FREE Big Feelings: Writing Realistic Teen Characters
What did you believe about yourself and your world in high school, and why? Young adult novels are often driven by characters' flawed core beliefs as much as external plot. In this class, we'll read and discuss excerpts from YA novels by Adib Khorram, Morgan Parker, and H.E. Edgmon that illustrate their characters' inner narratives in action. Then, we'll use writing exercises to connect with our characters and their internal beliefs by connecting with our teenage selves.
Registration dates:
Registration for free classes opens on August 30 with general public registration.
Ray Stoeve
Ray Stoeve is the author of the young adult novels Between Perfect and Real (2021) and Arden Grey (2022), both Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selections. They also contributed to the young adult anthology Take The Mic: Fictional Stories of Everyday Resistance. They received a 2016-2017 Made at Hugo House Fellowship and created the YA/MG Trans and Nonbinary Voices Masterlist, a database that tracks all books in those age categories written by trans authors about trans characters. When they’re not writing, they can be found gardening, making art in other mediums, or hiking their beloved Pacific Northwest.
They enjoy fiction of all age categories and genres, especially historical and contemporary realist works about queer and trans characters. They are best equipped to provide sensitivity reads and consult on young adult novels. In addition to being a full-time writer, they also work with authors and publishers seeking sensitivity reads for queer and trans characters.
