Aury Wallington will be teaching a drama writing workshop for mb in November. However, that's not the only genre she kicks it in: her brand-new YA book Pop! is out. Today she shares with us some of what she's learned writing for snot-nosed kids.

If you want to write for teenagers, you've got to develop an authentic teen voice. The best way to do this is to hang out with kids and listen to them talk to each other. If you don't have a couple of thirteen year olds handy, though, the following seven steps can help you channel your own homecoming queen or study hall slacker.

1. "OMG! My BFF is crushing on my hottie!"
For your teenage characters to ring true, you need to understand the way teens actually speak - they have their own, ever-evolving slang and syntax. Do a little research: read Teen People. Watch Laguna Beach. Browse MySpace. But keep in mind - a little slang goes a long way. And trends move fast - so if you're going to have a character say "for-shizzle"? Make sure he knows he's being ironic.

2. "What a skank - she totally grabbed my external male reproductive organ!"
It's also important to pay attention to the non-slang words kids use, especially if you're writing about sex. Being too graphic is just as cringe-worthy as being too clinical, and either will send your readers running. No one wants to lug around a book they'd be embarrassed to read in study hall. So when it comes to sex, vague generalizations are the best way to go. "His thing", "it", and "his -- you know" all convey the same idea as coarser words would - and are way more effective at evoking a true teen voice.

3. "Bueller? Bueller?"
To you, Kirk Cameron is the total babe from Growing Pains, but to today's teens, he's the creepy old guy on the Bible Channel. There has been a whole world of pop culture happening in the years since you were a teenager, so it's important not to confuse your beloved cultural icons with theirs. Even though contemporary kids may watch and love a movie like "Animal House," chances are they relate a whole lot more to "Jackass." A reference to Bam Margera is hot; one to Bluto Blutarsky is not. Don't be an anachronism.

4. "But, Mom - I IM'd you that I was gonna be late!"
If you want to write a convincing teen character, you've got to keep up with technology. There are very few kids around who don't know how to add the latest Snow patrol song to their blogs or download American Idol episodes to their iPods. Gone are the days when you can have a character talk his way out of a missed curfew because the car broke down and they couldn't find a payphone. Today's kids would call home on their cell phones, or at the very least, borrow their friend's blackberry to send their parents a text message.

5. "I now understand that what I did was wrong, and I promise never to drive without a license again."
Talking down to a teen is the quickest way to lose him as a reader. Just because teenagers are younger than you are, it doesn't mean they're stupid or unsophisticated. They understand subtext, and don't need you to spell out the moral of a story to them. No one likes to be lectured to. Especially not when they could be watching MTV instead.

6. "Did you see Kyle? His boy-awkwardness of last summer has been spirited away by the wind-ghosts of new-manhood!"
A great way to get a teenager to stop reading your book is to let your wistful nostalgia for your own youth come through in your writing. Kids don't comment on the changes they're going through as they journey from child to adult. If you have to address it for the sake of your story, keep the language simple and real. Wrong: "I'm trying to revel in the last sweet blush of childhood." Right: "How come I'm the only girl in eighth grade without boobs?"

7. "You've got to swear you won't tell this to anyone, but..."
Teenagers have the same problems and talk to their friends about the same subjects as adults do. Sex. Drugs. Suicide. Racism. Loneliness. Don't be afraid to shy away from issues that seem scary or taboo. The greatest books let readers identify with the characters. And if you let your characters struggle with the same problems real teenagers do, you'll let your readers ultimately feel less alone. And that's the best reason in the world to write for teens.