Teen Authors?

I admire teenagers who can write a novel, regardless of quality. When I was a teenager I thought my writing was great, but I still have some of it lying around and hoo-boy it's worse than bad. My five-year-old cousin has written more competent things in pink crayon.

But as a teenager I never sat down and said "okay, I'm going to write something and try to get it published." I was not open to criticism and never proofread until college. So for me, I wasn't ready to be seeking publication until I grew up a little more. But that's not the case for everyone.

TheIT said:

Voted "I could care less". Note: I'm interpreting this response to mean "I could care less what age the author is as long as the book is a good read".

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Ditto!

Honestly, all I care about is if it's a well-told story. I don't usually base me decisions on what to read on what I know about the author. Instead I choose based on stories that sound interesting and usually a read of the first few pages.

That said, I think that it takes time to develop your craft and writing abilities. As a teenage writer, you have the disadvantage of not having as many years of practice behind you.

But that alone doesn't mean that all teenage writers are going to write badly or anything like that. It's just something to consider when looking into being published as a teenager. Be sure that you spend time on your story to make it the best it can be. Get beta readers that have experience with writing to give you honest feedback (including constructive criticism) and do the best you can.

I think some writers take less time to develop their talents into something that is enjoyable to read, so it just varies based on the writer really. Which is why I would never make my decision on whether or not to read a book based on the author's age.

dreamsofnever said:

Ditto!
That said, I think that it takes time to develop your craft and writing abilities. As a teenage writer, you have the disadvantage of not having as many years of practice behind you.

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That does depend on when they started writing and how much practice they put in. A sixteen-year-old who started at eleven would be likely to be on a par with an adult who had been writing for five years, all other things (such as basic talent) being equal.

In my case, I wrote a novel at 13/14, but the first time I sold anything was at 24 - a short story. Mind you, I'd only been writing short fiction seriously for a couple of years, after joining a local writers' group

I'm a teenager and for the most part, writing done by teenagers blows. Two excellent books written by teenagers are The Outsiders and Bonjour Tristesse.

Personally, I don't think the age of a writer matters, but I like reading about published teens.

I didn't choose "I could care less" because the correct expression is "I couldn't care less". Yes, it's nit-picky, but we should all be striving to improve.

aadams73 said:

Entertain me, damn it!

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I need a bumper sticker like this.

eyeblink said:

That does depend on when they started writing and how much practice they put in. A sixteen-year-old who started at eleven would be likely to be on a par with an adult who had been writing for five years, all other things (such as basic talent) being equal.

In my case, I wrote a novel at 13/14, but the first time I sold anything was at 24 - a short story. Mind you, I'd only been writing short fiction seriously for a couple of years, after joining a local writers' group

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Very, very good point. Thanks, Eyeblink.

I've liked some books by teen writers.

If the publicity includes a whole lot of "ZOMG! He / she was only ____TEEN when he / she wrote this!!!11!!!" that tends to be a red flag, as are things like, "Sure it kind of sucks, but *for a ___-year-old* it's pretty good!"

Let the story stand on its own. If it's good, it's good.

--Q