Teenage Lexicon

At the end of my junior year, I met my future art teacher. Yes, I had been at that school since I was an actual three-year-old, and I had barely stepped foot in the art room. All my fine arts elective credits came from orchestra and creative writing, so I never needed to take any additional credits. Besides, I never saw myself as an artist. I could draw manatees and buildings. That’s it.  However, through a series of unusual events that I can’t quite remember, I ended up in the art wing office, pointing to a college poster on her wall and saying, “Hey, I’m applying there!” “How haven’t I met you yet?” she said. From there, we got to talking about how I want to go into architecture. I explained how I’d done a summer course the previous summer and had fallen in love with it. I knew exactly what I wanted to do, and I couldn’t wait. Then she recommended me for AP Studio Art. It was vital that I familiarize myself with the studio setting, she told me, and art skills...

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...