A Map for That

Well, I made it. I've finished William Bernhardt's Level III Writing Seminar and I'm still alive. If only just.

In Level I, we covered the beginning third of our books and focused on structure. In Level II, we worked on the middle section and focused on plot and character arcs. In Level III, we finished the book.

I do feel reinvigorated about my ending. Until now, no one except my mother (and spectacular editor) had read it, and like I talked about in my previous post, I was a bit nervous about how it would be received. But on the last day of the seminar, as per tradition, Bill took us all out to lunch. There was something so final about sitting around a table eating fish and chips. Something melancholic. It was done. We'd made it.

Now what?

I've got a couple of scenes to write (or add to) in the middle of my book, but that's pretty much it. After I get those done, I'll be sending my manuscript off to agents and my beta readers. This book I started a year ago has come full circle and is ready to be sent out into the world.

I would like to say that my experience writing my first novel has been made infinitely easier thanks to Bill's seminars. When I first attended his Level I, I only had thirty or forty pages written. Because I had so little on paper and the Level I lectures focused mainly on structure and outlining, I was able to fix any major structure/plot issues before they happened. I also don't have much in the way of excess scenes. Neither I nor my editor (or readers) have run into any scenes that need to be deleted. In fact, I've got to add a couple in. My very thorough outline has given me an easy map to follow.

And now I've reached my destination. I've got a finished product and I'm preparing to send it out into the world.

I wish I had a map for that.

Violence in Young Adult Fiction

Hey, guys! I'm in the middle of William Bernhardt's Level III Small Group Writing Seminar and it's crazy intense. It's also the first time anyone aside from my editor has seen the more violent scenes in my book, and it has been interesting to say the least.

Whenever anyone talks about violence in the YA genre, most people immediately think of The Hunger Games. After all, what could be more violent than putting 24 teenagers into an arena and telling them to slaughter each other? But in many ways, The Hunger Games does a good job (at least in the first book) of having most of the violence be off-camera.

In my book, it isn't. It's up close and personal. It's intimate. And, yes, it is pretty graphic. The violent scenes weren't easy to write and they shouldn't be easy to read. I'm not condoning torture; I'm condemning it. I want my torture scenes to be harsh and realistic. Torture shouldn't be candy-coated.

My very wise teacher started a discussion about this in our class today. Is my book too violent for YA?

Overall, the answer was no. Yes, it's horribly violent. Yes, it's traumatic. But no, that shouldn't stop it from being considered YA.

Some people may not be able to handle the violence, and that's okay. I definitely don't think anyone younger than High School age should read it. But I'm not going to change it. It's part of the book. A very dark, terrifying part, but integral nonetheless. And I know people are going to tell me to change it, but part of being an author is standing behind your work.

What are your thoughts on violence in the Young Adult genre?