Many aspiring writers of YA (and other genres) fall into the same tempting trap: not taking teenagers seriously. Stranded in adulthood, we look back on our high school days with shimmery longing or a vague nausea, and watch the new generation of teenagers thinking, I was never like that.
Though the world continues to change at a breakneck pace, you don’t need to study TikTok or memorize lingo to write for teenagers. In this workshop, we’ll use parts work (borrowed from the IFS of therapy, but don't worry, we won't be crying on couches and your instructor is in no way a therapist) to identify different versions of ourselves throughout time, and open a dialogue with each of them. These intimate writing exercises will move you through memory to help remember what it’s like to be a teenager—and practice enthralling your audience across age-lines.
While we'll focus on YA and MG, this course will be super helpful for anyone who's characters aren't the author's age, including writers of fiction and memoir, who often have to access the way experiences felt when they were young.
