Children love secrets, and a secret or a mystery can make a great plot, or add to one. Even if your main plot has nothing to do with a secret, it can add tension if your readers find out something about one of your characters that the others don’t know about. Is your protagonist’s main weakness a secret? (This could be the motivation for him getting involved in the plot.) Perhaps your character knows where the treasure is or . . . well, I’ll leave it to you.
You can go a bit darker with secrets if you are writing for young adults. For example your protagonist may have self-harmed, have been abused by an uncle, or have witnessed a murder, but you will have to be very careful how you handle these type of issues.
Do you have a secret in your current story? Would it make it more exciting if you added one?
Let us know in the comments below, or come over to the Write for a Reason facebook page – let’s encourage each other!
Janet