In 1984, Christopher Pike published a young adult thriller called SLUMBER PARTY. Neither he nor the publishing community realized that this was the beginning of a revolution in the YA genre. That teenagers had been craving an author who didn't talk down to them. That teenagers were ready for complex and gritty thrillers that didn't avoid the powerful emotions many adolescents felt. SLUMBER PARTY was the first of over fifty bestselling novels that Pike created that were essentially adults novels—with teenage heroes. Now, decades later, Pike has a new thriller arriving on the market this November: STRANGE GIRL. And he has finally come out of seclusion to discuss how to write a great YA novel: How to get started: How to plot a YA novel; How to ruin a YA novel. Blunt advice on what it really takes to get a book published in today's competitive market. For the next three weeks, every day on Wattpad, Christopher Pike will be posting his advice and answering your questions. Wattpad is happy to have him.

Helpful hints on writing, with a focus on best utilizing and subverting common paranormal tropes.

The guide for aspiring fiction writers who want to improve, sharpen, review, and/or learn. Warning! This book encourages editing and contains many tips that often require revision. Practice makes perfect, and it's good to workout your mental muscles. The more you do now, the better your writing will be later (because you'll correct yourself *before* you get it on paper). If you think your writing is perfect or you're lazy or unwilling to try new shoes on your baby, just turn away now. You'll find this guide about as useful as hoarding frozen peas.

This is about writing, as I think of it. Subjects covered will range from plot aspects to characterization, writing craft to just surviving as a writer. Mainly, Part 1 is a comprehensive list of things to do in order to create and maintain tension.

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Part 2 of 100 Things. For those of you who've missed Part 1 (mainly dealing with the creation and sustaining of tension), you can find it here: http://www.wattpad.com/story/17586435-100-things-you-should-know-about-writing-part-1 Part 2 will mainly be about the craft of writing, or as I like to think about it, How to Be a Writer. I will however, veer off on tangents to answer questions or just because I want to, but I hope to be informative every time I do so. Cover image Copyright Misha Gerrick 2015 All Rights Reserved

Part 3 of 100 Things You Should Know About Writing will mainly feature writing technique, but I'm due to veer off on some other writing-related tangent. I'll make sure to keep things informative, though. If you're looking for Part 1 (which mainly dealt with creating and sustaining tension), you can find it here: https://www.wattpad.com/story/17586435-100-things-you-should-know-about-writing-part-1 Part 2, which deals more with surviving as a writer (but with some technique advice) can be found here: https://www.wattpad.com/story/35424276-100-things-you-should-know-about-writing-part-2

The advice you will find here follows the Chicago Manual of Style which is widely used by American publishers. There are some variances in style from country to country (and even from American publisher to American publisher.) **It may be easier to search the Table of Contents, as there is no rhyme or reason right now to chapter order.**

Extra, extra, read all about it! Have you heard? I'm giving out writing tips. Whether or not you actually pick up some writing tips is up to you. Hold on. Please don't run away screaming yet. I promise I'll be nice. Cover by @southofparadise