Introducing Allison Mitteer, our Teen Writers Teacher

Are you a parent of a teen who loves writing? Are you searching for activities for said teen during what’s sure to be a socially distant summer? We’ve got you covered. For the first time ever, Redbud is offering a program specifically for teenagers! Our Teen Writing Intensive starts on Monday, June 15 and runs for two weeks every day, online. Read on to find out all about the instructor, writing and teaching superstar Allison Mitteer, and then sign up today!

Redbud: Hi Allison! Thanks for chatting with us today. First question. Do you have a writing ritual? Share it with us!

Allison: I don't have a particularly in-depth ritual, but I like to make playlists themed around each of my writing projects. If it’s a particularly good day, simply the act of wearing my noise-canceling headphones puts me into a writing space and I never actually remember to turn on the music. I also firmly believe all writing is made better by the presence of a hot beverage.

Redbud: What is the best, or worst, piece of advice you’ve gotten about how to write?

Allison:

Best: A beginning writer uses the word “feathers”. An intermediate writer uses the word “pinions”. An advanced writer uses the word “feathers”.

Worst: Show, don’t tell.

Your number one job as a writer is to get your story across to your reader. Do that by “showing” if that’s the best way—but sometimes the best way is telling the reader exactly what you want them to know in the clearest possible language. Most of the time, it’s a little of both.

Redbud: What is a recent book you’ve especially enjoyed? Bonus points if it's an MG or YA!

I have two answers and a comment, because I'm difficult. I've just reread Sadie by Courtney Summers, which came out in late 2018. It's a murder mystery of sorts that unfolds partially through the script of a fictional podcast, and it's one of those really tense stories where it feels like if you don't turn the page to get the characters out of whatever situation they're in at that moment, you yourself will be in very real danger--but it's also just so inventive and a ton of fun to read. The other is last year's gods with a little g by Tupelo Hassman, which follows a teen girl's coming-of-age in a hyper-religious town. It's one of the most authentic teen voices I've read, and approaches every character with so much empathy and depth.

Here's the comment: Sadie was named a Booklist Top 10 YA Books for Adult Readers, but I don't know that I could have told you it was "YA" (or that it wasn't) if I didn't know that ahead of time. gods with a little g stars a cast of teenagers, but the internet seems really divided on whether or not it's YA, and I'm on the side that it isn't. I think over the next few years, you're going to see those lines blurred more and more, and maybe even entirely disappear. And why not? Teens can handle literary writing and intense themes, and adults love voice and humor too. More reading options for all!

Redbud: What do you think is the hardest thing about writing and how do you overcome this obstacle?

Allison: I personally find writing much easier than storytelling. I’m very character-oriented, and I love writing scene if I know where the scene is going—but figuring out the plot itself can throw me for a loop. I have some strategies for getting there on my own, but the fastest way for me to overcome this is to show what I have to one of a handful of trusted folks in my circle and talk it out. I’m so grateful to have a community of writers around me who are willing to look at my work, and they frequently can see a better way to connect the dots than I can.

Redbud: What is an activity, exercise, or piece of wisdom that a teen writer can expect from your class?

Allison: We’re going to spend a lot of time exploring different genres and forms in my class, and I imagine we’ll all come out at the end with vastly different projects—but every writer’s final piece of work will have something in common: it will have a beginning. Early on in my class, I’ll ask each writer to read us the beginning of a favorite literary work of theirs. It might be the first paragraph of a novel, or the first stanza of a poem, or even the first few pages of a beloved children’s book. They’ll tell us all about why they love that work so much, and as a class, we’ll figure out what the authors did to keep them reading.

They can also expect to take frequent breaks where we’ll play a game, or draw part of a setting, or get up and move around to feel how a character might experience their body differently. We’re working on writing, yes—but so much of writing happens off the page.

Redbud: Anything else you would like to share?

Writing is such a multi-faceted skill. There will always be something that comes more naturally to you than others. There will always be someone who can help with what you find difficult. It’s just a matter of finding your people. What I want most is for teens to leave my class with a community of writers of their own.

Thanks so much, Allison! Don’t forget to learn more about the class and sign up here!