SWRT 360 | Writing Young Adult Fiction with Catherine Lyon

Story Works Round Table | Conversations About Craft · Oct 29, 2026 · 1h 14m · transcript

In this episode of the Story Works Round Table, we sat down with Catherine Lyon to talk about writing Young Adult fiction. Here are some of our favorite takeaways:

* Don’t shy away from complexity in your writing, such as figurative language, multiple layers of meaning, or complex storylines, but add scaffolding for your readers when necessary.

* Find an expert in what teenagers are reading.

* Use layers in your writing. Levels of engagement will vary! So use layers to encourage those who read deeply while keeping it accessible for as many readers as possible.

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