Writing coming-of-age stories can be a challenging but also a fun and rewarding experience for any writer! Coming-of-age stories require you to explore the complexities of growing up and the transition from childhood to adulthood. You have to manage the conflicts that come with growing up while also maintaining a clear voice and distinct story arc. To help you out, I've compiled 10 essential tips to keep in mind when crafting your coming-of-age story. From developing your characters to mastering the art of being original, these tips will ensure your story resonates with readers who can relate to the struggles of growing up. So whether you’re a seasoned writer or a beginner, these tips will help you create a powerful coming-of-age story. Continue reading for ten crucial tips for writing a realistic coming-of-age story that is sure to relate to kids and teens.
Outline Your Story Arc
Outlining your story arc when writing a coming-of-age story is especially important because it can help you structure the plot and create a cohesive narrative. It can help you identify important plot points and ensure that your story follows a logical progression from beginning to end. It can also help you keep track of characters and their motivations throughout the story, as well as ensure that each plot point serves the overall narrative. Coming-of-age stories often feature dramatic character arcs and story arcs, which is why planning via an outline is critical. All in all, outlining your story arc will help you create a story with clarity and purpose, which is essential for an engaging coming-of-age story.
Seek Originality
When writing a coming-of-age story, it is important to seek originality so that you can create a unique and captivating story that stands apart from other stories in the genre. Coming-of-age stories are an extremely popular genre, which is why your work must attract attention. Originality in your writing can help your story stand out from the crowd and draw in readers who may not have been exposed to the genre before. Plus, when you seek originality in your writing, it can open up interesting and creative possibilities that can help to make your story more engaging and memorable! So make sure that you don't rely on clichés, rather you utilize your own thinking and imagination. Clichés are tropes or expressions that have lost their originality due to overuse. When you write you mustn't bulge your novel with clichés, because clichés demonstrate a lack of creativity or original thought. When writing a coming-of-age novel, it may be tempting to include clichés, but it is best to write in your own words and be descriptive. Listed below are some common clichés that you should steer away from when writing a coming-of-age story:
"It's time to grow up"
"Leaving the nest"
"Finding yourself"
"The awkward teenage years"
"The innocence of youth"
Develop a Clear Voice
Related to the previous point, you must develop your clear voice when writing a coming-of-age story. Developing a clear voice when writing a coming-of-age story will help you create a unique and consistent tone throughout the story. It can give your story a sense of authenticity and emotion, drawing readers in and allowing them to connect with your characters and your story's themes. A clear voice also helps to emphasize your story's main ideas, as well as the different time periods and settings. It will make your story more interesting and engaging since your audience will be able to easily follow and understand the story.
Consider Your Own Experiences
Considering your own childhood and life experiences is crucial when writing a coming-of-age story. Childhood is a time of exploration, discovery, and growth, and these experiences can be incredibly influential in shaping your coming-of-age story. By taking the time to remember and reflect on the events of your childhood, you can bring a sense of realism to your writing that can help to make it more relatable and meaningful to your readers. By reflecting on our own childhood experiences, you can gain valuable insight into the emotional and psychological struggles that your characters may face as they move through their coming-of-age journeys. Plus, you can gain a better understanding of the unique challenges they may face, and how they might react to them. In addition, your own life experiences can also help to inform the setting and atmosphere of our stories. Whether it be the small town you grew up in, the family dynamics you experienced, or the friendships you made, tour memories can be used to create a vivid and detailed world for our characters to explore! When writing a coming-of-age story ask yourself these questions: What did I fear when I was young? What did I want when I was young? What were some challenges I faced when I was young?
Start in Childhood
As mentioned above, childhood is typically the jumping-off point in a coming-of-age story, since coming-of-age refers to getting older and growing up. Starting in childhood when writing a coming-of-age story can provide a great foundation for your narrative. It allows you to develop your characters, explore the themes of growth and transformation, and use the contrast between childhood innocence and adulthood experience to create a powerful story. Also, beginning in childhood will allow you to establish the main character's personality and family dynamics, providing a deeper understanding of the character's motivations and choices throughout the story!
Include Conflict
Conflict is an essential element of writing a novel, and this is especially true when writing a coming-of-age story. There are a lot of challenges and mistakes one experiences when growing up, so you should include those in your story! Plus conflict helps to create suspense and tension in the story and can help to illustrate the growth and development of your protagonist (main character). It is also imperative to include conflict in a coming-of-age story because it adds stakes to the story and helps to move the plot forward. Conflict will help to create an emotional connection between your main character and the reader since they experience the struggles and triumphs of the character's journey. Conflict can also be used to explore and highlight themes of the story, such as identity, mortality, and morality, which can make for a more impactful and meaningful story.
Embrace the Messy Moments
Growing up is messy, so your story should be too! When writing a coming-of-age novel you must include all of the parts of growing up, even if they aren't the prettiest or most pleasing. Bodily changes, fights, mistakes, and flaws should all be included in your story. Embracing the messy moments of growing up when writing a coming-of-age story will help to make your story feel more authentic. It can also help to create a sense of unpredictability and tension, as well as allow the reader to be part of the creative process. Mistakes can also lead to unexpected plot points or character development, which can bring your story to life! Finally, embracing messiness gives you the opportunity to explore the nuances of the characters and the world they inhabit and to create a more immersive experience for the reader.
Highlight Pivotal Moments
Highlighting milestones and pivotal moments allows you to explore complex themes and ideas that are relevant to your coming-of-age story. These themes can include self-discovery, identity formation, and the difficulties of growing up. By focusing on these moments, you're able to craft a story that is thought-provoking and realistic. Make sure you think about and ponder certain milestones that your characters can encounter. There are a lot of pivotal moments and milestones you experience while growing up, some being: birthdays, graduation from elementary school, learning to swim, getting a driver's license, going through puberty, and having a first significant other. For your coming-of-age story to feel authentic ensure that you highlight the pivotal moments. Your characters should have some milestone or moment that they are looking forward to. Overall, it is important to highlight milestones and pivotal moments when writing a coming-of-age story. These moments help to bring your narrative to life and create a powerful story that is emotionally resonant and engaging!
Follow Your Character Through Transitions
Following your character through transitions when writing a coming-of-age story will help you create a story arc that is believable and relatable. By tracking your character's development as they experience different stages of life, you can create a story that captures the reader's attention and allows them to empathize with the character. Also by exploring your character's inner thoughts and feelings as they go through different stages of growth, you can create a story that has a deep emotional core and resonates with the reader on a deeper level. Following your character through their transitions will also help to create a story that is more engaging and interesting. So make sure you follow your characters through any important transitions they experience if you want your story to stand out to readers.
Incorporate Motifs Into the Story
Lastly, you must incorporate motifs and symbols into your story. Incorporating motifs into a coming-of-age story can help you provide a greater understanding of your character's journey, as well as emphasize the themes and motifs of the story. Motifs can be used to communicate the character's inner struggles and feelings of growth. They can also give a deeper understanding of the story's setting and allow readers to explore the character's development in a meaningful way. Plus, motifs can add a layer of symbolism that can help to evoke powerful emotions from the reader.
Coming-of-age stories are fun and engaging. Plus, as both a reader and a writer it is super enjoyable to watch the characters mature and progress over time. And with these 10 tips, you are guaranteed to write a coming-of-age book that entertains readers for years to come.