Clans, Dynamic Duos, and Found Families

Hey there, teen writer!

Submissions for our Join Our Clan anthology are well under way, and with just over two weeks left to submit, we wanted to talk about some of our favorite “clans” that might inspire your own story!

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Everywhere you look in literature and pop culture, you see amazing examples of clans, friendships, and chosen or found families. From the dynamic duo of Han & Chewie, Mulder & Scully, or the hilarious combination of Napoleon and Pedro, to larger groups like the teams in Guardians of the Galaxy, Stranger Things, Goonies, the Avengers, or Harry Potter. They’re all unlikely combinations of people who come together in the most spectacular ways.

We love these kinds of stories because they usually involve an outcast or misfit that finds belonging. Someone who was lonely finds a home with a group he or she never expected to find. They laugh together, cry together, and fight for a common belief system. Who doesn’t love how Rocket and Groot protect each other in the most humorous and heart-tugging ways, or how Ron and Hermione are always right by Harry’s side, willing to die for him? We all love the idea of belonging, and these groups personify that.

So, while the word “clan” may make you picture a red-bearded, kilt-wearing sheep thrower on the side of a rocky hill (we’d love to see that story, too!), clans are much bigger than that. They’re about finding your tribe, finding your people, finding where you belong.

We challenge you: don’t write what you think we want to read (see previous kilt-wearing warrior), write what you FEEL. Write what you’re excited about. Any genre, any time period, any combination of quirky, funny, strong, smart, scared, supernatural, cliquish weirdness. We like to laugh. We like to cry. And most of all, we like sitting on the edge of our seats in anticipation of what will happen next.