What YA Writers Can Learn from Visual Literature

May 21, 2026

By Beth Bauman, faculty, writing for children and young adults

If you’re a YA writer, you already know you need to read a wide variety of literature, including YA, of course, and general fiction with teen protagonists. But I’d argue it can be just as helpful to study good TV and movies about teens. If you’re struggling, say, to move a character through a narrative, visual literature (TV and movies) is really good at externalizing the internal landscape of a character. There’s also an economy of language on the screen that can be really useful to the apprentice writer who needs to learn focus.   

Here’s a sampling of some of my favorite shows.  

My So-Called Life

There’s only one season of this 90s television gem, but at least we have that. Teen angst has never looked this good, and in the series Angela, soulfully played by Claire Danes, tries to answer the age-old questions of who am I? what do I want? and what do I believe in? as she navigates high school and family life. The show is vibrant, intense, and painfully honest as it explores heartbreak in all its forms—whether through tenuous friendships, unrequited crushes, or the discovery of parents’ flaws. In adolescence so much is unknown and yet to revealed; it’s a time of firsts with the highest highs and lowest lows, and the show reminds us that the only way through is through. In one scene, Angela’s former best friend wants to know what she did wrong? “Nothing,” Angela barely chokes out. The moment is played with raw honesty as Angela grapples with the knowledge that she has simply outgrown this childhood friendship. Anyone struggling to create a real character would do well to watch this beautifully nuanced show.

Friday Night Lights

This show has spirit and heart in abundance. It’s about football but also not, so no fears if you aren’t a sports fan. What the show is really about is community, hard-scrabble life, surviving high school, growing up, race, class, bad choices, love, and hope, which is to say it’s about everything. And it turns everything into high art. And while there is an assortment of types—jocks, cheerleaders, bad boys, fools, nerds, and so on—the portrayals consistently transcend stereotype. Nabokov said, “Caress the detail, the divine detail,” and FNL is steeped in particulars that resound and matter to the characters and storylines. For me, this series is ultimately about faith and discovery—true YA themes—that are deeply embedded in the writing. Each action-packed episode has the intensity of a prayer. One a side note, sometimes in YA lit, parents are rendered one- or two-dimensional, meaning they’re absent or overly involved. Here the parents are rendered with as much, or even more, honesty and insight as the teens. 

Reservation Dogs

This irreverent coming-of-age show centers on four teenagers on the Muscogee Nation reservation in Oklahoma. In the wake of their friend’s suicide, they go on a crime spree to fund an escape to California, a land that beckons with better opportunities. The show’s teen characters include fierce and intelligent Elora Danan; soft-hearted hottie Bear; squeaky-voiced tomboy Willie Jack (my favorite) who always sees through the bullshit; and under-the-radar Cheese who continually surprises. There’s a wonderful push-pull between the desperation to flee and the teens’ deep roots to tradition. Community plays a big role here, and the magic realist touches are among the highlights. Anyone looking to explore a young character’s spiritual life and cultural ties would do well to study the clever but powerful ways this is conjured.

Pen15

This one focuses on middle-school angst. The show’s thirty-something creators star in the series as tween characters, a device that shouldn’t work but does so beautifully, maybe because of their fierce commitment to the subject matter. The show mines middle-school embarrassment and humiliation with nuance. The girls’ escapades are at once cringy, spot-on, and deeply funny. On a side note, the middle-grade book landscape tends to feature a lot of earnest tweens, and no one would argue with a writer’s impulse to take kids seriously. But, well, earnestness can get a wee bit tiresome. How about a little weirdness? And who can deny that those years are weird? Pen15 captures weirdness and intensity in spades, often with hilarious and heartfelt results.

Turn Me On, Dammit!

This fearless little movie from Norway is a refreshing take on female sexuality. Fifteen-year-old Alma is horny, and she’s at least hoping for a kiss when one night at a party her crush Artur surprises her with an unconventional advance. Tipsy and excited, she blurts out the news to her friends only to have Artur deny the act. Then her best friend, who’s competing for Artur’s attention, scorns her. Suddenly, Alma is an outcast and the whole town calls her Dick Alma. This sly and wistful tale deals with oppressive small-town life and conformity. Maybe what I love best about it is the perfect blend of raunchy and sweet, two ingredients that shouldn’t harmonize but do so beautifully here, offering surprising results. It also has a pitch-perfect ending in which Alma is able to experience the larger world and a way forward. Any YA writer taking on sex would do well to study the complexity here.

These offerings are completely immersive, at least to me. Watch and rewatch. Let them wash over you and seep into your subconscious, but more importantly, study them to see how they achieve their masterful effects. Unlock their secrets and put the techniques that resonate with you in your writer’s toolkit. 

P.S. Never Have I Ever, Eighth Grade, and Book Smart are also worth your time. 

What TV shows or movies would you add?

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Beth Ann Bauman is the author of a short story collection and two young-adult novels. She’s the recipient of fellowships from the New York Foundation for the Arts and the Jerome Foundation.