Teenage Lexicon

Above anything else that I am, I am a storyteller. I am prone to devoting myself to the worlds in my head, as most storytellers are. Like all writers, I tend to commit my stories to words—language is my primary medium. But it isn’t my only. This is why I am enthralled by architecture: I see buildings as another medium for storytelling. But, unlike books or paintings, buildings don’t stop becoming something once they’ve been built. Once started, they continue to tell themselves.  They are a vehicle for my stories—they often help propel them in new directions I wouldn’t have otherwise deemed possible. My buildings are as much a part of The Knowers as my books.  Skylar's House - Final Enter Me, sophomore year. The Knowers is going through major overhaul. The Eminence isn’t born yet. I think I want to be a marine biologist, I have no idea how to draw, I have to take Scripture studies for my Catholic school’s religious curriculum.  Yes, the Bible can be ...

I’ve got some hobbies that are pretty unusual. I like watercolor painting, I work at a science museum, and—of course—I’ve written two novels and a bunch of short stories. It’s great to have a character who does interesting things. In fact, it really can set your character apart from others.  However, have you ever met a character who's a little too unique? That they’re so quirky and original and not like everyone else that they just seem like a person who could only exist in YA fiction? I’m sure a couple of characters come to mind. It’s totally cool if your character is into Russian folk art. But then maybe she shouldn’t be named Magnolia Wren Davidson, have violet hair and vibrant green eyes, and burst into Emerson quotes at inopportune moments. Having too many things that make your characters special can ruin the verisimilitude.  As much as we like to believe that all of us are eccentric, it's just not true. The vast majority of us are pretty normal. Tho...

Ah, the bane of every writer’s existence: naming your characters. An extensive plot and coinciding subplots, subtle symbolism, and quirky dialogue may come extremely easy to you, but picking a name for your character is a completely different ballpark—in fact, it’s more like an ice rink. Your OCs are like your children, after all, and you want only the best for your children (unless, of course, you kill them off). In actuality, however, naming a character is simple if you don’t overthink it. But if the perfect name doesn’t come to you in your sleep like some sort of lucid dream, then here are some things you might want to try. 1. Keep an ongoing name list, even before you’re planning on a new character.   Every time you hear a name you like, you should jot it down somewhere. Maybe you’ve just met a Sadie in your chemistry class and you love her name. Or you’re watching the news and an anchor named Holden catches your attention. Just having a list in a journal or on you...