This post was written by Olivia Heminway, a member of my monthly writing group (there's more about her in a previous post). These are her bullet point notes from the panel discussion by authors from The Edge. These authors, who all write edgy YA fiction, have banded together to blog and promote each others' work. You can read about all the authors here.

The Edge: Hooking Teen Readers

With Sara Grant, Paula Rawsthorne, Dave Cousins, Mirian Halahmy and  Bryony Pearce

Edgy means issue-based

• Can be controversial but don’t have to be
• Tackle the edges with authenticity
• Make sure that violence, language and sex risks are worth taking
• Be true to what you want to do as an author
• Have to be willing to stand up for what you write about
• Be prepared to blog and have an opinion about the issues

Reservations:

• Make sure you are driven to share your passion
• Don’t forget the story
• The reader has to be able to connect to the story in order to then ‘discuss’ or think about the issue

How to tackle sensitive issues?

• In The Long Weekend, pedophilia is never described or ‘seen’, just implied; the suggestion helps to increase the tension
• Self-censorship and the ‘gate-keepers’ (agents and editors) often make you pull back
• The more controversial, the more difficult to write
• Often scenes that are hard to read are also hard to write, but necessary; it’s about pov, how much is shown…
• Keep in mind that the UK is more open than other countries

Positive rewards include talking with teens about these edgy issues

Hooking teen readers

• Entertaining, engaging, page-turning – these are essential for teen readers
• Characters have to be engaging
• Always keep teen readers at the heart of the novel
• Adults can be represented but the young people have to be the ones to sort out the problems, realistically
• Young adults are not perfect; this is something you have to engage with in your character, a kind of empathy
• Opener has to be grabby; jump into it and throw in questions and intrigue; it’s all about what happens next
• YAs need to be immediately engaged; they’re used to it in their daily lives
• Consider deleting your beginning and starting your novel later
• Don’t let initial action trail off into something dull; cut out bits that drag

Language: Swearing and Slang

• Consider showing toughness/coolness with other carefully chosen language, intonation, action, description
• Slang has to earn its place in a text; use it sparingly
• Slang dates so quickly that the writer can come across as ‘middle-aged’
• Consider making up slang; definitely do your research
• Good to make up names/terms and put in clues as to what it means
• Same applies to technology re outdating quickly and making it up

Getting emotionally involved with your character

• Being emotionally invested is a good sign
• Research gives you an element of control so the emotional toll on the writer isn’t as high
• It can be difficult disengaging from your character’s emotions

Attraction of teen fiction

• Original voice and idea; honest, emotional investment
• Pacy, good read that fits in with a busy life-style (even adults)
• A realistic situation that is engaging
• To be moved, to spur other ideas

Repulsion of teen fiction

• Lazy writing or shock value
• Stupid endings that don’t answer the questions
• Simpering teen girls waiting for the fit lad
• Anything gratuitous

Boys like sex too

• It’s not about sex and violence; it’s about how it’s put out and dealt with
• Some boys have no interest in sex until they’re older
• Disturbing that the message that’s coming across is that boys aren’t reading
• Boys are interested and want to read different kinds of books; write what you want to write

On Age-warnings on book covers

• Not in favour because kids are very individual
• Okay to indicate level of violence, sex and offensive language

More and more teens are getting e-readers which may be good because unlike books, e-readers don’t give away what someone is reading and so allows for more privacy of choice and reading level