Teen authors share their writing tips at Sammamish Library event
Three published teen authors recounted their writing journey at a Sammamish Library panel event in July in hopes of inspiring more youth and adults to start their own book projects.
The “Teen Author Panel,” which took place on July 20, featured three writers who each specialized in a different genre.
Taanvi Arekapudi, 15, was one of the three showcased authors, and a rising sophomore at Inglemoor High School. Arekapudi was born in Ireland, but moved to Seattle when she was 9 years old. This experience provided the basis for her book “Uplift Teens Today,” where she reflects on her journey of healing from the emotional trauma of being uprooted from the community she grew up in.
“When I moved here, I lost my support system, my friends, and I didn’t know how to express how I felt,” Arekapudi said. “I finally was able to share with my parents and sister, and it really helped me out. But it took me a long time to break through and share.”
Arekapudi saw a lack of teen voices in the mental health field, and was motivated to use writing as a way to show other teens that they are not alone in their struggles. Her book is filled with coping strategies and tips that are specific for teens.
For Arekapudi, the writing journey included many drafts. She said the editors even made her “erase 20,000 words that were already written and completely start over” because of organizational issues.
She changed the organization of her book multiple times.
“Originally, I was going to have the book just list coping strategies. But someone suggested that I should narrate my journey and include coping strategies embedded inside the story,” Arekapudi said.
Sophie Hallali, 19, graduated from Eastlake High School in 2022 and currently attends the University of Iowa, where she majors in creative writing.
Sophie’s twisted fairytale book, “We Follow the Sun,” follows the journey of a young queen who is poisoned and must embark on a journey to find a cure.
“I’ve had this idea for years, since I was 6,” Hallali said. “It was amazing to see it materialize when I finally published it.”
To tackle the process of writing novels, Hallali implements several techniques to organize her thoughts.
“I start with a seedling idea. Then, I use a series of dots showing the chronological events of the books — what your climax is, what should happen to your character,” Hallali said.
For Hallali, one of her biggest obstacles has always been writers’ block. Yet, over the years, she has found a few ways to overcome it.
“I want to stress the importance of taking breaks,” Hallali said. “Sometimes I feel guilty when I take breaks, but writer’s block is kind of the loss of creative juices. You need to let them come back.”
Amy Zhao, 16, has published seven books, including three graphic novels and four chapter books. She published her first chapter book in second grade.
Zhao’s decision to write her own books came from an observation about the books that were available for her to read.
“When I was in second grade, I thought, well, it would be nice if there were more books out there with strong female protagonists. Then, I was like, hey, why don’t I write my own?” Zhao said.
Her graphic novels explore various themes, including the greed of humanity, the threats of nuclear warfare, and the gap between generations. Staying true to her initial goal, Zhao’s books feature powerful heroines.
At the end of some of her books, she also includes writing tips for young readers who want to explore writing stories or books in the future.
Zhao’s writing process is similar to that of many authors. She begins with an overview — what messages she wants to express, what concepts she likes, and what characters she wants to create. After the initial brainstorm is done, Zhao creates a logic net, which she describes as a series of short descriptions of scenes or plot twists for her to organize the story around.
“My biggest tip to young writers would be to just start writing. You can’t edit something if you have nothing on the page,” Zhao said.
Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that Amy Zhao published her first graphic novel in second grade. The article now reflects that Zhao published her first chapter book in second grade.
