Close
Enter your
text here

The Den: A blog for authors of children’s and YA fiction

The Den: A blog for authors of children’s and YA fiction

How old should your main character be?
 1024 684 Siobhan O'Brien Holmes
By:

Thanks for joining me, YA genre authors! Next up in my YA Fundamentals series is character age, something that trips up a lot of my clients. Does it really matter how old your main character is? Yes! For a start, your protagonist’s age is one of the key factors that tells readers your book is YA and that it’s been written especially for them. So, how old should they be? Let’s get stuck in! As a general rule of thumb,…

read more
Which age group is YA for?
 1024 683 Siobhan O'Brien Holmes
By:

Oh hey, YA authors! Are you struggling to work out the difference between middle grade and YA, or between YA and adult? Wondering what mistakes you need to avoid if you don’t want to turn agents off or disappoint readers? You’ve come to the right place! In this ‘YA Fundamentals’ series I’m going to be exploring some of the most common issues I come across when editing manuscripts for young readers, so you’ll be armed with all the facts you…

read more
Analysing The Tale of the Lonely Ghost
 1024 684 Siobhan O'Brien Holmes
By:

Hi, horror fans! I’m really excited about this blog series and I hope you will be too. I was a big fan of Are You Afraid of the Dark? as a child; I even analysed the opening credits in great detail for my media studies GCSE coursework. For anybody who hasn’t seen AYAOTD? before, the show’s concept is simple. A group of young teenagers called the Midnight Society meet in the woods at night and take it in turns to tell…

read more
Wolf School with Constance and Merricat: Introduction
 1024 576 Siobhan O'Brien Holmes
By:

Ah-wooooooooooooooooooooooo. Hello, and welcome to Wolf School with Constance and Merricat, your Wolves in Residence. We’re so excited to– That’s Professor Merricat, actually.  You are not a professor, Merricat. I’m not calling you that. But I’m a teacher!  No you’re not. We’re just playing. Stop being so silly. Okay, fine. But I’m in charge of writing on the white board.  Fine. Sorry, everyone, where was I? Oh yes, welcome to Wolf School! We’re really excited to have you here with us.…

read more
Sweet dreams! Should your middle grade horror have a happy ending?
 1024 576 Siobhan O'Brien Holmes
By:

I’m often asked whether children’s horror novels should end on a cheerful note with the threat fully defused, giving young readers the closure they need to drift off happily to sleep. In adult horror fiction and film, there’s no guarantee things will turn out well for the protagonist. And even if the final girl does skip off to tell the tale, or the traumatised family finally sells that haunted house and moves far away, their lives have undoubtedly changed for…

read more
You've finished your first draft – let's celebrate!
You’ve finished the first draft of your MG or YA book! Now what?
 1024 578 Siobhan O'Brien Holmes
By:

1. Party like it’s 2020! You’ve written a novel – you rock! This is such an enormous achievement and you deserve a big night out on the town, or at least a really good milkshake from one of those places that blend up Twixes and Terry’s Chocolate Orange bars. Pat yourself on the back, do a little skip and remember how it feels to finish that first draft, because it’ll feel even better to finish the final one. 2. Sleep…

read more
Children’s book writing prompt lucky dip #1
 1024 576 Siobhan O'Brien Holmes
By:

Over the course of my Novel Writing MA, I produced thousands of words of creative writing in response to weekly assignments, all of which were workshopped and critiqued by tutors and classmates. I invented characters, scenarios and locations every day and thought hey, these ideas are just oozing out of me! What’s writer’s block again? But when it came time to sit down and start writing my middle grade story (which I had to submit as part of my dissertation)…

read more
How to write a creepy graveyard in middle grade or YA
 1024 683 Siobhan O'Brien Holmes
By:

Hi there, horror fans! Not much beats the eerie atmosphere of an empty cemetery in the middle of the night, am I right? They’re dark and shadowy, spookily silent and totally empty – you hope! Everybody knows cemeteries are a breeding ground for ghosts seeking closure (you did know that, right?) but they can still make a fantastic setting for your middle grade or YA story even if you’re not writing supernatural horror. There’s a literary and cinematic heritage attached…

read more

Hello! I'm Siobhán, a developmental editor of middle grade and YA fiction. This blog is aimed at authors who write for a young audience, and posts typically focus on actionable writing advice, active reading and advocating for the young reader.

A bumper guide to middle grade & YA genres and subgenres, from cyberpunk and space opera to magical realism and portal fantasy

Read now

INBOX MAGIC ✨

Subscribe to Monthly Magic for updates, writing tips and fairy dust plus receive a free PDF booklet of my top 45 recommended writing craft books for children’s and YA authors including my go-to genre guides and Children’s Literature MA reading list favourites!