I’m thrilled to welcome author and
screenwriter Hilary Weisman Graham with a guest post she created especially for
Reel Mama readers. I’ve had the
joy of knowing Hilary since we were independent filmmakers tackling our first
projects in Boston. Since then
it’s been delightful to see Hilary blossom into the accomplished writer and
artist she is today.
Hilary has undertaken a new adventure
in publishing her first novel for young adults, Reunited, which recently
debuted from Simon and Schuster. Enjoy Hilary’s inspiring post, and I highly
recommend checking out her new book as well!
Coming of Age: Writing for
Teens & Tweens
by Hilary Weisman Graham
I admit it. I subscribe to
both Teen Vogue and Seventeen Magazine, despite the fact that I haven’t
been a teenager for over twenty years. But as a young adult novelist and
screenwriter who often writes teen movies, staying in the pop culture loop is
just part of the job.
However, the bigger, more important
part of my work has nothing to do with keeping up to date on the latest boy
bands and text lingo, nor does it rely on mining the zany anecdotes from my own
teenage life. When writing for teens, my goals are as simple (or as
complicated) as those of any other screenwriter or novelist—creating
interesting stories with emotions that ring true and characters with rich inner
lives.
Teenagers are very savvy
people. And just because they haven’t clocked as many life experiences as
the average 40-something, the biggest mistake a writer can make is to think in
terms of Us and Them. Sure, they may look better than we do in skinny
jeans, but the issues most teenagers are dealing with—the joys and pains of
self-discovery, questioning life’s “rules,” finding themselves wrapped up in an
all-consuming love or a heart-wrenching loss—are not exclusively of the teen
domain.
In fact, I maintain that all of us
are always coming of age, at least if we’re living consciously and open to
change. So the real trick to writing for teenagers relies on the same set
of skills we use when we talk to kids in real life. Namely, you’ll never
win by pandering to their sensibilities or talking down to them. But if
your writing is honest and comes from the heart, you stand a decent chance of
connecting with them in a meaningful way, as well as the slight possibility
that they may actually think you’re cool.
Hilary
Weisman Graham is an award-winning filmmaker, screenwriter, and
novelist. She lives in rural New Hampshire with her husband and son,
roughly thirty minutes away from the nearest grocery store. She is currently
working on a new YA novel as well as a script for The Disney Channel.
Find out more about Hilary's projects at her website www.hilarygraham.com. And don't forget to follow her on Twitter and Facebook!
Here's more information about Hilary's new book "Reunited":
1
Concert. 2,000 Miles. 3 Ex-Best Friends.
REUNITED
– Synopsis
Alice,
Summer, and Tiernan are ex-best friends. Back in middle school, the
three girls were inseparable. They were also the number one fans of the rock
band Level3. But when the band broke up, so did their
friendship. Summer ran with the popular crowd, Tiernan was a
rebellious wild-child, and Alice spent high school with her nose buried in
books. Now, just as the girls are about to graduate, Level3
announces a one-time-only reunion show. Even though the concert’s
2000 miles away, Alice buys three tickets on impulse. And as it turns
out, Summer and Tiernan have their own reasons for wanting to get out of
town. But on the long drive cross-country, the girls hit more than a
few bumps in the road. Will their friendship get an encore or is the show
really over?
This book sounds good. I have a 15 yr old and we love to read together, this book will be going on our summer reading list
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