Today is my stop on The Storm Crow blog tour and I am really excited to be sharing a guest post by the author herself, Kalyn Josephson. In this post Kalyn gives some great tips on how to write a YA Fantasy Novel, which is really interesting and inspiring.
A big thank you to Sourcebooks Fire and Midas PR for allowing me to be part of this blog tour.
Writing YA Fantasy by Kalyn Josephson
There are so many ways to write a good young adult fantasy novel. So many in fact that my first tip for writing YA fantasy is to remember that publishing is incredibly subjective, and by publishing, I mean everyone from readers to agents to editors. You may love a book that someone else couldn’t finish or vice versa, and that doesn’t make one better than the other, just different.
Which leads me to tip number 2: write what you love. If you try to write only to trends, not only will you be too far behind them (the trends you see now are books that sold 1-2 years ago), but it’s incredibly important that you love the story you’re writing. Publishing is a long, slow process, during which a book undergoes many iterations of edits. If you don’t love your book, sticking with it through all of that is going to be tough, and that often shows in your writing. Likewise, if you love a story, your readers can often tell!
My biggest tip for writing YA fantasy though is to read it. A LOT of it. As much as you possibly can in fact. Craft articles may tell you that YA fantasy should be quicker paced or be centered around themes like discovering one’s identity, but seeing how other writers approached those themes, along with the voice, pacing, worldbuilding, characters, etc is the easiest and best way to learn how to do it yourself.
A lot of this sounds like generic advice that could apply to any genre, and it can. The reason I focused on these suggestions rather than fantasy-specific ones is because fantasy is such a broad genre, and different readers prefer different things within it. One might prefer complex, detailed worldbuilding, while another might like sweeping, magical worlds not bogged down in explanations, and both are good. What matters is writing a book that you love.
Which leads me to tip number 2: write what you love. If you try to write only to trends, not only will you be too far behind them (the trends you see now are books that sold 1-2 years ago), but it’s incredibly important that you love the story you’re writing. Publishing is a long, slow process, during which a book undergoes many iterations of edits. If you don’t love your book, sticking with it through all of that is going to be tough, and that often shows in your writing. Likewise, if you love a story, your readers can often tell!
My biggest tip for writing YA fantasy though is to read it. A LOT of it. As much as you possibly can in fact. Craft articles may tell you that YA fantasy should be quicker paced or be centered around themes like discovering one’s identity, but seeing how other writers approached those themes, along with the voice, pacing, worldbuilding, characters, etc is the easiest and best way to learn how to do it yourself.
A lot of this sounds like generic advice that could apply to any genre, and it can. The reason I focused on these suggestions rather than fantasy-specific ones is because fantasy is such a broad genre, and different readers prefer different things within it. One might prefer complex, detailed worldbuilding, while another might like sweeping, magical worlds not bogged down in explanations, and both are good. What matters is writing a book that you love.
The Storm Crow by Kalyn JosephsonPublished by: Sourcebooks Fire
Released: 9th July 2019
In the tropical kingdom of Rhodaire, magical, elemental Crows are part of every aspect of life…until the Illucian empire invades, destroying everything.
That terrible night has thrown Princess Anthia into a deep depression. Her sister Caliza is busy running the kingdom after their mother’s death, but all Thia can do is think of all she has lost.
But when Caliza is forced to agree to a marriage between Thia and the crown prince of Illucia, Thia is finally spurred into action. And after stumbling upon a hidden Crow egg in the rubble of a rookery, she and her sister devise a dangerous plan to hatch the egg in secret and get back what was taken from them.
That terrible night has thrown Princess Anthia into a deep depression. Her sister Caliza is busy running the kingdom after their mother’s death, but all Thia can do is think of all she has lost.
But when Caliza is forced to agree to a marriage between Thia and the crown prince of Illucia, Thia is finally spurred into action. And after stumbling upon a hidden Crow egg in the rubble of a rookery, she and her sister devise a dangerous plan to hatch the egg in secret and get back what was taken from them.
Amy's Bookish Life 