1. Determine what type of the three basic YA novel types you are in:

a) If you are "not like other girls" and suddenly the hottest guy in school starts paying you attention, you are in the High School Romance novel. Just try to be upfront and honest, follow your heart, and you'll be okay.

b) If you suddenly manifest powers and/or discover a world in which everyone seems to know about a prophecy that might concern you, you are in a Chosen One novel. Stay tuned for further instruction.

c) If you suddenly find yourself being the only one who can see the manifest flaws in a broken system where the ruling elite control an impoverished normal class, you are in a Dystopian Novel. Stay tuned for further instruction.

2. So everything is on your shoulders, you're the symbol of the revolution or the One who will fix everything. That's a lot of stress, huh? Make sure that you have an obscure, hipster-ish hobby that you do on the side to help you cope. Examples include:

-archery

-sword fighting with your dreamy potential love interest

-underwater basket-weaving

-distributing food to the oppressed poor. 

These may seem a bit strange and outlandish, but trust me, they will be useful a a critical moment in your plot- er, your life!

3. Being a teenager is hard. Trying to save the world makes things harder. Trying to choose between two (or more!) Byronic and brooding teenage boys? Nearly impossible. Here are a few tips to make that choice a little easier:

-If he watches you while you sleep, stares at you constantly, or makes guilt-tripping comments to try and grab your affections, he is bad news. Stay away from this guy unless the raw passion seduces you against your will into making out with him for page after steamy page.

-If he is from your old life, sweet, and adorkable, ditch him. He is obviously not as dreamy as the dark and mysterious white guy who keeps giving you murder eyes. This guy will also likely get over you very quickly with another girl from this new world you've discovered. 

-If he is your social, military, or corporate superior, chances are he has got ties to the evil you are trying to fight. Fall in love with him anyway though, so you can reel at shock at his betrayal afterwards. 

Romance is tricky. Try to prioritize the lives of innocents over airing your drama.

4. We cannot possibly cover all of the different challenges you will face on your journey. You will meet a litany of people, so it is important to know friend from foe. 

a) The Token- Everyone loves diversity, right? When putting together your ragtag band of friends, try to have one friend of color. Not more than one though, or else it might be too hard to tell them apart. If there are suspiciously few ethnic people in your region, find a gay guy. Not a lesbian though, because she might be seen as a potential love interest, and probably will be killed off partway through the story. 

b)The Joker-This is your comic relief. Always ready with a quip and a quote. Likely has some sort of tragic backstory, and will likely die in a tragic manner. Prepare a funeral speech centered around his one true quality, his sense of humor.

c) The Frenemy- This girl likes your guy. She is often cool, confident, sexy, and 100% more qualified than you in every way. And yet you are the main character, so sit back, and relax. Eventually, she will grudgingly admit that you earned the guy, the gig, and the glory, even though you really haven't.

d) The Villain- This person is the head of the Society that you find corrupt. Or they are the head of the school you are learning to control your powers at. Or they are the head of a syndicate of ambiguous Evil that you must stop. The point is they are an adult in power, so they must be stopped at all costs. Watch for subtle foreshadowing around them, like adherence to strict rules, approval of social norms, and their nerve to tell you to keep your nose out of other people's business. Conservative in values, they clash with your vague liberalism in a way you cannot stand. 

In your YA adventure, you will find acceptance, heartache, love, and glory. You will peak at sixteen years old and live happily ever after if you succeed. Or you will go out in a blaze of glory for no point or purpose. It's up to the author really. Just try and live your life by morals that manifest overnight, and forget those morals a few days later. Oh, and miscommunication is key. Nothing better than cheap conflict! Best of luck!

He drew up at the customs checkpoint with the confident air of a man who had nothing to hide and only some Taiwanese-made Shrike sport shoes to declare. 

'Just a half-load then?', said the customs officer, looking into the back of the 40ft container. 

'Yeah', he answered. 'Business is tight'. It was tight all right. That's why he had gone into the lucrative people-smuggling game. 

Today, however, he was in the clear, 100pc legitimate. 

The previous night he had crossed the border from the Republic of Ireland on an unapproved back road to deliver 20 Syrian refugees into Northern Ireland. 

From there they would be taken by others on the various lightly checked ferry routes to their final destinations in mainland Britain. 

He had driven back to the Republic by the same route. 

This morning he was getting on with the legitimate business of transporting Shrike shoes from the Freeport of Rotterdam to their final destination in the UK. 

'Took your time getting from Cork to Newry', didn't you, commented the officer casually. 

'Stayed a night with my sister near Cashal', he said glibly, as the officer checked the manifest. 

This official was a sharp one all right, knowing something was wrong, even if he couldn't quite put his finger on what. 

The driver thanked his lucky stars that he hadn't been stopped during the tense drive from The Netherlands to France or at the customs in Roscoff before boarding the ferry for Cork. At least here, at the Northern Ireland botder, everything was in order.  

'Shrike shoes', said the officer. 'Very nice. I suppose they are genuine?'

'100 per cent genuine', said the driver confidently. 'It's a new brand. Not even on sale yet.'

The customs officer nodded. 'Hold on a second, I need to make a quick call. We've been getting a lot of complaints about counterfeit goods.'

Another customs officer took the place of the first one and started going through the paperwork again. The driver knew better than to protest. 

In the background he could just hear the first officer saying, 'Shrike shoes. You're sure? Thanks.'

The second officer, picked out a box of shoes at random from the big container. Some boxes had become loose on transit. 

Inside the soft tissue packing nestled a very old and very worn pair of Rebok shoes. 

One shoe had a large hole at the big toe. The sole of the other shoe had come half unstuck and flapped when lifted. 

Inside the box lid someone had scrawled in pencil:

Camel dealers need

Higher doors than shoemakers

Al-hamdu Illah

The driver looked at the worn shoes in astonishment. 

'Very interesting', said the second officer. 'I don't think these are on the manifest are they?' 

He waved the flapping shoes at his colleague, who seemed unsurprised. 

'Funny you should mention Shrike shoes', said the first officer. 

'I was chatting to my cousin Charlie who's also in the customs. Based in Scotland. They stopped a load of 20 Syrians at Stranraer ferryport this morning. Routine check. 

'Poor sods, you've got to have sympathy for their plight when all's said and done. Ragged and starving they were.'

The driver suddenly began to feel that his shirt collar was buttoned too tight. 

The officer continued. 'But you know what's funny?  Every single one of them was wearing a brand new pair of Shrike shoes.'