Sunday, November 30, 2008

SCBWI LA- Rachel Cohn- Embracing Your Inner Teen

Rachel Cohn- Embracing Your Inner Teen
· Create an authentic voice
· She writes for teens
· A trust between teens and author- don’t break that trust
· Remember yourself as you were as a teen- called this your inner teen
· She brought out some props that she would put in her writing room to remind herself of when she was a teen
· Teens are obsessive with random things
· When she writes, she asks core questions such as who are the people in her story and what is their purpose. Then she asks it through her teen self
· Difference between what we know now and as a teen- remember that
· Are you writing what you want to remember are what you should remember?
· Respect your readers, don’t proselytize or immortalize
· Love your characters, but don’t smother them
· Everything in a teen’s life is epic, important, ever single moment is vital
· Remorseless contraction
· Think back on yourself
· Listening to music helps her find her teen self
· For teens, immediate gratification takes too long
· Think about how an adult would act and then do the exact opposite
· Provide a character that any kid could insert themselves into

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