Blog
Meet the Teaching Artist: Writing YA Fiction Across Genres with Molly Horan
by Writing Workshops Staff
11 months ago
We are thrilled to introduce Molly Horan, a multi-talented teaching artist who will be leading an exciting new class titled Writing YA Fiction Across Genres at WritingWorkshops.com.
With an impressive background as a lyricist, librettist, playwright, and novelist, Molly brings a wealth of creative expertise to her instruction. Her debut novel, Epically Earnest, published by HarperCollins in 2022, showcases her storytelling prowess and ability to captivate readers. Furthermore, Molly's forthcoming picture book, I Have Seven Dogs, set to be published by Penguin/Random House in 2023, demonstrates her versatility in crafting engaging narratives for diverse audiences.
As an adjunct professor at NYU, Molly also imparts her knowledge of creative writing to aspiring writers. In her 8-week Zoom Workshop, Molly will explore various sub-genres of young adult fiction, emphasizing the theme of hope in YA literature and delving into crucial aspects such as voice, dialogue, world building, and representation. Through assigned readings and interactive workshops, students will have the opportunity to develop their own YA novel excerpts while immersing themselves in the rich landscape of young adult literature from the past two decades.
Hi, Molly. Please introduce yourself to our audience.
I'm an adjunct professor at NYU and The School of Visual Arts focusing on writing for young adults. My first YA novel, Epically Earnest, came out last summer, and my first picture book, I Have Seven Dogs, comes out this summer.
What made you want to teach this specific class? Is it something you are focusing on in your own writing practice? Have you noticed a need to focus on this element of craft?
I love teaching YA! Young adult lit is such an exciting space right now, a place to take a lot of creative chances and explore different genres while working on your craft.
Give us a breakdown of how the course is going to go. What can the students expect? What is your favorite part about this class you've dreamed up?
Students can expect to read excerpts from a lot of great recent YA novels to understand what's out there, followed by discussions around craft, then finally writing and workshopping their own work.
What was your first literary crush?
Laurie from Little Women.
What are you currently reading?
She and Her Cat by by Makoto Shinkai and Naruki Nagakawa
How do you choose what you're working on? When do you know it is the next thing you want to write all the way to THE END?
I'm always working on multiple projects, it's how I make sure I'm always working but never bored.
Where do you find inspiration?
I find a lot of inspiration in other art forms, especially music and theater. I'm lucky to live right near NYC so I get to see a lot of theater pieces that both introduce me to inventive storytelling and new perspectives.
What is the best piece of writing wisdom you've received that you can pass along to our readers? How did it impact your work? Why has this advice stuck with you?
Never write to a trend. You can absolutely be inspired or drawn to something that's popular, but if you're writing something just because it seems like that's what's selling, you'll never truly be happy with it.
Learn More About Working with Molly:
You can learn more about Molly's upcoming class, Writing YA Fiction Across Genres 8-Week Zoom Workshop, and sign up now!
Don't miss this incredible opportunity to learn from Molly Horan and take your YA writing skills to new heights.
Instructor Molly Horan is a lyricist, librettist, playwright, and novelist. Her debut novel, Epically Earnest, was published in 2022, and her first picture book, I Have Seven Dogs, will be published in 2023 by Penguin/Random House. She currently works as an adjunct professor teaching creative writing at NYU.
Her play The Patron Saint of Other Women won Georgia College Arts and Letters’ 2021 Drama Prize. She was selected as a 2021 Bethany Arts Center artist in resident and a Lower Manhattan Cultural Council Governors Island resident, and was awarded a The Betsy Writer’s Residency for 2022.
She is a member of the BMI Musical Theatre Advanced Workshop and Librettist Workshop. She co-wrote an adaptation of Little Women for Brooklyn’s Hedgepig Ensemble in 2019, and earlier that year wrote the short play Not a Protected Veteran as a part of Rising Sun Performance Company Laboratorium Residency.
