elements Preview 19:45

Meet the four dramatic elements on which all fiction is based.

The Protagonist Preview 35:05

Your Protagonist is your main character, and the most important person in your manuscript. Learn how to create a compelling protagonist in this lesson. The supplemental materials are also great for brainstorming vibrant characters.

The Antagonist Preview 11:00

Your antagonist has a special relationship to your protagonist. This lesson shows you how to create an antagonist who can act as the perfect dramatic foil for your protagonist.

Other Characters Preview 04:18

Your manuscript is populated by many characters. Here's how to create them using a "character pyramid."

Young Adult Fiction Story Patterns Preview 13:24

Following a tried and true story pattern makes it easy to create fiction that works, yet won't make it formulaic. Here's how to make story patterns work for you.

Three Act Story Structure Preview 24:30

Three Act Structure is the key to almost all successful fiction. We make it easy to create your novel or screenplay, by breaking the three acts up into nine checkpoints.

Act 1 Preview 12:20

Let's look at the Act 1 checkpoints in detail: Hook, Backstory and Trigger.

Act 2 Preview 08:41

Act 2 features the plot-oriented Struggle, bookended by two emotional moments, the Crisis and Epiphany.

Act 3 Preview 17:45

In Act 3 your protagonist makes a Plan that gets you to the Climax, and then you wrap things up in the Ending. In this lecture's test drives you'll also begin work on your detailed scene list.

Scene and Sequel Preview 27:04

Scene and Sequel makes your writing flow logically and strike with maximum impact.

Viewpoint Preview 16:10

Experiment with Omniscient, Third Person Limited and First Person viewpoints, and decide which one works best for you.

Voice Preview 08:23

This lecture helps you get a handle on the slippery topic of Voice.

Tense Preview 12:38

This lecture shows you the difference between past and present tense, and explores the benefits and pitfalls of switching between them.

Setting Preview 09:03

Setting is important for establishing the mood of your story. This step by step process makes it easy to create vivid settings.

Beginnings and Endings Preview 18:08

Make your story's beginning and ending work together, and resonate with your readers using these powerful techniques.

Dialogue Preview 27:03

Great dialogue makes your work more interesting and more readable. This lesson shows you how, and includes test drives to help you write better dialogue.

Conflict Preview 11:05

Conflict is what drives fiction. This lecture introduces three different forms of conflict, and shows you how to use them in your own fiction.

Suspense Preview 06:29

Suspense is a great way to keep readers turning pages. This lesson shows you how.

Mystery Preview 12:25

An element of mystery keeps readers interested in all genres of Young Adult fiction.

Writing Big Preview 12:50

Writing Big means giving your work maximum impact. We'll share a variety of techniques that enable you to amplify your fiction.

Writing Well Preview 16:37

Polished prose is the difference between amateur and professional writing. This lesson shows you how to polish yours.

Looking at Great Young Adult Fiction 1 - John Green Preview 09:27

John Green is perhaps todays greatest young adult author. These five books show you why. 

Looking at Great Young Adult Fiction 2 - Scott Westerfeld Preview 07:55

Scott Westerfeld writes some of the best Young Adult science fiction and fantasy series. This lecture looks at seven of his greatest novels.

Looking at Great Young Adult Fiction 3 - Romance Preview 09:53

Romance is a very popular Young Adult sub genre. We look at some of our favorites, and why we like them.

Looking at Young Adult Fiction 4 - Drama Preview 17:02

We take a look at the broad range of dramas and writing styles in Young Adult fiction.

Looking at Great Young Adult Fiction 5 - Bestsellers Preview 14:44

We look at two of the bestselling Young Adult series of all time.

Looking at Great Young Adult Fiction 6 - Behind the Scenes Preview 17:12

This lecture takes a revealing look at two of Steve Alcorn's Young Adult novels, and how they were written.

Cover Art Preview 15:01

They say not to judge a book by its cover, but books are sold by their covers. The lesson looks at how different covers appeal to different markets, and will give you some ideas for your own work's cover.

Manuscript Evaluation Checklist Preview 2 pages

This handy checklist helps you make sure your manuscript is ready for publication.

Getting Into Print Preview 14:15

Now that your manuscript is complete, this lecture gives you everything you need to get it published.

Marketing Preview 11:53

Now that your book is published, here's how to market it to maximize sales.

Next Steps Preview 00:33

Here are some great resources for continuing your exploration of Young Adult Fiction!