Title: Finding My Voice

You’ve finished The Hate You Give, and now it’s your turn to write your own short
story in the Young Adult Genre.
Your story should:
• Be 5-6 double-spaced pages
• Involve a unique main character, and/or narrator, it MUST be a teenager
someone between the ages of 12-18. Young Adult fiction is also usually
written in 1st person.
• Employ writing that is accessible to an adolescent. Avoid language that is
too easy (no need to dumb down language too much), or too complex.
• Demonstrate the perspective of a teenager. While the subject matter does
not have to be about teen life, it should express a topic from the perspective
of a 12-18 year old.
• There must be some kind of conflict—and the conflict must be presented
from the eyes of your teenage main character(s).
• Have a”hopeful” ending. While there doesn’t need to be happy ending,
young adult authors like to write what they call “hopeful” endings. A clear
depiction of what the main character(s) learned from the story is important.
It’s also important to have some kind of closure in your tale.
Elements of Popular YA Fiction:
• Reflects young adults’ age and development by addressing their reading
abilities, thinking levels, and interest levels.
• Deals with contemporary issues, problems, and experiences with
characters to whom adolescents can relate. This includes topics such as
dealing with parents and other adults in authority; facing illness and death;
dealing with peer pressure, specifically relating to drugs, alcohol, and sexual
experimentation; and facing the realities of addiction and pregnancy.
• Considers contemporary world perspectives including cultural, social, and
gender diversity; environmental issues; global politics; and international
interdependence.