Tom Gibson
Author
Tom Gibson has been published over fifty times in various online publications, such as the Canberra Times, Roar.com and the Bateman’s Bay Post, and had several of short stories published in University of Canberra anthologies. He is also a member of the ACT Writers Centre and Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (ACT).
In 2022, Tom completed a Creative PhD at the University of Canberra that focused on the way authors of Young Adult Fiction portray identity development in their protagonists. His PhD included writing a humorous Young Adult novel inspired by the findings of his research.
Below are articles on writing, reading and fiction drawn from Tom’s research and other areas of inspiration.
Chris Marlton: You’re part of the story
“I like the idea that you can come to a show and instead of observing someone telling stories...you can feel like you’re part of the story.”
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Who are the ‘Young Adults’ in Young Adult Fiction?
Most categories of fiction are described by the content of their stories. Crime novels have a crime. Historical novels have an historical setting. Horror novels are scary. It’s pretty straightforward most of the time. But this isn’t true of Young Adult Fiction for reasons I explain here. One of these reasons is that the primary...
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What Exactly is Young Adult Fiction?
In this article, Tom discusses the slippery definition of Young Adult Fiction, and attempts to answer that ever-challenging question of… What Exactly is Young Adult Fiction? He explains why defining and categorising YA is so difficult… and shares a bizarre story idea about an apocalyptic robot chef. The [Young Adult Fiction] genre’s primary challenge is...
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What Makes a Good Young Adult Novel?
So you’re writing a YA novel. Good to hear. Let me ask you this: are you a young adult? If so, I’m impressed. Good on you. You’re doing way more with your life than I was at your age. Go for it. If you aren’t a young adult, the good news is you’re in the...
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