Why do you write MG?

Toothpaste

THE RECKLESS RESCUE is out now!
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jul 18, 2006
Messages
8,745
Reaction score
3,096
Location
Toronto, Canada
Website
www.adriennekress.com
I need to jump in here and say MG does not necessarily equal conservative. That doesn't mean there isn't conservative MG but there are also stories that push the boundaries as well. MG is an age category that's all. And yes we need to keep the age of the readers in mind absolutely, but that doesn't mean sheltering kids either. It's important I believe that kids encounter a spectrum of ideas and books. I feel that the desire in my mind to write MG ought to be because one enjoys the genre not because one wishes to be conservative in one's writing. If conservative is the goal, then find whichever genre suits you and write it conservatively. You can find such writing in every genre and for every age.
 

KTC

Stand in the Place Where You Live
Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Mar 24, 2005
Messages
29,138
Reaction score
8,563
Location
Toronto
Website
ktcraig.com
I need to jump in here and say MG does not necessarily equal conservative. That doesn't mean there isn't conservative MG but there are also stories that push the boundaries as well. MG is an age category that's all. And yes we need to keep the age of the readers in mind absolutely, but that doesn't mean sheltering kids either. It's important I believe that kids encounter a spectrum of ideas and books. I feel that the desire in my mind to write MG ought to be because one enjoys the genre not because one wishes to be conservative in one's writing. If conservative is the goal, then find whichever genre suits you and write it conservatively. You can find such writing in every genre and for every age.
ABSOLUTELY! It's when I want to be less constrictive and less conservative that I turn to writing MG. I feel there are no rules...beyond comprehension for the reading level. I feel freer while writing MG. It does something to my imagination synapses.
 

edutton

Ni. Peng. Neee-Wom.
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Nov 3, 2015
Messages
2,771
Reaction score
667
Location
North Carolina, unfortunately
*wandering over from the YA forum*
Hi all,
I'm just (re-starting) work on an MG story that I have had in the back of my mind since 1994 (inspired by a throw-away joke in the sitcom Dave's World, if anyone remembers that show?)... It's been through one iteration already, a decade ago when I told a shorter version to my then 5yo daughter as a sort of serial bedtime story; then last year I wrote a 2-page outline and a few hundred words before back-burnering it when a YA novel demanded to be written NOW.

Looking forward to getting to know some folks in this corner of AW as well (although I already see a couple of familiar faces :) )
 

jlmott

Hello, I must be going
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jun 30, 2015
Messages
279
Reaction score
42
Location
Eastern US
I need to jump in here and say MG does not necessarily equal conservative. That doesn't mean there isn't conservative MG but there are also stories that push the boundaries as well. MG is an age category that's all. And yes we need to keep the age of the readers in mind absolutely, but that doesn't mean sheltering kids either. It's important I believe that kids encounter a spectrum of ideas and books. I feel that the desire in my mind to write MG ought to be because one enjoys the genre not because one wishes to be conservative in one's writing. If conservative is the goal, then find whichever genre suits you and write it conservatively. You can find such writing in every genre and for every age.

Very true. I just finished reading The Marvels by Brian Selznick, which deals with a committed gay relationship and AIDS in a way that is completely age appropriate and a terrific way to start a conversation about these character's lives. It is also a gorgeously illustrated book and a great read, which is, both to the kids for whom it is targeted and adults like me who love to read any good book no matter who the intended audience is, the most important thing of all.
 

Nancy Golden

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jan 23, 2016
Messages
80
Reaction score
16
Website
www.novelwrites.com
I need to jump in here and say MG does not necessarily equal conservative. That doesn't mean there isn't conservative MG but there are also stories that push the boundaries as well. MG is an age category that's all. And yes we need to keep the age of the readers in mind absolutely, but that doesn't mean sheltering kids either. It's important I believe that kids encounter a spectrum of ideas and books. I feel that the desire in my mind to write MG ought to be because one enjoys the genre not because one wishes to be conservative in one's writing. If conservative is the goal, then find whichever genre suits you and write it conservatively. You can find such writing in every genre and for every age.

Well said, Toothpaste. I certainly agree with this premise but regarding MG, I think we almost have lower MG and upper MG or some such demarcation that is hard to define. Some tough topics are addressed that push boundaries in some MG which are important so kids can learn about their world and have resources that help them in real life, but where that point begins is often a parental choice and I think MG falls on both sides of the spectrum.
 
Last edited:

Lord Hierarch

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Mar 25, 2012
Messages
200
Reaction score
9
Why do I write MG?

Well I don't. Not yet. Got a few ideas but they're stewing.

But to answer the question: For the money! Mwahahahahahaha *coughs* Hawahawaha.


I'm joking by the way. Sometimes my humor is very subtle.
 

o.Nixie.o

Registered
Joined
Mar 26, 2016
Messages
40
Reaction score
0
At the moment, I haven't yet written the MG series that I want to because I'm so focused on the other things I'm doing, but I want to because I want my son to be able to read my work. However, by the time I make time to write it out, he will be old enough to read any of my work. Though.. my idea is lovely and I plan to write it regardless. I think the stories need to be told :D I WILL write them because they are exciting and something I would want to read that I haven't read yet.

"Write the story you want to read", right? :D
 

atmorrell

Registered
Joined
Jan 31, 2016
Messages
3
Reaction score
0
Location
Orange County, CA
Website
www.ambermorrell.com
I started writing MG almost on accident. I write a lot of YA, but MG let me get in touch with my inner awkward 12-year-old. Turns out that inner preteen had a lot of painful stories to tell. Plus I wanted to write something shorter. My MG book is a good 20-30k shorter than the YA novels I've written.
 

little_e

Trust: that most precious coin.
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 29, 2012
Messages
2,741
Reaction score
508
Location
USA
My kids bring home chapterbooks from school, I go over the Scholastic brochure with them every month, I comb the library for things they'll enjoy... and I feel like I'm not finding that many really good books aimed at boys their age. (It seems like there are a lot more out there aimed at girls.) The stuff my kids have most enjoyed lately has all been self-published Minecraft fanfiction, because they love Minecraft. So I'm trying to write something fun and awesome for them (and hopefully others) to enjoy.
 

Jamesaritchie

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 13, 2005
Messages
27,863
Reaction score
2,311
I don't believe a writer ever truly chooses what market they want to write for. I think the story comes first, and depending on its content, it is then aimed at that particular market. What one reads is certainly a contributing factor to what they write. But sometimes the reading comes after or during the writing, where writers are growing familiar with the market for which the story is targeted.

In other words: Most stories comes first, then one decides the market it's appropriate for. :) Of course, this isn't indicative of how everyone works.

I think most writers who don't choose the market are going to be severely disappointed. I don't believe it's possible for most writers, maybe any writer, to write a story that fits a genre without first knowing everything that the genre demands, and consciously working these elements into the story as the writing progresses.

As an editor, when a writer tells me he wrote the book without having a clue where it would fit, I can be 99.9% certain the novel isn't going to fit anywhere.
 

Jamesaritchie

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 13, 2005
Messages
27,863
Reaction score
2,311
I write MG for the same reasons I write anything else. I enjoy reading it, I enjoy writing it, and I can write it well enough to earn money from it. Take away any of these three elements, and I'd write something else.
 

CaroGirl

Living the dream
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 27, 2006
Messages
8,368
Reaction score
2,327
Location
Bookstores
I wrote an MG novel because that's the story I needed to tell and that's the audience I needed to tell it to. I've written all my manuscripts that way, whether they've been edgy YA, adult contemporary, adult humour, YA dystopian, or whatever. Story and characters first, market and audience second.
 

AlyssaHollingsworth

Registered
Joined
Jul 14, 2016
Messages
6
Reaction score
0
Location
Southern Virginia
I'm working on both a MG and a YA that will be going out with my agent to publishers at the end of the summer. What I really loved about my MG book is that it felt like I had permission to be so raw. There is a vulnerability and wonder that belongs in MG that somehow has difficulty crossing into older age ranges. It is difficult to put into words, but when I am writing and editing (and even reading--I'm thinking Rooftoppers, The Giver, etc) MG, I sense a different level of urgency and... well, tenderness almost. My favorite MGs combine complex, difficult concepts with beauty and hope, and they often do so with a freedom I don't see as much elsewhere. (Could just be me, though.)

One of my writing tutors once said that we write for the age we most vividly remember, and for me that's age 11 and age 17. So maybe that's why I feel different when I'm back in that mindset. I love it, though!
 

grandma2isaac

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Aug 17, 2016
Messages
2,755
Reaction score
443
Location
Warsaw, Indiana
I have always been interested in telling children stories, using voices for some of the characters. I suppose part of me never really wanted to grow up. It's like losing a bit of magic. I never read children's books when I was young, I wanted to learn. When I babysat I started telling stories to the kids. The touching, funny, and REAL nuances of these children stayed with me. It's like being able to see a different layer to our world, one with more vivid colors.
 

A. F. Blackmon

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Oct 30, 2016
Messages
77
Reaction score
4
Location
London England
Website
www.skycaptainchronicles.com
I write middle grade books because this is a major part of what I missed when I was growing up. I was a very slow reader when I was a kid, I'm also dyslectic so I didn't even enjoy reading until about 12, and thats about the age where I finally started reading the middle grade classics and children's fantasy. It's also a very imaginative age group to write for which is why fantasy in particular becomes much more fun with middle grade.

I'm also a big fan of middle grade/young adult crossovers because I love seeing characters growing up through a series.
 

ASeiple

Livin' la vida biblia
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jun 7, 2015
Messages
860
Reaction score
93
Location
Dayton, OH
I'm making an attempt at it right now. I started it as a favor to a friend, but I've gotten wrapped up in the characters and the story, and enthusiastic in my own right.

I think it'll be a good series, given the right exposure and feedback.
 

ShakaBry

Registered
Joined
Dec 16, 2016
Messages
17
Reaction score
3
I don't believe a writer ever truly chooses what market they want to write for. I think the story comes first, and depending on its content, it is then aimed at that particular market. What one reads is certainly a contributing factor to what they write. But sometimes the reading comes after or during the writing, where writers are growing familiar with the market for which the story is targeted.

This is me to a tee. I had this story I wanted to write and I knew from the very first glimmer of the plot that it was for readers that were younger than young adults but older than chapter book readers. It just fits. Now, having completed my MG novel, I do worry that some vocabulary and sentence structures may be too advanced for my target audience. But I like to give young readers the benefit of the doubt. I like to challenge them. If I am lucky enough, someday, to work with an editor, I'm sure a happy middle ground could be reached. I dislike the process of "dumbing down" as much as I despise the phrase.

I think that many Middle Grade readers still hold a brilliant mixture of childlike wonder and imagination that a young adult reader, though they still may have that too, are more wrapped up in the real world. If that makes any sense.

But I also write YA because it's fun as hell.

Sex and violence doesn't really influence my intended target audience at all. At least, it hasn't yet.
 

Nonicks

Banned
Joined
Nov 28, 2016
Messages
218
Reaction score
37
I love school and situation that happen at school. Childhood is fun and I love fun, happy books.
 

Tchaikovsky

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 23, 2017
Messages
100
Reaction score
14
Have kid siblings, and love that age of childlike wonder and innocence. MG books are just comforting and fun, like hearty soup for the soul. Even the darker MG novels.
 

writewordwit

Registered
Joined
Sep 26, 2014
Messages
4
Reaction score
0
I am very fortunate to get paid to write short fiction and non-fiction for students 2nd - 6th grade. Before this assignment, I did all sorts of freelance writing, from web content to commercials to professional bios. I could make more money writing for a tax accountant or a real estate agent, but I get so much more out of writing stories and passages that are read by children. I love tapping into the desires, conflicts, concerns, relationships, humor, and emotions of this age group. I think, at a base level, adults still experience much of the same things...kids are just more open and honest about them.

MG is also an age where interest in reading and writing drops off if they don't have teachers and reading material that inspires them. To me, everything a child reads not only has to opportunity to entertain and boost their reading skills, but to teach them about writing...and perhaps inspire some to want to be future writers themselves.

As a mom of middle-schoolers, I hear my kids complain about how boring what they are reading in school is. As MG writers, I strive to create characters, situations and plots that engage the imagination...and to interweave a sense of discovery into non-fiction so that kids don't view learning about the world as drudgery.