Class Description
Have you ever read a YA novel that stuck with you long after you turned the last page and thought, “I want to do that, but how?” Maybe you already have a story idea—or even a few chapters started—but aren’t sure how to shape it into a compelling novel for teen readers. Or maybe you’re curious about joining a GrubStreet YA novel writing workshop and want to test the waters first.
How to Write a YA Novel is the perfect place to begin your YA writing journey with GrubStreet. In just three hours, you’ll learn the fundamentals of writing for a young adult audience, including how to build authentic teen characters, create stakes that resonate, and craft a voice that feels true to the age group you’re writing for. We’ll also cover the essentials of novel planning, plot development, and what it takes—realistically—to bring your story from a spark of an idea to a polished manuscript ready for submission. Along the way, you’ll begin mapping out your YA novel, connect with other aspiring YA authors, and discover next steps for continuing your project in a GrubStreet workshop.
Writing Roadmap: We've created a simple, goal-based writing roadmap to help you find the perfect GrubStreet course for your writing needs.
Thanks to the excellent literary citizenship of our donors, scholarships are available for all GrubStreet classes. To apply, click the gray "APPLY FOR SCHOLARSHIP" button. In order to be considered for a scholarship, you must complete your application at least one week before the start date of a class. Please await our scholarship committee's decision before registering for the class. We cannot hold spots in classes, so the sooner you apply, the better. Scholarships cannot be applied retroactively.
For more detailed information about GrubStreet scholarships, including how to contribute to scholarship funds for other students, click here.
This class will take place using Zoom videoconferencing. After registering, a yellow Resources tab will appear in this section containing a link to join class. Please note that you will need to be logged into view the Resources tab.
Zoom Participation:
In our experience, the intimate nature of a writing workshop benefits from on-camera participation. Students are of course welcome to turn their camera off whenever they need to, but it is a community norm for cameras to be on most of the time. You can learn more about using Zoom here.
Zoom Accessibility:
You can enable closed captioning at any time during the meeting by clicking the CC button at the bottom of the screen. If you'd like to access the transcript after class, please make sure to let your instructor ahead of time that you'd like a copy.