Eugie Foster has interviewed Cricket/Cicada editor Deborah Vetter for Writing-world.com about writing for young adults and what the magazines look for.
There's a great interview of Deborah Vetter, editor of Cricket and Cicada magazine here that is well worth reading. She discusses what she looks for in submissions and what makes a manuscript work for her, as well as what they're not looking for: overstocked on Asian folk tales at the moment. She says Cicada needs less angst and more humor, such as the recent"A Day in July" by Tony Lindsay.
A couple of good snippets - but go read it in its entirety!
"I have an acting background, and I was taught to add colors to my interpretation of a character, because colors add depth, nuance, and variety-all the contradictory elements that make a character, or a person, so surprising and interesting. It is SO boring when a character is soooo noble that nothing would tempt him or her to do something unworthy. Let's face it, even good people can make poor choices or behave badly depending on the situation. It is equally boring when the villain is nothing but a one-note, evil-hearted villain. (J. K. Rowling knows this, which is why I'm still rooting for Professor Snape.)"
"There are universal teen issues that will always fall into the category of "coming of age": assuming adult responsibilities, fighting against parental or societal expectations, finding out who you are and then having the courage to be who you are, boy/girl relations, lesbi/gay issues."
