And so to the question! Steph asked,

I’m 14 years old and I’m in the middle of writing a novel. I’m doing everything I can to be an author like going to a good high school with a good writing program. Do you think it’s possible to maybe get it published sometime soon? And do you have an age requirement of how old someone has to be to send in one of their stories to you? I’m a huge fan of Alyson Noel and you seem like you’re a really great agent. Writing means a lot to me!

First of all, Steph, thanks! Secondly, it really seems like you’re on the right track. Unfortunately, there’s no easy shortcuts.

At the same time, no, I don’t have an age requirement for clients. BUT… I can tell you that I know many authors who are now published as adults, and though they’ve been writing forever, I can’t think of a single one that would be glad to see her teenage writing published.

Now, you may be the exception, but just in case you’re in the same majority as the rest of us, I think the thing to do is keep working — write through that fantastic high school with a top-notch writing program. Find a good college that will help you polish your skills. Live a little. Find something more to write about. Practice, practice, practice.

As you do so, I think you’ll also find your earlier work may lack the maturity and polish of your later work. When you truly believe your novel can compete with not just all the other teen novels already out there, but with the countless others also being submitted — then find an agent, and try to get published.

It’s a long road, but the journey is what makes it memorable, not just the final destination.

Now that bit of advice I know still stands, despite the news you may have read about teen authors getting deals at young ages. Do we need to go back into our teen writing folders to prove it again?

Red Boot Pearl!

Pearl, please send me an email with your phone number, and the times you’ll be available to chat next week. To take us out into the weekend, another except from my teen writing. Does anyone remember the tv show Double Trouble? I loved that show. I think this was based partly on that, and partly on my obsessive reading of the Sweet Valley High books. This is the entirety of chapter one. Enjoy!

“What am I supposed to wear? How am I going to get you-know-who [Voldemort?!?!?] to notice me if all my clothes are horrible?”

Tricia Williams, Allison Jackson’s best friend responded with a sigh, “Oh Allie, you have tons of clothing. Why don’t you wear your red leather pants [really?]with your white shirt [she must not have had too many clothes if she's only got the ONE white shirt.]?”

“Oh Tricia, gimme a break. It’s only the beginning of September. [Yeah. No one wears winter white in September. Jeez.] How about this?” Allison held out a fluorescent pink minidress. “Too loud, maybe?” [I don't think I meant it ironically.]

“Allison, it’s perfect!”

“Okay, so now I have a dress, but nothing to do with this face, or my hair!”

“Allison Jackson, your hair is perfect just the way it is, and you know your face is fine.”

Allison Jackson [in case you didn't already know her name by now] was one of the most attractive girls at her school. She had long, silky blonde hair, skin as smooth as silk and eyes as blue as the sky. She practically always had a tan since she lived in Southern California [if you think she sounds plastic, I should probably note that I was totally describing a Barbie doll. Seriously. My Barbie dolls had very detailed lives.] Fortunately for her she loved aerobics and dancing, which kept her in great shape. She lived with her sister Tia and Tia’s husband Charles.

Tricia, meanwhile, was the exact opposite. While Allison had straight blond hair [in case you forgot already], Tricia had short, curly, black hair. Tricia’s eyes were also dark.

“Now come on Allison, let’s go.”

“Okay. But if Lance Robins doesn’t notice me, someone’s gonna die and it might be you.” [Ooh! Murder threats! And a boy named LANCE!]

In case you hate the idea of not knowing what happens, I can assure you that Allison and Lance did wind up together, after some heartbreaking misunderstandings, AND she won the dance contest! And that’s my last dive into my teen writings, I promise.

Today, I aim to correct that.

Not all that long ago, when I was a wee kt, I was a very EARNEST wannabe writer. I started a literary magazine in my high school, had a poem published in an anthology, wrote songs with my friends, and was hard at work on what i promised my dad was my “Great American Novel,” TM, all rights reserved. Readers, I did it all. If it had anything that could be remotely considered “writing”, I wanted a part in it. Literary fan fiction for English assignments? Sign me up! A “poem because the typewriter is on and the wite-out is drying”, ee cummings style? Oh heck yeah!

But all that was nothing compared to the novels I penned (literally, in pen in black & white composition notebooks — see photographic evidence above) under various pseudonyms, each more ridiculous than the next.

When I advise teens who seek to have their writing published now to wait, and spend a few years practicing their craft and learning how to be a better writer, it is in full recognition that I once wrote this:

Adair briskly rode her mare into the forest, followed by her sister Acrin at a slower pace. Acrin cried out to Adair, “Must we go in the forest? Maybe your vision was wrong.”

“Acrin! You should know that visions are always right. Besides I remember clearly, on our sixteenth birthday we are to go into Emerald Forest, go straight to Faregotte Loch and wait for a lady to come out of the loch. When she comes, we are to listen to what she says and do her will. Remember, we are to listen!” Both Adair and Acrin paused, conscious of the sound of their voices in the neverending forest. Then Acrin remarked, “How are we to know if the lady is the correct one?”

“You know not much wisdom, do you, Acrin?”

Hoo boy! Burn!!

Then there’s this part, talking about the twin princesses’ birthday presents:

They had just gotten chestnut mares for their birthdays. Adair’s was all chestnut, except for a white blaze on its forehead. It was a beauty. It’s name was Bellezza. Acrin’s was also mostly chestnut except for its four white stockings. Acrin had christened it Carino. Their parents, King Chresgon and Queen Felicia, had also showered upon them gifts of jewels and gowns.

Exciting stuff, huh?

But you know what? I got better. Sold a couple of short stories, spent years in writing workshops and classes, and continued to read, read, read until I could distinguish good from bad on my own.

And I’m CERTAIN that many of you — except for those of you who have burned your teenage writings (ahem, Amy Spalding, ahem) — have equally bad examples to share. Feel free to do so in the comments!

And just to make it interesting, on Friday I’ll pick one random commenter* for a one-on-one phone conversation to answer ANY questions you might have about the publishing process. This prize isn’t a chance to pitch me your novel, but I’m open to just about any other topics of conversation. Cool? Allons-y!

*To clarify — in order to be eligible for the prize, you need to post some of your early writing!

I am a high school junior, and I have been re-writing my most recent novel. I believe that it might be good for publication. I have accomplished a variety of writing activities in my high school career, such as being an editor for my school newspaper and being listed in Who’s Who in Journalism. I’m wondering if I should list these types of items in my queries or if this would seem unprofessional. In my research on writing queries, I have learned that an author can include any information about their writing history if it applies, or they can skip over this section if they do not have any information that is applicable. I’m curious if my writing history should be included or if it would be better to not include my high school information since this highlights the fact that I am a younger writer. I have worked very hard on this piece, going through a variety of drafts and rewrites. I have completed much research on the publishing business and any information that was needed for my novel. I would like my writing to be able to speak for itself, without my age being a factor, but I would also like to include any information of my accomplishments that may aid my chances. Thank you for your help.

In my personal opinion? Skip mentioning your high school newspaper experience unless you can tell it in such a way that it doesn’t seem quite so current.

I have found in reading many queries from young writers that they place too much emphasis on their youth. Play up the story of your book, and, as much as possible, try to let it stand on its own. If I come across a brilliant novel in a query, I don’t care if I don’t have any information about the author at all — that I can get later.

And though it may seem obvious from the above, just in case it isn’t — don’t tell me your age in a query. I don’t care. I don’t read queries from young writers with any more or less kindness than I read queries from adults, so age doesn’t matter.

Good luck!

How many times should you revise your novel before trying to get an agent?

Until it’s ready, Kathy. There’s no magic number, but if you’ve polished it, and shown it around to your writer’s group, and feel that each word you’ve chosen is the right one, then you’re ready to send it out.
She also asks:

If you find what you think is your “dream agency” should you only submit to them?

You can submit to them first, if you like, and allow them some time with it, but I’ve said it before, I’m not a huge fan of exclusives. Get your manuscript out there! You may think Agency A is the bee’s knees, but Agency C or D or Q may surprise you, and be an even better fit. You won’t know unless you try.
Sarah wonders:

Do you only accept submissions from residents of the US, and do the writers have to be a certain age?

Nope, Sarah. I’m open to all! kt literary client Lili Wilkinson is a happy resident of Australia, fer instance. As for age, you don’t have to be a certain age, so long as your writing is strong enough. I just haven’t yet seen a novel by a teenager that was on par with the submissions I’ve received from authors with a few more years of experience under their belt. But I’d love to be proven wrong.
Meanwhile, Gabby ponders:

I don’t know what to do. You see, I had an amazing idea for a novel but it seems just like everything else I’ve read. So the whole idea seems ridiculous, like I need to make up something that no one has read before.

Well, Gabby, there’s a school of thought that there are only five original stories out there, and every novel ever written is based on them, but that’s not really helpful to you, is it? Justine Larbalestier had some great advice on this topic during her “January is Writing Advice Month.” In terms of finding ideas of your own, she suggests, “take a plot from somewhere else: a fairy tale, a movie, a novel, manga, anime, anywhere at all really. But change it. Change it a lot.” That’s just the beginning of it. Read the whole thing, and see if that doesn’t help you come up with an original idea.
And another teen reader writes:

I want to write an autobiography, but I’m only 16 years old. Would it be wrong to write your life story when your life isn’t over?

Not wrong exactly, but what’s so great and important about your life that a memoir or autobiography at this stage is going to be worthy of being published? Maybe you’re a movie star (like Miley Cyrus) or a royal (like Prince William or Harry) — then I’m sure you have tales to tell, even if you’re just a teenager. You don’t have to be famous, either — if you’ve lived through an extraordinary event, you may have an important story to tell. But for most of us — and I think back to my own teen years — a memoir of me at 16 would have been pretty dull. It’s not that your life isn’t over yet, and therefore not worthy of being told, just that it may not be all that readable.
Thanks for the questions, guys! Please keep ‘em coming by emailing me at daphne.unfeasible@gmail.com

Okay I have written a manuscript and am now trying to find a good publisher. I had a publisher interested but when he found out I was only 14 he kind of stopped writing back. Then I found a web site about the Random House Young Novel writing contest. If I win than I get a paperback and hardcover copy contract and $9000. But if submit my manuscript, I am legally not allowed to send in the novel into anyone else until they pick the winner in roughly 8 months. I was really hoping you could give me some insight on what is a good decision, to submit or not to submit.

Hey there, C.C. First of all, sorry about the other publisher who stopped writing to you. Being a young writer is a tough gig, and you kind of need to be tough about it. I think trying for the Random House contest is a fantastic idea. No, you can’t submit anywhere else while your novel is awaiting judgment, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still be writing.
And that’s what you should be doing right now. Writing, writing, writing. I get the impetus to be a published author AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, but as I’ve said to other young authors, you’re not just competing anymore with other writers your age. Being the best writer in your class isn’t going to get you anywhere. You’re competing for a publishing slot with adults you have spent YEARS perfecting their voice.
So submit to the contest, and spend the time between now and the results working on your writing. As with everything, it takes time and practice to get better. And if you haven’t read John Scalzi’s advice to young writers, do that now.

The fact that your writing sucks now only means that your writing sucks right now. If you keep working on it it’ll very likely get better… and then comes the day that you write something that really doesn’t suck. You’ll know it when it happens and then you’ll get why all that time banging out stuff that sucked was worth it: because it’s made you a writer who doesn’t suck anymore.
So don’t worry that your writing sucks right now. “Suck” is a correctible phenomenon.

Well worth reading. I feel like Meg Cabot also had some brilliant advice for young writers, but I couldn’t find the specific bit of it I was looking for on her blog. If anyone has better luck in searching her archives and helping me find what I’m oh-so-vaguely describing, please share it in the comments!

I’m 14 years old and I’m in the middle of writing a novel. I’m doing everything I can to be an author like going to a good high school with a good writing program. Do you think it’s possible to maybe get it published sometime soon? And do you have an age requirement of how old someone has to be to send in one of their stories to you? I’m a huge fan of Alyson Noel and you seem like you’re a really great agent. Writing means a lot to me!

First of all, Steph, thanks! Secondly, it really seems like you’re on the right track. Unfortunately, there’s no easy shortcuts.

At the same time, no, I don’t have an age requirement for clients. BUT… I can tell you that I know many authors who are now published as adults, and though they’ve been writing forever, I can’t think of a single one that would be glad to see her teenage writing published.

Now, you may be the exception, but just in case you’re in the same majority as the rest of us, I think the thing to do is keep working — write through that fantastic high school with a top-notch writing program. Find a good college that will help you polish your skills. Live a little. Find something more to write about. Practice, practice, practice.

As you do so, I think you’ll also find your earlier work may lack the maturity and polish of your later work. When you truly believe your novel can compete with not just all the other teen novels already out there, but with the countless others also being submitted — then find an agent, and try to get published.

It’s a long road, but the journey is what makes it memorable, not just the final destination.