#247. 5 Secrets to Writing YA Fiction (That Actually Feels Like YA)

Fiction Writing Made Easy with Savannah Gilbo | How to Write a Novel & Writing Advice

Savannah Gilbo

Education, Writing Advice, Plotting A Novel, Editing A Novel, Character Arcs, Fiction Writing Mistakes To Avoid, Story Development, Fiction Writing Tips, How To Outline A Novel, Character Development, Story Structure, Books, World Building, Arts, Writing Stronger Scenes, How To, Fiction

4.9 • 1.6K Ratings

🗓️ 12 May 2026

⏱️ 22 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Learn the five craft secrets to writing young adult fiction that actually feels like YA—so when you sit down to write your own, you know exactly what to aim for. You know what YA feels like when a book is doing it right. The voice pulls you in. The protagonist's world feels enormous and immediate. You finish the book before you remember to put it down. The hard part is being able to do that yourself—on the page, on purpose. In this episode, I'm walking you through the five secrets that make Y...

Transcript

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0:00.0	Young adult isn't just a tone or a trend or a marketing label. At its core, young adult is about
0:06.3	the emotional reality of adolescence. It's the immediacy of voice, the importance of peers,
0:12.2	the identity level stakes, the big themes experienced through lived moments, and the protagonist
0:18.0	who is still becoming themselves. That's what makes Y.A. feel like YA.
0:23.2	Not slang, not surface level details, not a teenage protagonist pasted into an adult-feeling story.
0:31.8	Welcome to the Fiction Writing Made Easy Podcast. My name is Savannah Gilbo, and I'm here to help you
0:37.2	write a story that works. I want to prove to you
0:40.0	that writing a novel doesn't have to be overwhelming. So each week, I'll bring you a brand new
0:44.4	episode with simple, actionable, and step-by-step strategies that you can implement in your writing
0:49.8	right away. So whether you're brand new to writing or more of a seasoned author looking to improve
0:54.3	your craft, this podcast is for you. So pick up a pen and let's get started. In today's episode,
1:01.4	we're talking about five secrets to writing young adult fiction that actually feels like
1:06.4	young adult fiction. And I wanted to tackle this topic today because I've been getting a lot of questions
1:11.9	about how to write YA. And the question I've been getting the most is some version of this. Do all the
1:18.1	same craft rules apply to young adult as they do to adult fiction? And in general, my answer is yes.
1:25.4	All the same craft rules and considerations apply to young adult fiction just like they do to adult fiction.
1:32.2	You still need a strong protagonist with a clear goal.
1:34.9	You need solid story structure.
1:36.8	You need scenes that move the plot and the character forward and everything else like that.
1:41.1	But there are a handful of things that sit on top of those universal
1:45.1	craft rules that make young adult fiction feel special. And when you get them right, there are things
1:50.5	that turn what could be a regular novel with a teenage protagonist into a book that actually
	...

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