YA Storytellers • Last activity 22/Oct

YA Storytellers is a group of committed YA fiction writers who participate on a regular basis to exchange and critique each other’s works. The group is not open to nonfiction, memoir, paranormal, graphic, or horror genres.

Genres

Children's

Young Adult (Contemporary fiction, Historical Fiction, Mystery, Crime, or Thriller, Low magic/fantasy, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Romance)

Goals

We’d like an honest and supportive assessment of the submitted pages. What works well and what doesn’t? Are the protagonist and storyline engaging? Do we care? Do we want to read on? We would also like, when appropriate, for members to take note of word choice, sentence structure, figurative language, mood, imagery, etc. Is their sufficient suspense, enough tension? Does each chapter move the story forward. Although all this many sound daunting, it really isn’t, and we don’t expect anyone to have a Ph.D. in literary criticism. Most importantly, we emphasize that the decision whether or not to implement the suggestions remains with the writer.

Admissions Policies

Potential members are asked to submit 5-10 sample pages of their writing to ensure that YA Storytellers will be the most productive group for them.

What we're looking for in members

Commitment is more important than the level of writing or the stage of the writer's career. Our goal is to improve the craft with creativity and consideration. Both published and unpublished writers are welcome, and we do look forward to lively discussions that are fun and enjoyable. We take our writing seriously, but not necessarily ourselves.

Inactivity Policy

Members are expected to write a twice-a-month critique of each chapter submitted and to submit a chapter every two weeks. Continued inactivity will suggest that the member will be better served by membership in another group.