I was nine years old when I came across an article about Nancy Yi Fan in a teen magazine. At the astonishing age of 13, Fan had accomplished a feat I could only dream of: her fantasy novel “Swordbird” was published by HarperCollins. For a kid who wanted nothing more than to see my name in print, reading about a young author who had actually made it was life-changing. Writing became my biggest passion, and I actually sent off queries to a few literary agents I found online. While I didn’t find the same luck Fan did, I received lovely emails from several kind agents who had taken the time to reply. They treated me with all the respect they would an aspiring adult author, and their encouragement has stuck with me.
Although I’ve discovered new passions as I’ve grown up and haven’t penned a fictional story in quite some time, those early mornings spent typing away at the family computer before anyone else was awake remain a core memory from my childhood. I have yet to see my name in print, but my love for the English language and the written word has taken me to some pretty exciting places — including fulfilling another childhood dream of working here at DBRL!
If my days as a kid author taught me anything, it’s the power of having the adults in your life take you seriously. If you know and love a young writer, placing an inspiring book in their hands is a tangible way to demonstrate your belief in them. Below, you’ll find four of our best books for young writers, including practical advice from real authors to jump-start their creativity and take their writing to the next level.
“Spilling Ink: A Young Writer’s Handbook
” is chock-full of bite-size advice, perfect for exploring topics of interest at your own pace. In alternating essays, authors Anne Mazer and Ellen Potter pass on their combined years of experience to aspiring young writers. For every practical piece of advice, they provide ample justification peppered with the authors’ signature dry humor. A few of my favorite highlights include an official permission slip granting approval to write absolute nonsense and the “chicken nugget” exercise for imagining the setting! This is one of the most real books for young writers I came across in my search. Mazer and Potter acknowledge the slow, plodding work of writing and speak candidly on all the tough stuff like accepting criticism and dealing with feelings of inadequacy. But most of all, they encourage young writers to take themselves and their work seriously, all while reminding us that it’s perfectly okay to break the rules sometimes.
“Brave the Page: A Young Writer’s Guide to Telling Epic Stories
” by Rebecca Stern and Grant Faulkner is for any kid who’s serious about taking their craft to the next level by attempting the ultimate writing challenge: National Novel Writing Month, a.k.a NaNoWriMo! Every November, adults and kids alike from all over the world crack open their laptops and notebooks and get to work, writing furiously with the goal of finishing an entire novel in just 30 days. The good news is that there’s plenty of time to beef up your writing practice before November comes, and “Brave the Page” is a great way to get there. The first half is a manual for tackling some of the big-picture challenges of writing, including setting goals, planning your novel and dealing with that pesky “inner editor.” From there, the rest of the book guides young writers through a whirlwind four-week plan, complete with writing challenges, actionable advice and even “pep talks” from real authors. Even if NaNoWriMo seems out of reach, you can still take the most important piece of wisdom “Brave the Page” has to offer: “Your stories matter, and the world needs them.”
Poets need a little love, too! “What is Poetry? The Essential Guide to Reading and Writing Poems” by Michael Rosen is a great pick for word nerds who want to explore the wide possibilities of poems. Rosen, a former children’s poet laureate from the U.K., breaks down daunting poems by the likes of Percy Bysshe Shelley and Emily Dickenson into easily-digestible pieces, drawing out features like rhythm, symbolism and imagery. Soon, you’ll notice all the “secret strings” running through every poem you read and write! After equipping us with the tools we need to understand poetry, Rosen sets out to get our creative juices flowing. He walks readers through his writing process and points out some features of his own humorous and thought-provoking poems. The final pages offer advice on collecting all manner of moments and memories, photos and fantasies and turning them into something unexpectedly spectacular. “What Is Poetry?” celebrates the limitless potential of poetry, and despite his focus on the British classics, Rosen has some excellent ideas to bring new poetry to life.
Rounding out this list is an inspiring anthology from some of the best middle-grade authors writing today. In “Our Story Begins,” writers and illustrators like Kwame Alexander, R.J. Palacio, Gordan Korman, Yuyi Morales and many more present some of their earliest works. The pages feel like a scrapbook sprinkled with typewritten pages, school photos and drawings, and the childhood anecdotes range from embarrassing to heartwarming, sobering to downright hilarious. I especially appreciate the diversity of creators represented in this book; it’s much easier to imagine yourself as a writer when you see grown-ups who have been in your shoes! Every great author was once just a creative, risk-taking kid, and this fun collection of stories provides insight and inspiration for young writers.
