The wrong questions...
I attended a couple of writers' conferences last summer. I enjoy conferences. I like notebooks and name badges and having an excuse to wear the three cute outfits I own.
But this year it felt like I gained less from the sessions themselves than I usually do.
This is probably due to a lot of things, not the least of which is that I've been doing this for a while now and I'm simply farther along the learning curve than I used to be.
As a result I spent a lot of time twisting in my chair, wanting to shout out the things that I've learned so far. But I couldn't. Because shouting is a good way to get escorted out of the Hyatt or the Marriott.
So instead I'll do my shouting here--in the comfort of my own blog.
Please note that what follows is my HONEST opinion about the differences in writing for teens and adults. If you don't want my honest opinion, stop reading. If you continue to read, consider yourself warned.
One of the sessions that I attended was a session on the differences in writing for teen and adult audiences. But two minutes into the session I wanted to stand up and tell everyone in the audience that they were asking the wrong questions.
Now don't get me wrong, they were no doubt very common questions, but in my opinion if you want to be successful in the YA market, they were the wrong questions.
So here is my lame, Thursday-morning-just-got-back-from-the-gym-and-I'm-too-lazy-to-go-upstairs-and-do-some-real-work attempt at answering the wrong questions and steering people toward the right ones.
WRONG QUESTION: How do I develop an authentic teen voice?
THE RIGHT QUESTION: Do I have a voice that's appealing to teens?
After all, would you ask "how do I write in a voice that mystery readers would respond to?" Or "how do I sound like a science fiction reader?" No. You wouldn't.
Your voice is your voice is your voice. Period. And frankly, either you've got a voice that teens will enjoy or you don't.
Furthermore, all teens don't sound the same and neither do all teen novels.
There are very successful teen authors who use long sentences and huge words and very complicated sentence structures. And then there are teen authors like me.
There is no such thing as a "teen" voice. And no amount of hanging out in shopping malls and eavesdropping on the kids at the next table is going to teach you to write in a manner that will appeal to those kids.
Furthermore, trying to mimic those readers is an almost surefire way to make those kids hate your book. They know imitators when they see them. They don't take kindly to pandering.
Trying to write like you think teens want you to write is the fastest way I know to fail in this business.
Write how you write. Either it'll work for the YA market (or the horror market, or romance market, or scifi market, etc) or it won't. At the very least, teens will respect you for it.
WRONG QUESTION: How long does a YA novel have to be?
THE RIGHT QUESTION: How important is pacing in YA novels?
It's true that, in general, the average word count for a YA novel is shorter than for an adult novel--probably in the 50,000 word range. (FYI, my novels are usually close to 60,000 words, but that's simply what works for me.)
If there is anything that Harry Potter and Twilight have taught us it's that word count doesn't make or break a YA novel.
Pacing is what really matters when writing for teens.
Teens don't care if your book is 1,000 pages just so long as something incredibly interesting happens on 999 of them.
So write your story. And then stop. And then rewrite and rewrite until you're not saying something with 12 words that could just as easily be said with seven.
And that's how long your novel needs to be.
WRONG QUESTION: How much should I "lower" my writing when writing for teens? (Basically, how much do I dumb down my books?)
RIGHT QUESTION: Do teens have different attention spans, vocabulary capabilities, etc than adult readers?
Yes. It has been my experience that you should have different expectations of teen readers than adult readers: you should expect your teen readers to be smarter.
Now, I'm not saying that adults are dumb. But it's been my experience that teens have far more highly-calibrated BS-o-meters, and therefore make for far more discerning readers.
Adult readers might patiently wait four chapters for a story to start. Teens have things to do and places to be. If you want them to engage with your story you need to give them something good on every page.
And it even goes beyond pacing. If a character has a moment where she acts in a completely uncharacteristic way, your teen readers will notice it. If the entire plot of your novel could go away if the main character would make a perfectly logical phone call, then teen readers will point that out.
I don't know if it's a generational difference or simply something that happens between the ages of 13 and thirty as we start spending less time in classrooms and more time doing the same functions day after day, but that has certainly been my experience.
Teens are used to being challenged and tested and forced to think about things analytically, so do NOT write down to teens. Not if you want a career in YA literature.
WRONG QUESTION: How is the best way to market to teens? Do I have to blog?
RIGHT QUESTION: Do teens use the Internet to connect with authors?
If you are a new, relatively-unknown author I do not believe that blogging will have a noticeable impact on your book sales. Blogging when you have no audience is very much like singing in your bathroom--no one is going to hear you.
Even if you're fairly well-known, I don't think that blogging itself (or really any kind of web presence) is something you should expect to draw new readers to your books.
I do, however, think it's a way of connecting with readers and perhaps keeping them interested until you've published your next book. I feel very certain about that.
So my take on blogging and all things Internet is my take on all aspects of marketing--do what you enjoy and nothing else.
I don't blog to sell books. I blog because I like it. And if it keeps me on readers' minds while they're waiting on the new book, then all the better.
But don't go out and set up a blog, a Myspace, a Facebook, a website, and everything else under the sun and then wonder why you haven't hit the TIMES list. In my opinion it doesn't really work that way.
THE WRONG QUESTION: How much sex, violence, bad language can I put in my YA novel?
THE RIGHT QUESTION: My story contains very adult themes and elements. Will this change how it is published and marketed?
YA novels span the content spectrum. My "adult" books (CHEATING AT SOLITAIRE, LEARNING TO PLAY GIN) are far cleaner than a lot of YA books that are out there. And that's okay.
There is no right and wrong answer to the first question--which is why it's the wrong question.
There is no magic list of words you can't use or topics that you can't cover.
You are only limited by what you can do well and what is honestly necessary.
Sex for sex's sake will not sell your YA novel. Language won't put you on the TIMES list. But neither are these things taboo when they are honestly appropriate for the story you're trying to tell.
That's not to say that teen novels with more "adult" content won't be handled slightly differently.
For starters, YA books typically come with an age recommendation. For readers 11 and up... For readers 14 and up... Etc.
Books with a lot of adult content will likely be 14 (or maybe even 16) and up. They probably would be targeted more at high school than middle school audiences (which is fine.)
They might not be picked up as readily at retailers that try to stock books for the widest possible segment of age ranges and readers. I dunno.
What I do know is that it's perfectly acceptable to write your story about a 15-year-old girl with a potty-mouth who turns to prostitution to pay for her heroine habit...
Just don't be surprised if they aren't selling it at your middle schooler's book fair.
I write "clean teen" (as my former editor used to put it) books because...well...that's what I write. I probably couldn't do dark, gritty, or edgy if I tried.
And that's worked well for me.
I highly recommend you do what works for you and the stories you want to tell.
Thanks for listening, gang.
Tomorrow (if you guys want) I'll tackle the questions that people don't ask at all...but should.
-Ally
But this year it felt like I gained less from the sessions themselves than I usually do.
This is probably due to a lot of things, not the least of which is that I've been doing this for a while now and I'm simply farther along the learning curve than I used to be.
As a result I spent a lot of time twisting in my chair, wanting to shout out the things that I've learned so far. But I couldn't. Because shouting is a good way to get escorted out of the Hyatt or the Marriott.
So instead I'll do my shouting here--in the comfort of my own blog.
Please note that what follows is my HONEST opinion about the differences in writing for teens and adults. If you don't want my honest opinion, stop reading. If you continue to read, consider yourself warned.
One of the sessions that I attended was a session on the differences in writing for teen and adult audiences. But two minutes into the session I wanted to stand up and tell everyone in the audience that they were asking the wrong questions.
Now don't get me wrong, they were no doubt very common questions, but in my opinion if you want to be successful in the YA market, they were the wrong questions.
So here is my lame, Thursday-morning-just-got-back-from-the-gym-and-I'm-too-lazy-to-go-upstairs-and-do-some-real-work attempt at answering the wrong questions and steering people toward the right ones.
WRONG QUESTION: How do I develop an authentic teen voice?
THE RIGHT QUESTION: Do I have a voice that's appealing to teens?
After all, would you ask "how do I write in a voice that mystery readers would respond to?" Or "how do I sound like a science fiction reader?" No. You wouldn't.
Your voice is your voice is your voice. Period. And frankly, either you've got a voice that teens will enjoy or you don't.
Furthermore, all teens don't sound the same and neither do all teen novels.
There are very successful teen authors who use long sentences and huge words and very complicated sentence structures. And then there are teen authors like me.
There is no such thing as a "teen" voice. And no amount of hanging out in shopping malls and eavesdropping on the kids at the next table is going to teach you to write in a manner that will appeal to those kids.
Furthermore, trying to mimic those readers is an almost surefire way to make those kids hate your book. They know imitators when they see them. They don't take kindly to pandering.
Trying to write like you think teens want you to write is the fastest way I know to fail in this business.
Write how you write. Either it'll work for the YA market (or the horror market, or romance market, or scifi market, etc) or it won't. At the very least, teens will respect you for it.
WRONG QUESTION: How long does a YA novel have to be?
THE RIGHT QUESTION: How important is pacing in YA novels?
It's true that, in general, the average word count for a YA novel is shorter than for an adult novel--probably in the 50,000 word range. (FYI, my novels are usually close to 60,000 words, but that's simply what works for me.)
If there is anything that Harry Potter and Twilight have taught us it's that word count doesn't make or break a YA novel.
Pacing is what really matters when writing for teens.
Teens don't care if your book is 1,000 pages just so long as something incredibly interesting happens on 999 of them.
So write your story. And then stop. And then rewrite and rewrite until you're not saying something with 12 words that could just as easily be said with seven.
And that's how long your novel needs to be.
WRONG QUESTION: How much should I "lower" my writing when writing for teens? (Basically, how much do I dumb down my books?)
RIGHT QUESTION: Do teens have different attention spans, vocabulary capabilities, etc than adult readers?
Yes. It has been my experience that you should have different expectations of teen readers than adult readers: you should expect your teen readers to be smarter.
Now, I'm not saying that adults are dumb. But it's been my experience that teens have far more highly-calibrated BS-o-meters, and therefore make for far more discerning readers.
Adult readers might patiently wait four chapters for a story to start. Teens have things to do and places to be. If you want them to engage with your story you need to give them something good on every page.
And it even goes beyond pacing. If a character has a moment where she acts in a completely uncharacteristic way, your teen readers will notice it. If the entire plot of your novel could go away if the main character would make a perfectly logical phone call, then teen readers will point that out.
I don't know if it's a generational difference or simply something that happens between the ages of 13 and thirty as we start spending less time in classrooms and more time doing the same functions day after day, but that has certainly been my experience.
Teens are used to being challenged and tested and forced to think about things analytically, so do NOT write down to teens. Not if you want a career in YA literature.
WRONG QUESTION: How is the best way to market to teens? Do I have to blog?
RIGHT QUESTION: Do teens use the Internet to connect with authors?
If you are a new, relatively-unknown author I do not believe that blogging will have a noticeable impact on your book sales. Blogging when you have no audience is very much like singing in your bathroom--no one is going to hear you.
Even if you're fairly well-known, I don't think that blogging itself (or really any kind of web presence) is something you should expect to draw new readers to your books.
I do, however, think it's a way of connecting with readers and perhaps keeping them interested until you've published your next book. I feel very certain about that.
So my take on blogging and all things Internet is my take on all aspects of marketing--do what you enjoy and nothing else.
I don't blog to sell books. I blog because I like it. And if it keeps me on readers' minds while they're waiting on the new book, then all the better.
But don't go out and set up a blog, a Myspace, a Facebook, a website, and everything else under the sun and then wonder why you haven't hit the TIMES list. In my opinion it doesn't really work that way.
THE WRONG QUESTION: How much sex, violence, bad language can I put in my YA novel?
THE RIGHT QUESTION: My story contains very adult themes and elements. Will this change how it is published and marketed?
YA novels span the content spectrum. My "adult" books (CHEATING AT SOLITAIRE, LEARNING TO PLAY GIN) are far cleaner than a lot of YA books that are out there. And that's okay.
There is no right and wrong answer to the first question--which is why it's the wrong question.
There is no magic list of words you can't use or topics that you can't cover.
You are only limited by what you can do well and what is honestly necessary.
Sex for sex's sake will not sell your YA novel. Language won't put you on the TIMES list. But neither are these things taboo when they are honestly appropriate for the story you're trying to tell.
That's not to say that teen novels with more "adult" content won't be handled slightly differently.
For starters, YA books typically come with an age recommendation. For readers 11 and up... For readers 14 and up... Etc.
Books with a lot of adult content will likely be 14 (or maybe even 16) and up. They probably would be targeted more at high school than middle school audiences (which is fine.)
They might not be picked up as readily at retailers that try to stock books for the widest possible segment of age ranges and readers. I dunno.
What I do know is that it's perfectly acceptable to write your story about a 15-year-old girl with a potty-mouth who turns to prostitution to pay for her heroine habit...
Just don't be surprised if they aren't selling it at your middle schooler's book fair.
I write "clean teen" (as my former editor used to put it) books because...well...that's what I write. I probably couldn't do dark, gritty, or edgy if I tried.
And that's worked well for me.
I highly recommend you do what works for you and the stories you want to tell.
Thanks for listening, gang.
Tomorrow (if you guys want) I'll tackle the questions that people don't ask at all...but should.
-Ally
Labels: Tips for Writers
posted by Ally Carter at Thursday, September 11, 2008
50 Comments:
Very nice post - I agree 100% with it, especially about we teens being super-perceptive. And yeah, I'd love to see tomorrow's post on questions people should be asking!
Steph
Ally I completely agree!
I hate it when people ask the wrong questions, like "How do you work this math problem that I got wrong?" when they should ask "Where can I find more math problems like this, so I can practice?"
Or in your case "What is the difference between YA and adult novels?"
Personally, I hate the whole dividing of age groups in book stores. Its pathetic. I was in the fifth grade and could practically read anything. Now I'm in the eight, and I'm still looking for books to read, because I've read over half of my local bookstore. Just because you are thirteen, or fourteen, or even ten or eighteen does not mean your lexile level is quote on quote "average." Now sure, books should have ratings, I don't want to pick up a book and see something, well, you all know what I mean, and if you don't, stay that way! YA books and adult books are usually different based on content and lexile level, and though the first one makes sense, the second does not.
I mean, Twilight is certainly written in a "teenager's voice" along with parts of Harry Potter. But what about other popular books? Half my grade read Wicked (the book, not the Broadway style paperback) and it certainly isn't in a teenager's voice. I think people need to realize that if you want to write a YA novel, you have to write like yourself. If you write like you talk (nine times out of ten) people can relate to you, and that is the point of reading. Having someone to relate to!
Okay, so rant over. I promise I'm done. But this really gave me something to chew on. Thanks Ally, for the great blog.
How can I be a more popular author?
Wrong.
What can I do to write genuinely?
(Sorry if I mispelled genuine-ly)☺
Amen to that!!! Of course us teens are more perspective!! i mean we easdrop so much we know when someone is feeding us crap!! Oh and the whole wright like you talk thing thats callled your "voice" right?
-kar kar
Pelase do, I would totaly love if you did a post on on questions people should.
Hey Ally,
Those are some good (and stupid!) questions!
-Kate L. M.
I totally agree with every thing you said on there. Espsally about the adult content 'cus Im 12 and tested above a collage reading level, so it's hard to find good books that are okay for my age(thats why I love your books!). Also I love the part about not dumbing it down because myself and my friends cetch that all the time. I, again would love to see a post about questions people should ask.
AW
I agree 110% it's kinda hard to answer the wrong q's. But somtimes i want to yell out the right q's too, so you're not alone;)
-Elise
This was amazing! I loved how you're so honest, and I wish all the people who went to these conventions would have let you just speak - because obviously they can't ask the right questions, but I think they would really benefit from these answers. I loved the fact that you mentioned teens being perceptive, and that we can notice writers tryign to fake their way into being YA writers - it's absolutly true!! I can't wait for tommorow's blog!!
Greta post. I agree with everything.Not in this category[as I'm not an expert] but in others; I dislike extremely when people are unclear or ask the wrong questions. i immediately raise my hand or speak up and correct them if need or possible.
I have been an advanced reader since 1st grade. When I was 6 years old I read my first Harry Potter book.It's jsut a gift I have. I read books over and over again because I CAN'T read them slow. I read fast.I comprehend. I read them over and over and over again. If I don't like the idea. I don't continue to read it. i've read the Harry Potter/Twilight/GG Series more then1 0 times each book. One of my friends can't reread books. I tell her she's missing out because I come upon something new every time I re-read a book. Then she complains about how she doesn't do well with comprehension or even sometimes asks us what we are talking about in a discussion. She sometimes misses complete chapters.
While I think some books are YA, I also think that some should have a 13+ Point. When I was in 3rd I was at a YA reading level, but at 8 years old I'd rather not read about sex and drugs. Some YA books, while YA in comprehension are not suitable for 10+ and while 10 year olds may think "I've read this before I know about all this." I think they;d be surprised. I'm appalled sometimes at books I have red that a younger neighbor down the street is reading. I'm only 13 and I think its unsuitable for them to read.
Rant. Over And Out.
OMG! I agree SO MUCH with everything u just said! Way to go Ally! Of COURSE teens aren't stupid. Even little kids aren't stupid. I remeber being in preschool, and many of the thoughts I had then I still get now. I also have read books that are probably dirtier than any my Mom reads (just don't tell her that). And some of those things are pretty much stupid questions. And please, do the questions no one asks but totally should. I appriciate it! (p.s, less than a month until my b-day!)
Ilove books that give grat quality but sometimes books can show the things the authors dont notice it but readers do. I also agree with comment2 Books shouldnotbe graded like that. but i do think a really advanced 3rd grader shouldnt be reading books like that unless he or she understands it.
ooohhh... I'd love to hear about it! That sounds pretty suspensful... Anyways, I am an 8th grader, so I do agree that we notice a lot of things. You're so smart!!! You DO know how to keep your readers reeled in for future books, alright! And you're right, "clean teen" is totally your style"
ALLY U R AWESOMETASTIC!!!!! u r sooooo smart you got everyhting right in my book
- H.
p.s i would have said more but this is so awesome and amazin im at a loss 4 words
Dear Ally,
Wow... that was my favorite blog you've ever written.
I agree. Teens are smart. :-)
I don't think 'age' is the biggest factor. it's how mature they are. I'm almost in highschool and some people in my grade act like they're seven.
I love that you blog. I started reading your blog because I love your books. I continue reading because you dont just talk about your books. You talk about life.
It makes you seem like a real person.
So thx! When do we get to hear GG3's title? Huh, huh? No. okay.
Hey, won't that be funny if the title was, GG3. Everyone would be like... dude, i've been asking the wrong question! LOL!
From a devoted blog reader,
Wghoops21
PS. Yes, tell us the questions people should ask! please!? :-)
WOOHOO! Go ally.
We really aren't stupid, like most adults think. And i totally agree with the whole b.s.-detector thing. Like when a 16 year old girl is at a party and someone starts drinking so she calls her mother to pick her up. Whatever. Anyway, i just wanted to say thanks for not "dumbing down" your books.
I like this post. I don't know why...I just do. It gives me things to think about. So thanks Ally!
-Devin
i love these kinds of posts. ^_^
Briana
Ally, you are so right. I totally agree with you on everything you said. Us teens will not take a bunch of BS in our books, and we know when an author is trying too hard. Also, I don't think that there should be different age groups for books. This is because I have read almost every YA book in my library, so now I have to wait until new books come out, and even then I have to pay 20 dollars for a book.
I'm only 14, yet most of the books i read are about and have content more suitable for older readers. Just because we are younger doesn't mean that we don't understand things. Us teens know and understand a lot of things that deal with more sophisticated subjects. That's why i love your books, because they appeal to all age groups.
Gosh, Ally, you are like one of the few adults out there who realize we're not stupid. You have no idea how much I appreciate that, because it's hard to learn anything when people are dumbing it down for you And you're so right about the interest thing. Like, I could read a lot more "adult" novels and a lot less teen books, because it's not that I find them super challenging, it's just that they take three million pages to get to the point. Which is a waste of trees. The classics are the only books allowed to take that long, because the language from a hundred years ago was so pretty that you don't mind reading it.
i loved the "should i lower my books for teen readers" part- you really get us:) thanks!
Ally, I love your books along with Stephenie Meyer's books. I'm ten years old and I read your book in one night. The next night I read Eclipse. I finished Breaking Dawn in one day as well!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ally--
You should totally post the questions that people didn't ask!!!
<3 Stephanie :)
ps. i love ur books!
Yeah, I totally agree and I never noticed that books had ages on them. I seriously just looked at the backs of over 100 books to make sure I wasn't reading books that were for really young kids. Haha. They all were at least thirteen and up. I would love to hear your next blog. And in my opinion blogging is a good way for a known writer to connect with their readers.:)
its so true that your blog keeps you on our minds for the next book- it's on my favorites list!
:)
Okay, after reading your blog, and most comments, I think this hit the most nerves:
Don't dumb down YA books.
Its insulting.
Most likely, if you are going to write YA, the readers who will read your books are one of three things:
A) Looking for something on or above their level for a book report (because school somehow hates easy but thought-provoking books...)
B) Reading it because they like the plot, and if you don't write like yourself or if you seem condescending, they most likely won't like your character. (Assuming we are talking First Person, if not, they won't like the books' tone. Same result, I say).
Or C)Are way above average readers who enjoy reading because they are good at it, and understand what they read, and are getting annoyed at condescending and cliche book-typies.
I mean really, how many times can you write about some sort of clicque with mean girls tormenting each other, without putting some sort of twist? I mean no offense, but just walk into the YA section, the first thing you see is the "Drama" section with four series of them.
YA needs original and genuine authors. Look at Harry Potter, an original idea and with a genuine tone. I rest my case.
So yeah, that kind of hit a nerve. You see (well, Ally I know you already see, but I'm going to say this anyways) YA is not a grade level.
Let me repeat that.
YA is not a grade level.
Its a suggestion that people from a certain age might like.
Key word: might.
So if adult books have appropriate content, and are good reads- why not?
And if a "childrens" book is good, somewhat challenging, why not too?
I think that tomarrow's blog is gonna be good, Ally!
Wow, I've never reworded those questions like you did, but I totally agree with you! Although I'm sorry that the conference was boring.
-Lisa
Agreed. I like your answers a lot and they make sense. Asking the right questions is so important. And yes, please post the questions people should be asking.
Thanks!
Yes, write about questions people don't ask but should!
I agree that we're perfectly capable of reading complicated stuff (look at some of our textbooks and our lives, as well as what we can do when we put our minds to it. We are around complicated stuff all the time. yes, once in a while it can be fun to read a simple book for about 15 minutes... but most of the time, I personally would much rather have a complex storyline than a book a 8yr old would be able to understand) and authors shouldn't dumb down stuff they write for us. If we get confused, we're perfectly capable of going back and looking for the answer.
As to length, the longer, the better! I have friends who consider reading a teen gossip magazine an accomplishment, if I read that stuff, I'd see it as maybe half an hour's worth of reading. I like the Twilight and Ender books, and... other longer books, (Peter and the Starcatchers, some of the Bloody Jack books... the Pellinor books by Alison Croggon) because for one thing, there's something about having a good-size book in your hand, and for the other, it's nice when you can't finish a story in just a few hours!
Ok, must ask, have you (Ally) and Jennifer Lynn Barnes been talking? She posted something that covered some of the same subjects on her blog a couple days ago...
Age suggestions as to content are good things, like "alice cullen" said, (although I'm older) I don't want to pick up a book and be looking at something completely inappropriate. I love clean books, and often, if a book has lots of explicit content, I'll stop reading and forget about it. I find that most books like that, I don't care very much about dropping them in the beginning/middle, and I know to stay away from stuff by that author. But again, what you're willing to read depends on who you are.
And yes, would like to see more questions that people should be asking and aren't. Please!
WingedSkye
i totally agree with you. who wants to listen to an impersonator??? not me, and teens like me are the reason all you writers still have the careers that you do.
I agree. Too many authors dumb down books and it just makes me think that the author is incapable of using a high school level vocabulary and therefore should not be writing for teens.
Also, since you write clean teen (which I love and admire), I'm actually allowed to read it. Most parents won't let their kids read, well..not clean teen books. So I think that's it's actually a good selling point.
--Nadia
Ally,
On behalf of teen readers everywhere I just wanted to say THANK YOU! What you said is completely true, my favorite of the questions that you wrote was the how much should we dumb down our books question because a lot of times I'll pick up a book that has been deemed appropriate for the fifteen year old that I am and just be disgusted with how the teens in the book are completely fake. I want to shout "Trust me I go to a normal high school, and no girl I know would run and cry in the bathroom because she dropped her lunch tray in the cafeteria and is very embarrassed." Because that's just stupid, I also think that some adults can't comprehend that we need to be challenged, a year or so when I was in the eighth grade I had a study hall second period every other day, and every other day I would ask the librarian for a book reccomendation, most were good but there were a couple that should have been in the third grade library and not ours, and what confused me is the thought that these books that were monumentally stupid should be exactly what people my age should be reading. In an attempt to challenge myself a little more I asked the librarian where the Jane Austen was because I couldn't find it on the shelf (I had already read Emma and loved it.) The librarian laughed and turned to the so called "Reading Specialist" who said "Oh you're much too young to be reading that boring stuff, why not read a book that's better suited to someone your age." I was confused, I kept hearing about what a classic her books were and had thought that Emma was amazing, I wanted to read more of this great author. In a conversation with my English teacher I randomly mentioned this exchange with the "reading specialist" my English teacher (the amazing person that he is) became just as mad as I was, and demanded to know why the school was telling me that I couldn't read the classics. Let's just say that Jane Austen is know on the library shelves. Sorry really long rant but Ally again THANK YOU for realizing that being a teenager does not make us complete morons, we're used to being challenged to do stuff beyond our mental capacity (triginometry anyone...) and being handed a book that should be given to a ten year old just dissapoints us.
Thanks so much again! ~Caroline
I hear that Lauren Conrad from The Hills is going to write a YA series and I'm telling you now that they are going to be horribly-written, be simply worded, and have a bad plot (it's going to be based on her experiences). She seems like the kind of 'author' that would dumb down books or not be able to use a sophisticated vocabulary. What do you think, Ally?
--Nadia
Very very interesting post, and I agree. Fortunately I haven't been asking too many of the wrong questions you listed and of those I have been it's easy to see how to fix those now.
Thanks!
Brilliant post and so spot on. You've confirmed everything I believe and yet which a good number of people try to shoot down in flames. I feel vindicated! ;-) Thanks for setting it out so clearly.
Ally,
Great post. Honestly, the questions that were being asked were some of the things I was thinking about my own YA novel in progress.
Thanks for the tips.
Sean
I hear what you're saying about being true to your voice. I do just that. My first book just hasn't caught on/sold. Maybe no one's interested in my shower-room voice and my poor grandkids are going to have a lot of manuscripts to read to prove they love their grampa.
Joe Novara
Good stuff! I couldn't agree more.
I'm (insert age here) and I really enjoy YA books. So far none of them, thank goodness, that I've read have been dumbed down for any reason.
They shouldn't be. Just like as a parent you shouldn't talk down to your kids. As an author you shouldn't do that either.
Just wanted to say I really appreciate hearing you say, "Write what you love" over and over and over again...and that you should have spoken up at the conference, imho. It's not said often enough, and it's too easy to lose track of in the rush to get other people to love what you write when it's not.
Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!
When you started to say that teens have different reading abilities than adults, I started to get miffed. Then you said we're smarter! >.< It really is annoying to run across and author who feels they need to talk down to us. It's surprising how easily adults forget how to be a teenager. Perhaps they forget because there's little to forget; being a young adult is in ways not all that different from being an adult.
I started my book as my audience, so I never felt the need to ask any of those questions. My content and tone came naturally to me as what I would enjoy. I know that some would see my age as a disadvantage--but I know better!
And I give my approval to your advice. *nods*
DISCLAIMER: I have spent the last few weeks sick, so if this sounds disjointed or sometimes downright nonsensical, please accept my apologies in advance.
*reads "Angela"s comment* …That's me, if you add 8 years and omit the # of times of rereading stuff. Due to my comprehension, I can only reread books within a year of reading it the first time IFF there's something about the book that makes me wonder, "Ooo! How'd the author do that!?"
("IFF" = "if and only if", logic term.)
I love the questions, Ms. Carter. As someone who's writing stuff that I want to be for young adults, I find them quite helpful. I've always been top-of-the-class intelligence, so I lack a "dumbing stuff down" problem. Per a few friends, some of my work could use some dumbing down. (I'm blessed with a lot of friends who are excellent critics.) I find it reassuring that I'm not the only one stoutly insisting that young adults can manage more than many give them credit for.
It's interesting how people insist they know everything about YA culture, then display something that directly contradicts my realm of experience. I was even reading an old Miss Snark post yesterday—no disrespect intended—and she called 19-year-old girls falling in love with and marrying 30-year-old guys completely unrealistic in the modern day. Wow, I had no idea so many of my friends were freaks!
Also, great comments about the maturity thing. When I was 15, my family changed churches. I was shocked that I could actually have an intelligent conversation with most of the people my age. *gasp*
I also have a friend who was 8 when I started writing at 14, who was my first story audience, who was able even then to point out problems. So, yeah. Kids can be smarter than a lot of adults give me credit for.
I'm 21, and I'm usually in the juvenile/YA section of the library. It's (often) cleaner, and those books tend to have much nicer writing styles. (Due to the pacing, maybe?) My somewhat-flexible writing style is one of my current writing strengths. It seems to make me more sensitive to the style of what I read; if I don't like the style, I ain't gonna finish the book. *cough* C.S. Lewis's sci-fi *cough*
I don't like crass content, either. I also like urban fantasy, particularly vampires and werewolves and psychological stuff with topics like insanity that most people don't like talking about. For example, the entire Kushiel series would be a picnic for me if they weren't graphic. *sighs* (DO NOT read those books, kids. I include myself in that "kids", btw.)
That's part of what's driven me to write. I can't find much stuff that deals with serious topics that don't also add more language or graphic sex than I like (nil). I want to write works that a parent's only possible concern would be subject matter.
I know someone who had a kid at 16 not with her consent… and kept and raised the kid despite getting kicked out of the home for it. She did a good job as a parent, too. I think it's why I don't logically consider anything "too" bad to do to my characters when developing plots. It does make me squeamish later, though, but by then the situation's integral to the story and can't get yanked out without destroying it.
You say, Ms. Carter, that you can't write dark stuff if you tried. Be glad of that. Dark stuff is emotionally draining to write. And self-disturbing. Realizing that you always have psychologically if not physically abused characters central to your story ideas can make you wonder if there's something wrong with you.
Oh, and a side comment. Harry Potter wasn't exactly original… I can't remember the name, but there's some series with a girl that's a bit older than it is. "There is nothing new under the sun." ;)
Ah, I think I get it.
It's not so much asking, "How do I do X for teens," but rather, "How do I take what's already there and make it work for me?"
That is an excellent breakdown, Ally. I have a question related to YA that (though I've been to a few conferences myself, I realized I never asked) how much of the YA audience do you think is older (or younger) than the recommended audience? For example, you were talking about sex in a YA book being dealt with differently, but I know I was reading YA and adult fiction with sex when I was 10 (albet, I also already knew what it was). I suppose that's why asking "how much do I need to dumb it down?" is actually rather beside the point, because plenty of younger readers can rise to the language level, and only the themes (if that) can be limiting, depending on parental discretion.
Wow, what a great post! Thanks for sharing. Teens definately are not dumb. I take a dance class which is filled with teens who are all voracious readers and they've given me a new perspective. They never cease to amaze me with what they like and don't like and what they want to see more of.
I completely agree with you 100% and with everyone else too, especially Angela!! I read like her. I loved when you put about the blogging and the "dumbing down" a book. Blogging is a really great way to connect with your readers especially when they're waiting on one of your books to come out (like you!) lol. And "dumbing down" books isn't necessary, in my opinion. It's how the character acts is how the author needs to write. If they are incredibly intelligent then the writer needs to use large vocabulary and make the character sound incredibly intelligent. But if the character acts dumb and uses a lot of slang or w/e, then that is how the writer needs to make the character. It's all about voice and personality. Also, about grading books. I agree with what Stephenie Meyer once said, or maybe it was you-sorry I can't remember, it was a while ago-but anyways it was something like "There isn't such a thing as YA or adult books, it's about what the story is about and if it attracts the readers attention.". I agree with that because I read books that are labeled YA and books that are labeled Adult. My two favorite authors, Nicholas Sparks and James Patterson, write "adult" books but I love them because I like the authors' writing style and what the books are about. I think they label the books according to what the characters are. If the main characters are teens then it is a YA but if the main characters are adults then the book is adult. Anyways, my little rant is over with now lol. Thanks, Ally, for giving me something to think about. You had very good opinions that hit the bulls eye mark for me. You really know what you're talking about and that's why your books are so great.=D
Ally - your attitude towards YA word count just settled a major issue I've been having.
My latest MS is over 100,000 words, twice as long as any of my previous MSs, and I've been agonizing over it. But it's not an issue of wasteful writing - there's been very little to cut - it's an issue of 'that's how long the story is'. I feel very strongly about that.
So, I know a black mark against me, but I'm going to go for it. Your advice in this post has been greatly comforting.
Thank you.
Good tips.
I don't agree with the particulars about voice, however. Yes, many professional authors do ask the question about how best to modify their voices to fit into, say, a particular subgenre of mystery. It's called "being professional".
If you're writing a cozy, you're not going to have a dark, nasty narrator.
The voice of a particular work can include things like *how long to describe anything*, *what to concentrate on*, *who is an acceptable viewpoint character*, and so on.
An author's voice consists of all the different ways of communicating that are natural to her. That includes things like, reducing or widening her vocabulary when necessary, extending or limiting descriptions that add to mood, and so on.
It's not *dumbing down* to use a smaller vocabulary to say the same thing. It's being respectful of the reading experience of your audience, who won't appreciate having to look up a word on every other page.
It's all about providing an enjoyable reader experience.
Twill
teens can definitely spot a pretender trying to write a book for them! I have read books where the author was trying to make the book interesting to teens. I just wanna take these people by the shoulders and tell them to quit trying. what about all this "be true to yourself" stuff going on these days? We much more appreciate someone writing genuinely than someone trying to pander to us. you had some helpful points--I am in the midst of working on a novel from a YA point of view, but not neccessarily for a YA audience (though nothing inappropriate for that crowd) it's often hard to know what each generation is going to want to read. I think it would be better if they'd just classify stuff according to content, (sex, language etc.) instead of to different age ranges based on what those ages are "interested in".
sorry if that didn't make any sense, I guess my point is thanks for the article, and I agree.
I agree completely! This is an awesome post, especially where you mentioned that some authors underestimate how smart teens and perceptive teens really are.
Hi Ally,
I agree with you completely on all the questions. I am 10 and going into 8th grade (I'm home-schooled), and hate it when people "dumb things down". I always get gawked at when I say what grade I am in, as if I am supposed to be stupid at my age (I also hate the "blonde girl" stereotype). I might grow up to be a part-time writer, thanks to you, Ally.
Love your books! Keep on writing!
luved the questions. very original.
kendyll
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