Young Adult Fiction | Sara Zarr

Course Description

Willa Cather said that writers acquire most of the fodder for their writing lives before the age of fifteen. Frederick Buechner wrote, "Adolescents are Adam and Eve in the process of tasting the forbidden fruit and discovering that in addition to good, there is also evil, that in addition to the joy of being alive, there is also the sadness and hurt of being alive and being themselves." Vampires, zombies, and time travel may additionally complicate matters. Beyond (and including) traditional coming of age stories, young adult and middle grade fiction today explores rich and varied literary territory covering every imaginable genre and sub-genre. Through workshopping manuscripts, writing exercises, and discussion, we'll address fundamental fiction matters---voice, character, plot---in ways that are specific to writing for and about teenagers and the middle grades.

Manuscripts: Please submit 12-18 pages of a work in progress by June 15, 2012 in PDF format to glenworkshop@imagejournal.org. The instructor will contact you with reading assignments as the Glen gets closer.

About Sara Zarr

Sara Zarr is the acclaimed author of four novels for young adults. Her first, Story of a Girl, was a finalist for the National Book Award. How to Save a Life, her most recent, was published in October 2011. Her short fiction and essays have also appeared in Image, Hunger Mountain online, and several anthologies. She lives in Salt Lake City, Utah, with her husband. Visit her website at www.sarazarr.com.