Who are the best prose stylists in Young Adult fiction?

SpinningWheel · Mar 14, 2013

I'm trying to improve my style, because it's crap. So I'm just thinking about who is good and who I should be looking at.

I've often seen Mal Peet named as one of the best, and I agree. Neil Gaiman's style seems to be rated quite highly, too.

Which YA writers have prose styles you admire?

eventidepress · Mar 14, 2013

Neil Gaiman isn't really considered a "YA writer," although I do love his prose. I think the closest he's ever gotten to YA was Coraline, and that was more MG...

My personal favorites in YA, prose-wise at least, would be Laini Taylor, Maggie Stiefvater, Elizabeth Wein, Justine Larbalestier... Taherah Mafi (I didn't like Sh@tter M3, cause all the soppy romance, blah, but damn, her prose is crazy innovative). There's probably others I'm not thinking of right now... Hannah Moskowitz. Scott Westerfeld (sorta, though I think I like his actual plots better than his prose...)

ETA: And Laurie Halse Anderson. Cause yeah. <3

KateSmash · Mar 14, 2013

In addition to the above, Markus Zusak.

(And agreed about Westerfeld. I love him for his plots and characters. Ok, I love his prose too. Only because, like mine, it's pretty straightforward without much, if any, stylistic flourishes.)

shaldna · Mar 14, 2013

SpinningWheel said:
I'm trying to improve my style, because it's crap. So I'm just thinking about who is good and who I should be looking at.

I've often seen Mal Peet named as one of the best, and I agree. Neil Gaiman's style seems to be rated quite highly, too.

Which YA writers have prose styles you admire?

It depends on what sort of style you like. Personally I really like Garth Nix. John Green too.

Windcutter · Mar 14, 2013

Some of my recent favorites:
Laini Taylor for flowery and deliberate.
Lissa Price and Marie Lu for energetic action style with high emotion.
Jay Kristoff for vivid and cinematic.
Tahereh Mafi for dramatic stream of consciousness.

Torgo · Mar 14, 2013

Margo Lanagan; Tobin Anderson; Patrick Ness; Siobhan Dowd; David Almond; Jonathan Stroud

SpinningWheel · Mar 14, 2013

Thank you. That's a lot to be going on with.

Roger J Carlson · Mar 14, 2013

Read widely. Write with your own style.

SpinningWheel · Mar 14, 2013

Roger J Carlson said:
Read widely. Write with your own style.

I do read widely, but I think analysing what other people do and what is distinctive about it is a useful tool to help improve. It works for other aspects of writing, don't see why it wouldn't be true for style as well.

tarawriter · Mar 14, 2013

I love Gayle Forman. She paints an incredibly vivid picture with her descriptions. Even the most minor characters leap from the page.

TudorRose · Mar 14, 2013

Seconding Laini Taylor, Maggie Stiefvater, Patrick Ness, Markus Zusak, Margo Lanagan.

Adding Melina Marchetta, Marcus Sedgwick, Tabitha Suzuma, Lucy Christopher.

EMaree · Mar 14, 2013

Laini Taylor, Tahareh Mafi and John Green are my personal favourites.

Shadow_Ferret · Mar 14, 2013

What is a "prose stylist?" Is that like a song stylist? Or maybe a hair stylist.

Sorry. That just bothered me. They're writers. Good writers.

I think I'd be offended if someone introduced a story of mine with, "Here's the latest prose stylings of Shadow Ferret."

Torgo · Mar 14, 2013

Shadow_Ferret said:
What is a "prose stylist?" Is that like a song stylist? Or maybe a hair stylist.

Sorry. That just bothered me. They're writers. Good writers.

I think I'd be offended if someone introduced a story of mine with, "Here's the latest prose stylings of Shadow Ferret."

Someone whose prose style is particularly beautiful or effective or otherwise notable is what I would call a 'stylist' in this context.

Robert L.B. · Mar 14, 2013

While they're not YA, I actually try to emulate a combination of Brandon Sanderson and Jim Butcher with a touch of Rick Riordan (he's the only YA out of the three).

SpinningWheel · Mar 14, 2013

Shadow_Ferret said:
What is a "prose stylist?" Is that like a song stylist? Or maybe a hair stylist.

Sorry. That just bothered me. They're writers. Good writers.

I think I'd be offended if someone introduced a story of mine with, "Here's the latest prose stylings of Shadow Ferret."

You see it in reviews sometimes.
Would it have bugged you the same amount if I'd said 'Who do you think writes the most stylish prose?'

I think it's worth separating out quality of prose style from other aspects of writing (well it is for me at the moment at any rate as that's what I need to work on), just like you can separate out plot, characterisation, etc.

rwm4768 · Mar 14, 2013

Madican said:
While they're not YA, I actually try to emulate a combination of Brandon Sanderson and Jim Butcher with a touch of Rick Riordan (he's the only YA out of the three).

Sanderson's actually jumping into YA, with a couple of releases later this year. I think Riordan is technically MG.

Robert L.B. · Mar 14, 2013

rwm4768 said:
Sanderson's actually jumping into YA, with a couple of releases later this year. I think Riordan is technically MG.

Damn, Sanderson is a machine with how he cranks out stuff. Just the second Stormlight book coming out this year I'd think would occupy all of his time considering the last one qualified as a lethal weapon by its size and weight.

Riordan I think can fall into either category, depending on the series and the number of books into it. LIGHTNING THIEF I'd call MG while THE LAST OLYMPIAN felt more YA.

mellymel · Mar 14, 2013

I'm usually more about the plot than the prose but if we are talking "pretty prose" I have found Maggie Stiefvater (Shiver series) and Kirsty Eagar (Raw Blue) to have a nice sort of lyrical/rhythmic vibe to their writing. Not sure if that's what you mean. I definitely define their writing to be stylistic in a pretty sort of way.

rwm4768 · Mar 14, 2013

I have the feeling Sanderson has already finished the YA titles. He's still plugging away at the second Stormlight book.

I haven't actually read Riordan, so I didn't know his age group changes. One of these days, I'll get around to it.

nightowling · Mar 14, 2013

I love Kirsty Eagar, Melina Marchetta, Cath Crowley, Laini Taylor, Ruta Sepetys, Trish Doller, Victoria Schwab, and Kirsten Hubbard.

Yeasayer · Mar 14, 2013

A.S. King, Nina LaCour, Peter Cameron, Jandy Nelson, John Green, Laurie Halse Anderson, and Cath Crowley to name a few. I also think E. Lockhart, Megan McCafferty, and Sarah Dessen are a bit underrated in terms of quality of their prose because they tend to write "lighter" books.

cmtruesd · Mar 14, 2013

I love the writing styles of John Green and Sarah Dessen

SkyeOhWhy · Mar 14, 2013

Laini Taylor & Margo Lanagan immediately spring to mind.

Becca C. · Mar 14, 2013

Markus Zusak is fucking fantastic.

Who are the best prose stylists in Young Adult fiction?

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