By the time she was just sixteen years old, Australian author Steph Bowe had published her first YA novel—Girl Saves Boy. Now, at twenty-two, Steph is lending her expertise as our Friendship Narrative Competition Guest Judge! In our Q&A with Steph, she shares advice on tackling the short story writing process and offers tips on how to wow her with an authentic and honest depiction of friendship.
You’re only twenty-two years old and have already published two YA novels (the first when you were just sixteen!). Many of our writers are working on novels, or have pledged to write novels, in 2016. Do you have any tips for tackling the novel writing process?
I think the most important thing when working on a project as huge as a novel is to focus on one small part at a time. It can be easy to get overwhelmed at the thought of writing a whole novel, but if you look at it in little sections (writing the next chapter, or the next page, or even the next sentence) it’s much more manageable.
Write as often as you can, even if it’s only a little bit at a time. Don’t worry about your work being perfect, because first drafts never are. Write what you want to write about, what you would love to read, what’s really exciting to you.
All other writing ‘rules’ are rarely important. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself, but don’t think your age or background means you can’t write. Anyone and everyone can write, as long as they want to. Have fun with it, and read as much and as widely as possible to stay inspired.
The format of the competition is short story. Do you have any tips for depicting friendship, a super complex theme, in only 400-1,000 words?
Writing succinctly is really challenging, for me (hence why I write novels!). With a short word count, you need to be economical with your words and focus on one central idea (no room for tangents!).
Friendship can mean and involve many different things, and there are so many ways of writing about it, none of which are 'incorrect’. I think since friendship is an inherently emotional thing, writing a character-driven story is a good approach: help the reader to empathise with your character, and focus on the universal aspects of friendship that readers will be able to relate to.
- Remind the reader of their own friendships!
- Draw on your own experiences!
- Help them invest in your story and care about the outcome!
We encourage students to submit their work halfway through the competition to have it reviewed by an expert. As a published author, how have editors helped improve your writing?
Without editing, my work would be very different. Often I am so close to my own writing that I can’t see the parts that need improvement; having an editor highlight those things and provide suggestions gives me a chance to fix up those weaknesses, making for a much better story. Particularly when working with an editor on a novel, a lot of attention and care is put into making sure every single sentence is just right.
It can be a difficult process, particularly when I really like a certain line or plot point and don’t want to get rid of it, but it’s always worth it in the end. And I’ve certainly learnt a lot about grammar from my editor through working on my first two novels!
What are you looking for in a strong Friendship Narrative?
I think, as in all character-driven writing, being able to relate to and empathise with the character/s is centrally important.
When I read, I don’t necessarily need to have shared the experiences of the character, but I want to be able to understand their emotions and motivations.
So basically I am looking for a story that rings true, that’s honest and authentic, and reflects the real experiences of friendship, whatever they may be.
Do you have any favorite friendships from literature?
I love Young Adult fiction and friendship is enormously important in so many YA novels, as it is for real-life young people (and, well, all people). Working out who you are and where you belong and navigating friendships are the central issues of a lot of coming-of-age stories. So I could name fifty novels!
To name just a couple, I love Simmone Howell’s novels, particularly Notes from the Teenage Underground and Girl Defective, which depict friendship between teenage girls with amazing authenticity—showing how real friendship can be complex and difficult. I think it’s reassuring to read stories that reflect our own experiences; friendship is not always perfect when you’re growing up!
What’s next for you?
I’m always working on new ideas, and am writing another contemporary YA novel at the moment, which I’m very much looking forward to being able to share with people!
