Link Ups!

This week I'm on the Writing with the Mentors blog talking about Trending Topics: Social Media in YA Fiction. I'd love it if you would check it out!


The YA Buccaneers have a great post this week on Yoga for your Brain. Yes, YOUR BRAIN. BRAIN YOGA! This applies to anyone, not just writers!


Check out this success story on Brenda Drake's blog featuring one of my writer friends and In Real Life critique group partner Kelly Garcia on how she contracted with Literary Agent Terrie Wolf! Kelly entered the Pitch Wars contest in 2015 and the shaping up of her manuscript led to this agent match only a few months later!


The Sweet Sixteens monthly update includes my appearance at Chicago North Spring Fling this coming Friday and Saturday:

Chicago Area YA Panel

Stephanie Scott, author of the upcoming YA novel ALTERATIONS, will be appearing at a YA Panel and book signing for Chicago North Romance Writers Spring Fling in Schaumburg, IL, May 20 – 21, 2016.

Besides all this, I'll have updates VERY VERY SOON on my release date, my new author website, and a bunch of book stuff. It' all happening!

Please share any note-worthy links with me in the comments! 

Insecure Writers Support Group: It's (not a) Shame About Rey

Welcome to the Insecure Writer's Support Group. Be insecure no longer! Commune with fellow writers and find your tribe. For more regular interaction, join the IWSG Facebook Group here. Writers of all skill level and background ask questions and offer support.

Follow the monthly IWSG blog hop here. Pick a number and visit a few blogs. Comment and make a friend!

Happy Star Wars Day! That is, May the Fourth ... be with you!

Photo: Stephanie Scott

The Force Awakens and Rey: A New and Old Brand of Hero

Can we talk for a minute about how cool Rey is? In case you somehow missed the epic-ness that is Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Rey is one of our new heroes, a girl abandoned on her home planet who comes in contact with a very special droid and embarks on a dangerous mission.

Sound familiar?

Rey's story mirrors many aspects of Luke Skywalker's from the original Star Wars: A New Hope. That core story of someone unexpected launched into an epic journey is partly what made the original Star Wars so memorable. Luke was someone to root for, especially after he returns to his aunt and uncle's farm to find his family murdered. Similar with Rey: in her first scene we see her working hard scavenging scrap metal only to exchange it for a meager amount of dehydrated foodstuffs which she eats alone in her hideout. She doesn't tell us she's lonely, but we can see it in the image of the vast desert landscape and her sad little meal, and we glimpse her own betrayals in small flashback moments.

Rey is not the same as Luke, but her core story is similar. She's the unexpected Everygirl who becomes part of a much larger adventure.

When crafting our own stories, we can keep these basics in mind. How can we take a core hero story and make it our own? What common threads can we use from classic stories to then mash up with unique details, settings, and experiences?

What's your favorite hero story? Or, if you want to gush about The Force Awakens, I'm all for chatting about Star Wars!

Spring Writing Bootcamp!

How did it get to be May already? 

Moving along, it's time to get to work!

Writers: It's time for another session of YA Buccaneers' Writing Bootcamp! 

YA Buccaneers site

We're hosting a FREE, two-month writing challenge, and you are invited! Spring Writing Bootcamp starts May 1st, 2016 and runs until June 30th, 2016. As with all of our bootcamps, this is a free-form (and free!) writing challenge open to all writers. You set your own goal - to finish a first draft, complete revisions, blog once a week, etc. - and we'll help you make it happen.

How? We'll provide the writing motivation in the form of Word Sprints and blog posts, encouragement via private groups, and book giveaways to keep things exciting. All you have to do is focus on writing, revising, drafting, or blogging - whatever you want to accomplish during the next two months.

We have SO much in store for those who join Spring Writing Bootcamp this year! Just a glimpse of what you'll get when you sign up:

• Goal setting worksheets
• A printable weekly writing progress tracker
• Access to private bootcamp groups on both Twitter & Facebook
• GIVEAWAYS
• & more! 

Additionally, you can find me on Instagram in May doing this photo prompt challenge under the tag #MayIGAuthors. My Instagram is @StephScottYA