Category: Writing Analysis

Scribes & Archers > Writing Analysis
Graduating YA – A collaborative series

Graduating YA – A collaborative series

Posted on by R.M. Archer

Hello! Today I’m back with another Realm Makers-inspired post, and this one is going to be a collaborative series! Stay tuned to the end to check out the other contributors’ posts.

The idea of this series is thanks to Shannon Dittemore (who is absolutely lovely, by the way). She was curious about how writing develops for authors who start writing young and default to YA when they’re getting started, whether they stick to YA or “graduate” to older audiences (“graduate” is my word, not hers). This made me think, which then made me want to explore the idea and see what other authors said! So here are some of my thoughts on how my writing has changed or stayed the same as I’ve gotten into my twenties, and the other contributing authors will be sharing their thoughts in their own posts!

The Journey

I started writing when I was around seven years old, so I started writing YA from the perspective of Continue reading “Graduating YA – A collaborative series” →

The Problem with Arranged Marriages in YA Fiction

The Problem with Arranged Marriages in YA Fiction

Posted on by R.M. Archer

This post is part of a collaboration with several bloggers to discuss romance tropes and the philosophy behind them. Stay to the end to check out the other participating authors’ posts!

I have a problem with the arranged marriage trope in YA and NA fiction, and it’s not the issue you might think. I have no objection to portraying arranged marriages in fiction, even to portraying them to a (reasonably) young audience. In fact, my problem with arranged marriage in YA fiction is that it is almost always portrayed in a negative light.

Before you get too worked up, allow me to say that I don’t think arranged marriage is necessarily the ideal these days, and it can be problematic. I don’t believe Continue reading “The Problem with Arranged Marriages in YA Fiction” →

5 Things YA Fiction Could Do Better

5 Things YA Fiction Could Do Better

Posted on by R.M. Archer

A few weeks ago, I wrote a post on why I read YA even though it often stinks. Today I want to talk about a few ways I think it could stink less. ;) Obviously, considering my previous post, I read YA even though I personally find it less-than-ideal, but here are a few things I’d like to see more or less often in YA fiction to sort of balance out the not-so-great YA books.

All book links are BookShop affiliate links. This means I earn a commission if you buy with these links, at no extra cost to you. And BookShop is awesome because it supports local independent bookstores in the U.S.!

Continue reading “5 Things YA Fiction Could Do Better” →