Writing a Young Adult Novel

Welcome to the Writer's Digest guide to writing for young adults. Whether your goal is writing your first draft, improving your craft, or learning how to publish a book you have come to the right place. Writer's Digest has been helping aspiring writers for over 90 years and has some of the best books on writing fiction including how to start writing a book. Whether you are staring at a blank page or have multiple manuscripts in the works, the resources below will help you achieve your goal of writing a novel.

The first step to writing a novel is figuring out an idea for your story and choosing a genre. Are you writing fantasy, science fiction, romance, etc...? A lot of seasoned authors recommend starting with an outline and building out character sheets before you start writing. This will give you a very clear picture of the world you are about to create in your novel. If you are a first time novelist and are wondering how to start writing, look to Writer's Digest's amazing writing workshops and writing tutorials to help better your skills at writing young adult fiction.

Once your manuscript is finished, it is always a good idea to get a manuscript critique. While a lot of aspiring authors opt to use their relatives and writing groups as their editors, you should also submit your work to a professional writing critique service. The services at Writer's Digest offer everything from proofreading a manuscript to helping with how to write a query letter.

Want to see how your writing stands up against others vying for the same coveted spot on a bookend at Barnes and Noble? Enter one of the Writer's Digest writing contests. Between our Writer's Digest Annual Young Adult Fiction Competition and our Popular Fiction Awards which includes a science fiction writing contest, you will be sure to find one to let your work shine.

The traditional way to get published is to find a literary agent. Often times, once aspiring authors finish their novel, they are unsure what the next step is. Luckily, Writer's Market is the go-to resource for learning how to get published. You will be able to access over 8,000 listings of book publishers and literary agents, track all of your submissions online, and gain invaluable insight on the business side of getting published and becoming a writer.