The #VoicesofYA Tag

Hey everyone! As you know, I didn't post last week. It was crazy, and I had nothing prepared. But today, I am going to do a tag, which was created by Caitlin, that Jonathan tagged me for a long time ago and then Gray tagged me for it a couple weeks ago. I'm great at this game, aren't I? :P Thanks, guys! :D

The Rules

1. Thank the person who tagged you

2. Link to the original creator

3. Answer the ten questions

4. Tag at LEAST two other YA writers/blogger

Questions

What draws you to YA?

Are you still a young adult if you're 19?? I actually don't know the exact age range for this genre (if there is one). :P I know that I was initially drawn to the YA genre because I was a young adult myself, and I liked reading books with characters my age (and I'm still that way). I still really like the YA genre. It's one of my favorites and will probably always be.

Describe your writing process. Do you like outlines and structure, or seeing where the story takes you?

Um, both? Maybe? I don't know, I've tried to do like a whole outline many times, but it never actually happens. . . :P As long as I have a general idea of what the novel is going to be about, and where it's going, I just write. I do want to try doing an whole outline sometime though.

How long have you been writing? Where are you in your writing journey?

I've been writing since I was 15. (I feel like my answer to this question has changed a couple times, but it is 15.) Where am I in my writing journey? I think I'm right where God wants me to be. I mean, ever since I made the decision to take writing more seriously, I've learned a lot. And I feel like I've learned the most since I started blogging back in January. I can't wait to see what God has in store for me. :)

What do you need to write? Coffee? Music?

I actually don't think I need anything. Even though I almost always have coffee and music, I can write without them (this rarely happens though :P). I prefer to have my earbuds when I write because it helps to me focus. I'm easily distracted sometimes, and unnecessary noise bothers me. It's probably one of my pet peeves. And it doesn't help that I have good hearing. :P

If you could offer one piece of advice to another writer (OTHER THAN "don't give up"), what would it be?

Know why you're writing. Why do you write? Is it for God or yourself? Maybe it's something else.* But I think this is a really important question that every writer should ask themselves.

I'm planning on doing a post about this at some point. :)

What book still has you reeling from its plot twist? (*no spoilers please*)

I don't think there is a book. Plot twists will get me when they happen, and sometimes for a week after. But I guess I'll say The King's Scrolls by Jaye L. Knight. I'm not sure I can tell you about the plot twist without giving anything away so I just won't say anything. If you want to know what it is, you'll just have to read the series. :)

What books are you most anticipating for this year?

Well, I think most of the books that I'm looking forward to for this year have already released and I've read them: Martin Hospitality, The Reluctant Godfather, Dandelion Dust. But another that I'm really excited for is Exiles by Jaye L. Knight! I can't wait until that one comes out. :D (I'm pretty sure a lot of people have said that one :P)

In your opinion, which YA book/series has the most unique premise?

Oh man, that's a hard question. I guess, even though I wasn't a huge fan of the series, I'll go with the Divergent series. Other than that, I'd probably go with the Blades of Acktar also.

What is your all-time favorite quote from YA lit (I know, I'm cruel)?

This is cruel because I have many. But here's one of my favorites:

"My first choice would be to give you more god children, but that would be far too cruel to do - to them."

-The Reluctant Godfather

What book do you most hope will have a movie adaption?

The Blades of Acktar series by Tricia Mingerink. I think that would be super cool! (Please tell me I'm not the only one) But only if they follow the books as closely as they can, because if they change things, it just wouldn't be the same.

And that's it for this tag. The people I'm tagging are:

Liz @ Out of Coffee, Out of Mind

Emily @ Writer Emily Mundell

As always, if I tagged you, please don't feel like you have to do this tag. And if I didn't tag you but you'd like to do it, consider yourself tagged! :)

What about you? What draws you to the YA genre?