Ask an Editor: What Makes a Character Have Agency?

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agency, authors, character development, Henry Cole, Jacqueline Woodson, Leo Espinosa, main character, MC, MG, picture book, writing tips, YA

“Ask an Editor” is a forum wherein SCBWI members submit questions that are answered as part of our quarterly Kite Tales blog.

Hi Christine–The feedback I received from an agent on my picture book was that my main character “lacks agency.” What does this mean and how can I fix it?—Michelle, Burbank

Comedy Writing Tips for Authors from a Stand Up Comedian and Animation Screenwriter

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authors, character development, comedy, humor, improv, plot, SCBWI members, stakes, writing tips

by Jorjeana Marie

I sat next to a somewhat distracted woman on an airplane recently. As she was settling, she asked me why I too was headed into the desert. 

For comedy. 

“In the desert?” 

Yeah. Everyone needs to laugh right now. 

What to Take on Your Writer’s Journey #2: Ask Why Must You Write This Book?

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authors, character development, revision, Rieko Mendez, SCBWI members, voice, writing, writing tips

by Rieko Mendez

Photo by Anna Tarazevich on Pexels.com

Editor’s Note: This is the second of three installments on What to Take on Your Writer’s Journey. Look for the third installment next month that will explore deeper revision.

I’ve been writing YA fiction seriously for the last five years. Like many of you, I’ve immersed myself in books on the writing craft and consumed every minute of workshops I could afford. Early in the pandemic, I lived for those free SCBWI digital workshops. In these blog posts, I want to share something different — the less obvious, yet crucial insights that upped the game in my writing journey.

Interview with YA Cowriters Jessica Koosed Etting and Alyssa Embree Schwartz

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Alyssa Embree Schwartz, author, character development, cowriting, Fade into the Bright, interview, Jessica Koosed Etting

Jessica Koosed Etting, a Los Angeles native, and Alyssa Embree Schwartz have been BFFs and cowriters for about twenty years. In addition to their TV and film career, their four-book YA series, Georgetown Academy, has over 1.4 million downloads online.

In their recent YA book, Fade into the Bright (2021, Delacorte Press), eighteen-year-old Abby and her older sister Brooke receive a brief letter from their estranged father, telling them he’s tested positive for Huntington’s disease. Both sisters decide to undergo the required six-month pre-testing genetic counseling, then learn whether they have this fatal gene. Abby does; Brooke does not. Trying to process this information, Abby escapes to Catalina Island to spend the summer after high-school graduation with her little-known aunt.

CHRISTINE VAN ZANDT: Welcome to Kite Tales! Fade into the Bright is amazing! What made you choose to write about Huntington’s?