James, G 2008, 'Writing for children and young adults ' , in: Creative Writing Guidebook , Continuum, London, pp. 97-110.

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Abstract

This workshop explores the nature of the child and young adult reader, and looks at who might write for them, and why, and how they might set about that task. When we write for anyone, we need to include a story arc, the characters need to be rounded and believable, the writer should show, not tell, and every word should be relevant, either carrying the plot forward or showing more about the characters. We also need to make our writing suitable for our reader. Children will tend to be less forgiving than adults, and even experienced young adult readers will not wait for the text to become interesting. It must engage them from the very beginning and hold their attention throughout.

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