EW Festkicked things off early Saturday with a panel discussion among YA authors.
The first question Levithan asked was what entering into the genre was like.
I walked into this party and I didnt know anyone, Im all alone, Johnson recalled.
Credit: Monica Schipper/Getty Images
Someone came up, looked at my sign, and just turned away.
That happened all night.
Eventually I was standing in a corner with an equally sad-looking man.
I was like I hate this.
He said I hate it too.
So we talked about how much we hated it.
And it turned out, in the end, that wasTerry Pratchett.
So the question becomes: who do you write for?
Forman pointed out the audiences arent as different as they seem.
The reason I love YA is because teens are allowed to feel their feelings.
So if youre writing an adult book it all has to be sublimated.
Theres something so real and raw about writing through the voice of a teenager.
So I write for me first.
Watch the full video above andsee more from EW Fest.
