How to Write a Coming-of-Age Story

The coming-of-age story has plenty of subgenres and examples. With the advent of cinema, coming-of-age films became another way the genre found its way into the popular imagination. The following are types of coming-of-age stories:

1. 1. Bildungsroman: Bildungsroman, which translates to “novel of education” or “novel of formation,” chronicles a character’s journey from young innocence to worldly adulthood. This is a specific type of coming-of-age story in which the character gains knowledge and experience, even as innocence is lost.
2. 2. Sexual awakening: Many coming-of-age books and movies center around the momentous changes brought about by discovering sexuality. This can be a highly-charged emotional experience to write about, and the dramatic possibilities are rich and varied, making it an excellent material for revealing personal growth.
3. 3. Discovery of identity: This type of coming-of-age tale involves a character coming to discover, and hopefully embrace, their identity. This type of story might focus on gender identity, sexual identity, political identity, racial identity, or a combination of identities to expand the depth and emotional heft of the story.
4. 4. Betrayal: Growing up can be a painful process. When shaping a coming-of-age narrative, it can be helpful to emphasize how increased knowledge, especially about other people and their motivations, can cause suffering for the protagonist. A character might emerge from this experience with more pain but more knowledge of themselves and the world.

Reading solid examples of a genre can be one of the best ways to improve your writing. There are many examples of coming-of-age stories throughout the history of literature:

1. 1. David Copperfield by Charles Dickens (1849): One of Dickens’ most famous and influential novels, David Copperfield is also a loosely fictionalized autobiography. The narrative follows David from his difficult childhood in Victorian England through a tumultuous period as a young adult, and finally into an accomplished member of society.
2. 2. The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger (1951): The main character is Holden, a jaded teenager expelled from boarding school who is easily annoyed by everyone and everything. The book follows his journey from living a life of angst to finding true happiness.
3. 3. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (1960): This novel tells the story of a young girl who experiences hate from her community when her father defends a Black man accused of committing a crime in the south. At the beginning of the novel, she’s an innocent, immature girl. But as the story progresses and she witnesses injustice and racial prejudice, she learns that life isn’t always fair.
4. 4. The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton (1967): The Outsiders tells the story of protagonist Ponyboy Curtis and a group of high school students divided by socioeconomic status. The students form loose gangs that clash violently throughout the narrative, and they learn about the inherent dangers in society and the consequences of their journey to self-discovery.
5. 5. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky (1999): This epistolary novel tells the story of Charlie, a sensitive and observant teenager, as he grows up into a young man in the suburbs of Pittsburgh. It follows Charlie as he learns about the world and himself, facing his own inner pain and the trials of those around him.

When writing a coming of age story, follow these steps to increase the emotional power and appeal to readers:

1. 1. Develop a clear voice. Many coming-of-age stories are in first person, giving the reader an immediate impression of the protagonist. Work on developing a voice for your protagonist—think about how the character speaks, how they address other characters vs. how they address the reader, and what kind of opinions they have.
2. 2. Seek originality. Try to find a novel way of approaching the experience of character growth. You can create an unusual character or a strange event to highlight the change and its effects.
3. 3. Work motifs into the story. As with any narrative, the use of motifs, such as images that resonate with the theme, can be a great way to strengthen your story. Carefully evoke some of the possible throughlines, like markers of change, loss of innocence, childhood versus adulthood, moral growth, and knowledge.
4. 4. Find the conflict. Reaching adulthood has plenty of built-in conflict. To make a solid, affecting story, focus on specific instances of conflict. This can be between a child and their parents, between the character and an institution (such as school), or between different youths with varying experiences and personalities. Having these scenes in mind can be especially helpful when planning the plot points of your story.
5. 5. Draw from personal experience. Many coming-of-age stories are wholly or partially autobiographical. While your own experiences can be a valuable resource, such self-exposure takes courage and often involves personal details of others who might not want to be written about. Carefully choose personal information to work into your story.
6. 6. Identify the pivotal events. Often, coming-of-age stories center around a particular event or a few key events that are formative to character development. This will be one of the most significant emotional beats in the narrative
7. 7. Find your writing approach. No two writers have the same approach to writing a story. Some take extensive notes, while others meticulously plan every scene before writing the details, descriptions, and dialogue. Other writers make much of their narrative up as they proceed; finding out which approach is right for you takes practice and a certain amount of trial and error.

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