Comments on: JK Rowling’s Tips for Writers – How to Write Young Adult Books

By: The 21st Century Reading Revolutionizer « ENGLISH 101, UP

The 21st Century Reading Revolutionizer « ENGLISH 101, UP — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 15:55:53 +0000

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By: Laurie PK

Laurie PK — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 14:45:33 +0000

Hi Rebecca,

Great question — will JK Rowling’s subject matter get old? Yes, I think it will. I think it’s a trend, and few trends last forever (otherwise they wouldn’t be called “trends”!).

That said, however, fantasy has always seemed to be popular. Take CS Lewis’ “The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe” story — it’s fantasy, and it’s hugely popular even today. And of course J.R. Tolkien’s Hobbit series was fantasy, and very popular.

But to counterbalance that, we have Judy Blume who is totally into “realism.” And another famous Young Adult author – I can’t remember her name, but she’s from the 70s and 80s, also very popular.

I don’t know if anyone can say what genre will stay popular the longest! But if you’re hoping to write a bestselling YA novel, I encourage you to write what you most love to read. Don’t follow the possible trends…just follow your gut, your Muse, your creativity, and the desires of your heart.

Thanks for bringing this up, Rebecca — I hope to hear from you again!

Laurie
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By: Rebecca

Rebecca — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 15:20:52 +0000

This was very useful. However, I can’t help but wonder if kids will become bored with witches, vampires, spies, warlocks, magic, ninjas, or whatever else that has been written over the years. How many books can be written with the “same” types of people/situations? Will it get old? Appreciate feedback…
.-= Rebecca´s last blog post ..How Would You Rate Your Writing Skills =-.

By: How did J K Rowlings do it!? « Worldweaverweb’s Blog

How did J K Rowlings do it!? « Worldweaverweb’s Blog — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 04:49:18 +0000

[...] How did J K Rowlings do it!? This guy boils it down to 6 writing tips here. [...]

By: Marcia Calhoun Forecki

Marcia Calhoun Forecki — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 22:26:47 +0000

Very useful. I would only add that kids want a balance of fantasy and reality. I think they want to be able to imagine themselves in the shoes of the characters on some level.

Thanks for the article.

By: Laurie Pawlik-Kienlen

Laurie Pawlik-Kienlen — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 16:54:56 +0000

This is great – thanks, William! What I really see in your article is the importance of achieving balance.

As writers, we need to be “edgy and quirky” — but not TOO bizarre or controversial. We need to surprise and titillate, but not gross readers out

Speaking of grossing readers out, I just read a book review in Time magazine — a “thumbs down” review. The book was about all the poop in the world, all the toilets in different countries, and I guess the review found it too disgusting to recommend…….see? We need balance!