BONUS: How to Write Action That Kids Can’t Put Down (an interview with author & book coach Beth McMullen)

🎙️ Episode Summary:
In this bonus episode, Beth McMullen switches roles from co-host to guest to explore how to write compelling action and adventure for middle grade readers. Originally recorded for Sara Gentry's KidLit Summer Camp, this conversation is packed with practical tips and emotional insight for writers crafting page-turning stories for kids.

👩‍💼 Guest Bio:
Beth McMullen is the author of ten traditionally published novels, including the Mrs. Smith's Spy School for Girls and Secret of the Storm series. She is also the co-host of the Writers With Wrinkles podcast, founder of the You Can Write a Book Substack, and a certified book coach through Author Accelerator. With over 20 years in the publishing industry, Beth helps writers push past messy middles, plot holes, and self-doubt to write stories that matter.

💡 Key Discussion Points:

• Why action sequences are so vital in middle grade and how to compete with the fast-paced media kids consume.
• The importance of giving child protagonists agency—making decisions, facing consequences, and driving the story forward.
• Balancing high-octane action with emotional tension: why stakes don't always have to involve explosions.
• Removing adults from the foreground to allow young characters to lead the narrative.
• Tips for writing character-driven emotional arcs, even for pantsers.
• How to use tools like “The 7 Keys to Writing Stories Kids Can’t Put Down” to troubleshoot plot and pacing issues.
• Why voice, surprise, and emotional truth are non-negotiable for successful middle grade.

🔚 Conclusion:
Writing action for middle grade readers means understanding the emotional world of kids and blending it with immersive, high-energy storytelling. Whether you're plotting an epic fantasy or writing a fast-paced mystery, Beth’s insight offers both inspiration and actionable guidance.

🔗 Mentioned Links:

• Beth’s website: bethmcmullenbooks.com
• Substack: You Can Write a Book
• Free resource: The 7 Keys to Writing Stories Kids Can’t Put Down
• Visit solutionsforwriters.com to learn more about Sara Gentry's book coaching services and KidLit Summer Camp 

Transcript

BETH MCMULLEN

Well, we've got a special treat for you in this bonus episode of Writers with Wrinkles. This time, I'm switching roles from co -host to guest. I recently had the pleasure of being interviewed by Sarah Gentry as part of her Kidlit Summer Camp, an incredible event designed for adult writers focused on crafting stories for kids and teens. Kidlit Summer Camp featured a stellar lineup of book coaches and authors, all sharing practical tips and writing inspiration to help you make serious progress on your project. While the live event has wrapped, all the sessions will soon be available to the public. You can learn more by visiting Sarah's website at solutionsproviders .com. In this conversation, we dig deep into writing action and adventure for middle grade readers. What makes it work, how to craft tension without nonstop explosions, and why giving your kid characters real agency is the key to keeping readers hooked. If you're crafting stories for young readers and looking to infuse them with energy, heart, and momentum, this episode is for you. Let's dive in.

SARA GENTRY

Hey, writers. I am really excited to bring Beth McMullen to you today. Welcome, Beth. Thank you for having me. I'm excited to be here. Yes, this is going to be a great conversation. We are going to talk about some action writing in middle grade as it applies to adventure and fantasy and all the good stuff that kids love to read. But before we get into it, writers, let me tell you about the awesome stuff that Beth is already doing. She is the author of 10 traditionally published novels and the co -host of the Writers with Wrinkles podcast, which is an awesome name, by the way. Thank you. With over 20 years in the industry and an author accelerator certification under her belt, she brings deep no -flop expertise to fiction writers navigating messy middles, saggy plots, and stalled momentum. Beth also writes the Substack newsletter, You Can Write a Book, and coaches writers who are serious about getting to the end. She lives in Northern California with her family and two fluffy cats. Are they fluffy all the time or just sometimes? They are fluffy until about right now,

BETH MCMULLEN

about right now, and then they just explode hair everywhere. I'm covered in hair all the time. ridiculous gotta love that summer purge so writers if you are writing any kind of action stuff that happens in middle grade beth is going to be a great resource for you here and we're going to dig into some of that right now so let's start let's start with first maybe talking about why like the action sequences and whatnot are so popular with middle grade readers why do you think this is

SARA GENTRY

love that summer purge so writers if you are writing any kind of action stuff that happens in middle grade beth is going to be a great resource for you here and we're going to dig into some of that right now so let's start let's start with first maybe talking about why like the action sequences and whatnot are so popular with middle grade readers why do you think this is

BETH MCMULLEN

It's a really good question. And I think there are a couple of ways to think about it as a writer. First of all, and this is probably the most important one, is think about your competition for kids' attention. And you're competing with video games. You're competing with TikTok. You're competing with whatever short -form video is being served up to them in their lives. That is a huge, we all know, we all have been drawn in by our phones for longer than we thought, find ourselves scrolling for hours and the day disappears. That same thing is happening to kids. So it is super important to grab them with intensity and energy quickly. And I've written about this on my sub stack that your first chapter, think about it competing with TikTok, for example, or Instagram reels. It has to be as engaging. as that in order to capture the audience. It's a heavy lift that didn't used to exist, but is now just our reality.

SARA GENTRY

Yeah, yeah. And I think too, for the younger readers, I think for all readers, but especially younger readers who maybe don't get as much autonomy, perhaps, over what's going on in their worlds, there's something really satisfying about reading about a child character who gets to go on these. far off adventures and do grand things that maybe a child would not be permitted to do in the real world. Maybe.

BETH MCMULLEN

Absolutely. One of the things that I like to point out to people who are working currently on a middle grade action adventure or fantasy is that the stakes need to matter to kids. So you want... Your child who maybe is home for the summer, who's sitting tucked away in a corner with the book, you want them to go, as you said, on an adventure that is meaningful to the reader, but possibly, likely something they would never do. So you're really, you are putting them into a world. That feels in some ways familiar, but also brings them to places they are not going to get to in their real life with, you know, mom and dad hanging out and watching them and lots of structure in their summer. You want to give them an escape.

SARA GENTRY

Yeah. And all the action stuff really does a good job of moving a plot forward. It feels like things are happening. Maybe as adults, there's some genres where we might be like more. into the headspace and characters and i'm not saying that we don't get into the headspace in an action don't come after me people they will they totally will but there's something there's something really great i tend to be a person who prefers a quicker pace of a read myself and there's something just about cool stuff happening that makes you turn the pages faster than you might yeah and it's i mean the thing about action adventure that i think

BETH MCMULLEN

and it's i mean the thing about action adventure that i think people sometimes overlook is that you are when you start with stakes that matter to the kid reader I mean you're looking at age -appropriate stuff like friendship fallout or feel of fear of failure or grief or that feeling of being invisible which lots of kids experience but you're you're taking those emotions and you're putting them into a world that is not necessarily like the one that they actually live in so yes it can look sort of like a contemporary world but it's not necessarily the actual world we're not talking about true contemporary where everything reflects actual reality we want to take them again on an escape so you're going to be building in things that are quite different than reality but those emotions that you are relying on to deliver that attachment and engagement that the reader wants and needs are very real. And they exist in the child reader and potentially all of your readers. So you really want to tap into those. Super important to keep people turning the pages.

SARA GENTRY

Yeah, that's so well said. I just love how you put that. So writers go back and listen to what she just said again. That's really well said. So as you're... writing yourself but now you've you've written and published several books and and now you're also working with writers who are writing in these genres let's maybe talk about the good and bad and the ugly that happens when we're writing in this genre let's start with the bad stuff like what are some problems that writers might have in their manuscripts that you see where you're like this is not working out for you the way that you think it might be

BETH MCMULLEN

One of the primary problems that I encounter with people who are getting started in middle grade is that they are not giving that main character agency. And what I mean is that the main character needs to make decisions, take risks, face consequences, all of those things that create tension and urgency. If your character is just sitting back and reacting or observing, that's not engaging. You need to give the character enough agency to make decisions that are going to affect what happens next. And if they're not doing that, you're going to lose your pacing and then you're going to lose your reader. So you need to focus on that. That is something that I see happen all the time. Another thing that you need to keep in mind when you're writing middle grade that can really slow your plot is the adults. They need to be in the background. This is a kid's journey and you want the kid to drive the journey and take the journey and be surrounded by other kids. So having adults in there that are making decisions that affect the outcomes, you want to pull back on that.

SARA GENTRY

to be

BETH MCMULLEN

adults in there that are making decisions that affect the outcomes, you want to pull back on that. You don't want... to take the agency from the kids and give it to the adults because that's what would happen in reality. We don't care that much about reality in action adventure. We're going to let that to the side because like reality can be less fun, right? So take the adults and move them to the background in whatever way possible. Now that could be your adults go to work all day or your adults somehow, I mean, think about home alone. They got on a plane and left the kid, right? So then the kid is suddenly alone.

SARA GENTRY

and left

BETH MCMULLEN

In my Mrs. Smith Spy School for Girls trilogy, I put her in boarding school. No parents there. So think about clever ways to remove the parents from the forefront. They can still be there, but they need to be in the background. Otherwise, they're going to slow the plot,

SARA GENTRY

still be

BETH MCMULLEN

plot, remove some of the agency from that main character. And you definitely want to be aware of those things as you're going into writing this type of story.

SARA GENTRY

Yeah, love it. How do you like to guide writers who are maybe, I'm not sure what the quite, maybe like over -dramatizing thing, like, you know, this happens and then, oh wait, there's this huge explosion, but wait, there's an even bigger explosion. And it's like a bunch of stuff going on to maybe overcompensate. Okay,

BETH MCMULLEN

yeah. You know what I mean?

SARA GENTRY

yeah. You know what I mean?

BETH MCMULLEN

So momentum, right? Action adventure, we think about momentum, speed, stuff moving fast, lots of things happening. And that is important, right? It's important to have your cliffhangers and your twists and those emotional punches. And you want the scenes to move your main character farther away from like safety and comfort. But keep in mind that tension doesn't have to mean physical danger. So you don't have to, you want tension in action adventure. Absolutely. You want tension in any book. I mean, honestly. It could be any genre for any age level. You need tension. But for middle grade, you want to make sure that you're not overwhelming your reader with endless high -speed momentum. Like you said, like something blows up, a car goes out of control, all of these things. Somebody, you know, falls off a cliff, whatever. You can get tension from secrets. A hidden clue. A friend who is withholding something. Embarrassment, like a looming social disaster. Uncertainty. Not knowing who to trust. Feeling off balance. A moral dilemma. Do I bring rules? Do I let somebody down? And time pressure. Now, time pressure is my old favorite for building momentum. The ticking clock. Whatever that is, however you define it in your story, the ticking clock is an old standby. You can always rely on it to build tension. So those are some ways that you can build tension while you're taking a break from a crazy action. So you can have crazy action, then build some tension with something slightly lower key, go back, you know, so you want a nice balance of those things so that your reader doesn't become exhausted or like,

SARA GENTRY

a crazy

BETH MCMULLEN

that your reader doesn't become exhausted or like, who's stressed out because there's so much danger. So when you think about building tension, think about other slightly quieter, I don't know if that's the right word, but slightly quieter ways that you can achieve the same goals.

SARA GENTRY

Yeah, perfect. Okay, so we've talked about maybe things that we don't want to see in the action, adventure, fantasy sequences here. What about, maybe do you have some tips for ways that writers can maybe start on better footing? if they're interested in writing these genres?

BETH MCMULLEN

I think one of the things to do before you start writing, and I'm a fly by the seat of your pants kind of a writer, so I don't plot because I tried and it never works and I get frustrated, but I do try to give some thought to the emotional arc that my character is going to take. Now, I'm not saying plot that sucker out perfectly so you know. everything that's going to happen on their little course from point A to point B. But have a general sense of what you want this protagonist to grow through or face. What is going to change them over the course of the story? You know, what your external plot is going to mirror that internal arc? How are those two things going to work together? Just so that you have a sense. You don't have to know it like the back of your hand, but you do need to have a sense of where you're going so that you can move in that direction. I have written in all of my series, I go through a process of getting to know that character as I work my way through the plot. So I start with an idea of the plot. I don't really know that character yet. I don't have my arms around their emotional arc yet. But as I start to work through, I get to know them. And then suddenly, oh yeah, now I know what they're going through. For instance, in the Spy School series, Abby has to learn how to let people in. She doesn't want to get hurt. So she's very tentative with letting people into her world. In Secret of the Storm, which has some fantasy elements. Cassie's grieving her father, who she lost. And so she's very concerned with, like, attaching to other people. Those are things that I learned while I was writing. What happened is I then had to go back to the beginning and make sure that the first 10 chapters that I wrote followed the arc that I now really understood myself. So there is some effort in revising to make sure that your arc actually flows nicely once you've really gotten your arms around it. So think about it in whatever capacity you do. So you at least have a sense of who this person is and where they're going on this journey you're taking them on.

SARA GENTRY

Yeah, I love it. We can still be friends. I'm more of a plotter.

BETH MCMULLEN

No, I want to be you. I have tried so hard my whole writing career. And I just, I think at this point, I'm just accepting. It's not like, it's not for me. It just fascinates me.

SARA GENTRY

just fascinates me. It truly does fascinate me. Like I can't, I can't. even begin to write if I don't know how it ends. I just can't. And I've tried, but I'm like, it's all good. So I totally get behind the principle of different brains, different writing styles. And I think we're always fascinated by the one that we're not.

BETH MCMULLEN

I know. And that's what we long for. It's the idea that if you have straight hair, you want curly hair or the reverse. So I have longed my entire career to be able to plot something. I've accepted that I can plot sort of micro plotting. I can say, well, I know what's going to happen in the next chapter. So I feel like that's a win. Oh, you know, I'll take it.

SARA GENTRY

Well, it's kind of funny too, because I mean, I feel like writers are going to do this work at some point. You either do it at the beginning or you do it after you've written the thing and then you got to maybe sort it out a little way. But either way, the work gets done. So very true. Fantastic. Well, I know that you have this great resource for people who are working on action adventure and fantasy, like action scenes and whatnot within fantasy too. Can you tell our writers a bit about that? Yeah. So I put together, it's almost like a checklist and I love checklists.

BETH MCMULLEN

together, it's almost like a checklist and I love checklists. And I sometimes on our podcast will interview. editors or agents and they'll have checklists and I'll just create them out of what they've talked about because I love to have something at hand that I can just double check what I'm doing. So I did a sort of a blueprint and I call it the seven keys to writing stories kids can't put down. I want... I want all these writers out there to produce work that makes kids just like stay up late reading. You know, that's like my ideal when I think about what do I want to achieve with this book? I want that kid who's like, yeah, I'm going to bed. And then they're up all night flipping through the pages because they can't stop. So I want to write that kind of book. And that's what I want from for the authors I work with to be able to to put that out into the world. So these are just tips, some of which I've talked about a little bit here that help you. Look at the common mistakes that I think middle grade writers, you know, commit those mistakes. Starting with stakes, centering a kid who drives the plot, building a world that is just enough. Say you have one or two magical elements, well integrated, that can be enough to carry your whole story. So don't overdo the world building at this level. Plotting with momentum, we talked about some different ways to do that so it brings variety and doesn't overwhelm your reader. The emotional arc, I have a bunch of examples in this checklist that help you think about how maybe you can do that better. One of the big ones for middle grade is voice. I think voice is the hardest to teach, quite honestly. But there are ways that you can get yourself closer to actually getting... your arms around what your voice is going to be. So I have some examples to think about and ways to frame the way you think about voice in your own writing. And one of the wonderful things about writing middle grade is you get to add surprise and weirdness and like some awe in there and your readers will love it. So, you know. Let your imagination go big, but ground it in emotional truth. So I talk a little bit about ways that you can get to that emotional truth, but also let your imagination go kind of big and crazy. That's the bulk of it. I think important to keep in mind that adventure, action, adventure, fantasy, mystery, these sell really well in middle grade. They continue to sell well. Genre blending is thriving. So you can have, like I said, a couple of fantasy elements and a more contemporary action adventure. So a lot of stuff just to think about that I put into this document. And hopefully people who are sitting at their desks are going to find it helpful.

SARA GENTRY

Love it. Okay, so writers, you definitely have to grab a copy of that. It sounds amazing. And we will have a link for all of that in the show notes. And how can people connect with you otherwise?

BETH MCMULLEN

The best way to connect with me is through my website is BethMcMullenBooks, allisoneword .com. You can find links there to all of my social stuff. You can find links to my sub stack. I publish that every week. It's just writing tips. You can find links to the podcast. I hope some of you will check that out. We have focused our podcast on agents and editors and the people in the background who are super important if you want to follow a traditional publishing path. Yeah, so lots of stuff. It is all gathered there. My email is there. And I love to hear from anybody who, even if you're like, well, I have this question. I don't know who to ask. Send it to me. I'm happy to talk about anything middle grade or writing related.

SARA GENTRY

Yeah, I love it. So writers, Beth is obviously also an author, but she works with people who want to be authors of the kinds of books that she has written. So if that is you, Beth is someone you will want to connect with. And Beth, I just want to thank you so much for this conversation. It really has been delightful to talk about. I really like your take on how to integrate action and adventure and fantasy for this particular age group. Really interesting. Thank you. Thank you for having me.

BETH MCMULLEN

It's great. I love to talk about this stuff. So fun for me too.

SARA GENTRY

All right. Awesome. Thank you, writers. We're glad that you joined us and we will see you next time. Bye. Bye.