Insecure Writer's Support Group (IWSG) is a really awesome meme that you should be doing along with the rest of us writers. Unless you truly are happy with your writing and don't feel the need to vent about your insecurities because they don't exist for you.
But, really.... Don't they?
IWSG is hosted by Captain Ninja Alex at his blog, Alex J. Cavanaugh.
This month for IWSG, I'm going to vent about something that has been nitpicking at my sense of security (what little there is).
I write Young Adult fiction--that's how I roll. I read it like it's going out of style (it ISN'T, trust me). It's in my bones to create stories about young people on the verge of becoming adults. Maybe it's because I simply refuse to think of myself as being any older than 17 and I've been thinking that way since I was...17. I'm just an old kid, not to mention a lot of adult fiction--a lot--feels too adult for me.
My fear is that I'm getting too old to be authoring books for teenagers anymore. This year, I'm going to turn 20 years older than the age I've been mentally stuck at for 20 years! All I see out there in the pantheon of YA writers are a bunch people much closer to their teens than me. Am I doing something strange here?
I'm not concerned that I'm out of touch with the teenage mentality. I'm more concerned because I am still in touch with it and, societally-speaking, really shouldn't be anymore. I guess I feel like some out-of-place person trying not to be too tragically unhip, but failing because I ain't gettin' any younger. (Do you guys even know what tragically unhip means anymore?)
Should authors move on to writing adult fiction because they have become too old to write for teens? Does that even happen? I don't see any 70-year-olds tearing up the NYT best seller list with their latest teen craze. Despite this, I want to write YA. I don't want to write for adults. Adults don't need anything from me. I feel like I have more to say to the youth of the world and I love how fresh every adult experience is to them.
Don't hate me 'cause I'm old.......
What do you think? Is it weird for older adults to write for teens? Are we too out-of-touch for YA?
Definitely not! Cripes, if YOU'RE too old to write this stuff, what does that make me? We all have a mental age and if yours is 17, that's fine. Mine is about 21. You don't have to be a teen to write this stuff. In fact, I suspect many teens who do write YA don't last long Some do, yes - Isobelle Carmody, for example, Sonia Hartnett, etc. and whoever does write about their own age is stuck within their own era. I mean, Come on, do you need to be six years old to write for young children? A coup,e of years ago, I read a YA vampire novel that was so very immature, I thought the author must be about thirteen. I turned to the bio, and she WAS thirteen!
ReplyDeleteThe best thing you an do is just keep writing what gives you joy and have beta readers of the right age.
@Sue: I wouldn't want to read books written by teens, that's for sure. I don't think teen books need to be written by teens, just people closer to their age, but still adults. I hope I'm wrong, though.
DeleteI sure hope not! I want to write for a good long time. Besides, pretty much all my favorite YA books growing up were written by writers who were 50+
ReplyDelete@Carissa: That's good to know! I could hope to write for teens for several more years to come, then. ;)
DeleteTo write GOOD fiction, whether YA or any other kind, it helps to be mature and have well-developed skills. Which you don't have until you are older. I'm older than you are and I'm writing a YA novel. The secret is, I'm told, to make your main character 17 and then proceed as if writing for grownups.
ReplyDelete@Nissa: You may be right about that! My current novel's MC is 17 and is precocious because she needs to be for plot reasons. It's not too hard to write her.
DeleteWrite what you love. Who cares if you're a cougar author? I just hit 40 and I just started to write New Adult - because something about that genre calls to me. I love reading it and writing it is really fun.
ReplyDeleteI think the age helps because we can put together a complete sentence that doesn't involve text speak. We've already been through all the trials and tribulations so we know how to resolve the conflict with our characters. We know how to research and research well. And the YA world is filled with authors of so many different ages. There's something to say about life experience though that can make a book stronger - use it to your advantage.
Riann Colton
@Riann: Great advice! I appreciate it. ;)
DeleteI do think older authors are inclined to write better due to experience in writing and life. I'm glad the YA world has authors of many ages, after all. I really haven't seen it that way, but I hope I'm wrong.
I don't think you're too old! Especially if you still have the mindset. (Believe, every man still has the mindset of a youngster in him somewhere.) You read it and relate to it - so keep writing it.
ReplyDelete@Alex: That's true! I do read YA and relate to it, so it probably doesn't matter what age I am. I get insecure because I feel out of my element since a lot of YA authors seem to be younger than me. Maybe most are, but I'll just be in the smaller group that are older.
DeleteI don't think you're too old. Not even close. I feel as long as you're still in touch with that part of yourself inside, than go for it. It's when you start looking at the young kids and tell them to get a haircut or stop listening to that crazy music that it may be time to consider a change.
ReplyDeleteIWSG
Elsie
@Elsie: Ha! So true, so true! You know you can't relate to kids anymore when you're scratching your head at their fashion and music choices. I currently listen to their music more than I do the music I loved when I was a teenager, actually. So, I'm good. Thanks! :D
DeleteMy first rule of writing: Write what I love. If I can't keep the first rule then none of the others matter. Besides, half of the fun of writing is becoming all the characters we create, yes? Go for it!
ReplyDelete@Jeff: Yes, you're right. Becoming all our characters is the most fun part about writing. I will stick with writing what I love!
DeleteI think there are a number of older writers who write YA. Anne McCaffrey was doing it before it was even called YA. I'm not sure how old Robin Lafevers is, but I think she's up there and still writes for all ages of children. What about Dr. Seuss? Should he have stopped writing for kids once he passed a certain age? Of course not! Do what you love and write what you're good at!
ReplyDelete@Lexa: Thanks! I'm glad to see other older writers writing YA. I guess if it works for me, then I should stick to it. ;)
DeleteC.S. Lewis wrote THE LION, THE WITCH, AND THE WARDROBE in his 50's. As Jeff says, write what you love. You can play act with the best of them. :-)
ReplyDelete@Roland: I didn't really know that about C.S. Lewis. Good to know!
DeleteTwo things:
ReplyDelete1) Stop saying should. There are no shoulds in writing. You should yourself, you fail.
2) I repeat everyone else here by saying write what you love. Most children's authors are not children. In fact, they tend to be older adults- and they're writing for seven year-olds. The logic that we need to be what we write about is ludicrous. Fantasy writers aren't actually knights. Sci-fi writers aren't actually aliens. Horror writers aren't actually monsters. And you don't need to be anything other than what you are to write what you love. Just write. That's all.
@Beverly: I don't think we all need to be what we write. Of course, that's insane. But, I feel like the only older YA writer out there, so I wondered that older writers were just not writing YA because they think it's beneath them any longer. Maybe I was missing something, didn't get the memo. But, I will just stick with writing YA regardless, since it's what I'm passionate about.
DeleteYou're never too old! Here's a link http://www.sfgate.com/books/article/50-Over-50-The-Chronicle-List-of-American-2727475.php
ReplyDeleteDon't give up :)
@Wendy: Thanks for the article! :)
DeleteI don't think anyone's ever too old for the teenage mentality.
ReplyDeletewww.modernworld4.blogspot.com
@Gina: You may be right!
DeleteWell, adults write children's books and produce children's shows and movies. I don't see the difference. I write New Adult, and I'm 41 years old. I just enjoy that stage in life (I actually hated living through it, but that's different) so write it.
ReplyDeleteWrite what comes naturally to you, otherwise it'll feel/read forced. That's my humble opinion on the matter! X
Shah X