Writing Resources for Young Writers

Summer is almost here! Thanks to a talk I gave for a high school career day last week, I had the chance to explore the big universe of writing craft information available to teen writers.

As the school year grows short and the trees leaf out, I remember a summer in my teens when I worked on a draft of a (very clunky) fantasy novel. The unstructured time was a gift—that was the one summer I didn’t have a job—and it taught me that not all work requires a time card, and making something beautiful is another kind of labor. Here are a few writing resources that can help young writers make strides in their craft over the summer. If you have additions, just drop them in the comments!

General Good Advice

I could type a lot of advice right here, but the successful writer Lincoln Michel already did it in his article, “Everything I've Learned about Being a ‘Professional’ Writer in One Post,” and I agree with everything he says about professional fiction writing. Take what’s useful to you, and give his Substack,

Counter Craft

, a subscribe.

And for poets, Poetry Out Loud is a really helpful place to start!

Online Writing Classes

A fun part of writing is that you are always learning, and you can do it at your own pace when you feel like it. A lot of these classes come with a price tag, but if it’s out of your budget, don’t be shy about contacting the organization and asking if they offer scholarships or reduced-fee classes. Many do, and they want to help you.

• The Loft’s summer program for youth writers offers many classes in screenwriting, poetry, and fiction. Based in Minneapolis but offers virtual options.

• Roots Wounds Words, Inc., is a BIPOC-centered writers’ organization offering mostly adult classes but ambitious young writers can benefit, too.

• Hugo House: under “audience,” select “youth” for classes geared to your grade level (based in Seattle, but offers virtual options)

• The Shipman Agency Work Room: these are adult classes and sometimes kind of academic, but if you want to push yourself, the course quality is very high. Based in New York but virtual.

• Lambda Literary: the most recognized LGBTQIA+ literary organization out there, based in LA. The 2023 “Learn with Lambda” programming is coming soon.

• One Story: these are adult classes too, but I’m including it because the organization also publishes One Teen Story, a beautiful single-story booklet every month that gets sent to a huge subscriber list. It’s a great publication credit.

Books on Writing

None of these books is 100 percent right or 100 percent helpful, but as with learning any subject, having many teachers will prevent any one voice from dominating. The goal is just to absorb the lessons that feel interesting to you, and at least notice the way different writers talk about the craft.

Burning Down the House: Essays on Fiction, Stephen Baxter: Both a rumination on the state of literature as a technical manual for aspiring writers.

Craft in the Real World: Rethinking Fiction Writing and Workshopping, Matthew Salesses: A “bold and original examination of elements of writing--including plot, character, conflict, structure, and believability.”

A Poetry Handbook, Mary Oliver: The book walks readers through exactly how a poem is built, from meter and rhyme, to form and diction, to sound and sense.

Meander, Spiral, Explode: Design and Pattern in Narrative, Jane Alison: Essential reading on alternatives to the conventional plot arc. It’s ambitious, but even just the introduction is full of useful truths and observations about story structure.

The Emotional Craft of Fiction, Donald Maass: If you find yourself getting stuck on she smiled, he frowned, she raised an eyebrow, he grimaced, etc. to convey your characters’ emotions, start here.

Writing the Other: A Practical Approach, Cynthia Ward and Nisi Shawl: Whether you’re a poet, fiction writer, screenwriter, or nonfiction writer, writing across difference is an important craft technique. Here’s how to do it wisely.

The Art of Dramatic Writing, Lajos Egri: For playwrights, but strong on the connection between theme, character, and plot.

Manuscript Makeover, Elizabeth Lyon: All-around resource for self-revision of fiction.

I also don’t mind Anne Lamott’s Bird by Bird and Stephen King’s On Writing. This advice is practical and as correct as any writing advice can be, even if it’s light on specifics. I especially like the sample pages King provides, showing how he edits and develops his own work.

Also, if you don’t already have it on your shelf, it’s worth buying and rereading the book that many writers return to—Strunk and White’s The Elements of Style. It’s a slender book of principles that nudge writers toward tighter, clearer, more elegant writing. It isn’t a straight-jacket for your voice; rather a fine-tuning of some of the tools in the toolbox, such as active verbs, accurate nouns, and varied sentence rhythm. Ignore the authors, though, when they say this is the only right way to write. It’s just one skill set.

Finally, you can’t do better than advice from the late Ursula K. Le Guin’s Steering the Craft, which offers help for solo explorations and guides for writing groups. Putting together your own small group of writers to share pages and discuss work is a great way to build a mutual support network and an accountability structure.

Youth Writing Conferences

These often involve travel and time away from home during the summer, and many offer scholarships. You’ll meet other writers, chat with mentors, learn workshop skills, and get feedback on your writing. This resource will let you click around and get a feel for what they’re about. Attending conferences is an occasional but regular part of the writing life—you make new friends, learn what others are doing, and build community.

20 Summer Writing Programs for High School Students in 2023

For a poet-centric experience, the Dodge Poetry Festival in New Jersey has a student day. It’s a great event, and although the current year’s registration is closed, you can still attend, follow the organization, or apply to participate next year.

And whatever you do, don’t ever give up! Say yes to opportunities, and build your community: peers, mentors, and writing groups that offer a support network that helps you grow.

Caution: the cuteness may distract you from getting your ducks in a row. (Photo copyright © Sarah Cypher. All rights reserved.)