"Old" People Writing for Teens V

My new novel came out on Friday, but I'm up in Port Douglas for my nephew's wedding so all the socialising has slowed down my promo opportunities. Back to Sydney in a couple of days, though.

Happy release day, screenscope!

KiwiLady said:

How's everyone's writing going? Anyone been on vacation lately? Anyone got anything to share? This thread is getting quieter and quieter...

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I'm feeling unmotivated with regards to my writing at the moment, so I haven't made much progress in my revisions this last week. Still, I've got a holiday coming up at the end of the month (off to Cornwall for a week) so I'm hoping that might rejuvenate my writing juices.

I know, I know, but it's so haaaaaard! There's so much to doooooooooooo! My boxset of Downton Abbey keeps calling me! *Netz might not make the deadline* Still, we've got a Bank Holiday this weekend, and I'm planning to spend a lot of it on writing (and I've been working on it this morning, too).

heheheh I'm with you Netz (though I have no deadline) I'm doing a great job hiding from my writing, but you go get that deadline!

Congrats Screenscope! A wedding sounds like a good reason to miss a few days of promoting.

I'm debating shutting down the current WIP. I haven't left a WIP unfinished in ages, but I'm feeling like the story is unwieldy and disappointing. I love the idea, but it's just being such a jerk...

You can always come back to it again later, CoffeeBeans.

Coffeebeans - I agree with Netz, you can always come back to it later. Plus, you should do whatever you need to so you start writing again.

Netz - I hope you make your deadline. Revisions are the worst. But on the bright side, you have Cornwall to look forward to after you've waded through them. (I just Googled Cornwall - it looks gorgeous!)

I never go back to anything... I revised one older one for beta, and I have another I can revise with new notes... and I have loads of betas... so, that's all basically writing.

Right?

*crickets*

Cornwall looks amazing! Let's talk about Netz's trip!

I just found this thread and I am thinking "Yes! This is a true issue for older writers! Writing from a teenager point of view realistically! A true challenge at times!"₍₍ (ง Ŏ౪Ŏ)ว ⁾⁾
I know that there is a big chance that you guys have discussed this topic very thoroughly in the span of 624 pages (phew! ( ʘ͡ ₒ ʘ͡ )╮) but I still wanted to add my slice of pizza. (ﾉ･д･)ﾉ
The difficulty in effectively depicting a teenager is clear: trying to be in the head of a young person although one is not that young anymore can't be easy.
Of course, conveying a personality that is very different from ours is always a complex task. I wonder if not-young writers found it easier, back in the day, to create a realistic profile of a teenager because back in the day the generational gap wasn't as...overwhelmingly immense. (･д･ )
I mean, my dad squished grape with his naked feet to make wine and took the sheep up the mountain, his best entertainment when he was little was building little carriages with dry sticks and grasshoppers(true story). My grandma brushed her wood oven out in the garden with the brunch of a wild plant rather than a brush! (also true story)
And what did I do? I read manga and played play-station all day.
Of course it is difficult for an adult to write about teenagers, it's like trying to think through the eyes of an alien species!
I can imagine writers taking notes on what teenagers say or do these days, a little notebook in their pocket.

It's tough.

Nadia

Welcome Nadia!

I think most of us know/interact with/relate to actual teens, so I admit, I don't ever think of writing them as writing an "alien species.

Also, from your descriptions of your parents, I think it's fair to point out that there are teens all over the world (and plenty in places where those same activities are still happening) and plenty of folks not writing contemporary YA stories (YA historical as well as many fantasy settings could have those same elements as well.)

While the challenge of writing a teen as an adult comes up now and again in this thread, those 624 pages are mostly us all hanging out and talking about our projects/progress/lack there of, so jump right in!

Welcome Nadia!

I think most of us know/interact with/relate to actual teens, so I admit, I don't ever think of writing them as writing an "alien species.

Also, from your descriptions of your parents, I think it's fair to point out that there are teens all over the world (and plenty in places where those same activities are still happening) and plenty of folks not writing contemporary YA stories (YA historical as well as many fantasy settings could have those same elements as well.)

While the challenge of writing a teen as an adult comes up now and again in this thread, those 624 pages are mostly us all hanging out and talking about our projects/progress/lack there of, so jump right in!

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I guess that talking about this for all these many pages would have been mental! Ahaha! (^▽^)

Nadia!

CoffeeBeans said:

I never go back to anything... I revised one older one for beta, and I have another I can revise with new notes... and I have loads of betas... so, that's all basically writing.

Right?

*crickets*

Cornwall looks amazing! Let's talk about Netz's trip!

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I'm going to be staying near Boscastle, which is a part of Cornwall I haven't visited before. The village made the national headlines fifteen years ago when it suffered an horrendous flash flood. It's also not far from Tintagel Castle, which is associated with Arthurian legend.

hi i havea question does age matter when wrting a story for YA ? some times i think i can do it but then i think i'm fooling my self i feel so old

no not at all

Did you just answer yourself? Lol. But you're right - no, your age doesn't matter.

Sage said:

Your age doesn't matter, as well as you're telling a story that teens would like to read, and you're telling it well.

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Your age doesn't matter, but the age of your main character does. For YA, I think we generally figure 14-18ish. Any older is pushing into the (struggling to be recognized as its own thing) New Adult category, and younger is usually MG.

Writing just isn't happening for me right now. I think it's partly because I'm still trying to adjust to my new schedule (basically working 7:30-7 most days), but also because I'm struggling to get into my new WIPs (yes, that is plural. I'm going back and forth between two, trying to see which one I can get the most into). I've been planning these stories for years, but now that I'm actually at a point where I feel ready to work on them, I'm stuck. Which is really annoying.

In other news: I found a place to live, and I love it! It's this little 3-bed house that was built in the mid/late-60s, and still has all the original wallpaper and counter tops and such. And it has a legitimate pantry! It's a little pricey, but I should be getting roommates in January.

The house-news is great news Bookgirl! A pantry sounds like an excellent bonus. I'm vaguely house-hunting in my neighborhood, and one had a butler's pantry off the kitchen (sink and a bunch of cabinets) and I never knew how much I wanted a pantry until that moment.

I don't know how anyone manages multiple WIPs, but hopefully they start behaving.

I think I'm ready to move on from my current WIP. I'm very disappointed because I wanted the MS to work out, but I feel like not working on it is not going to move things forward, and continuing to stare at it with little progress is a waste of time. I'm still beta-reading and doing some small edits on other MS, so that's something at least.

I'm also getting ready to start plotting for Nano. OPWFT, say someone has two competing ideas, and one is YA-contemp with a competitive reality plot, and the other is a YA Post-Apocalyptic. If one of these was to go the write-beta-query grind in the near-ish future, which would be more appealing market-wise?

I totally understand this isn't how it works, but I also have a ton of polished, completed MS that aren't what people are looking for right now, so I'd really love to be on the trend for a change.

I have been researching agents lately and two categories on the agents MSWLs struck me the most (but not right for my 'grounded' scfi MS >.<): LGBTQ anything spicy (maybe plus #dv #ownvoice...) and fantasy with non-western setting.

Since I have problems envisaging steamy gay scenes (romance is fine but sex...just not my cup of tea), I'm ignoring that trend and am plotting a fantasy with easy-to-confuse names and a young prince whose steamy scenes are constantly interrupted by older assassins. It will be a huge hit. Thou shalt have faith.

Haha I'm all for assassin-driven conflict.

*curls around pile of completed, polished MS like a dragon guarding a treasure horde*

Congrats, Screenscope.

Nadia, just make sure you are reading a lot of YA, and you'll be fine.

Glad you found a place to live bookgirl!

Bing, MWLs make me think I am too white and ordinary. But that's ok. I like reading the other stories, and there is still plenty of room for my tales.

Coffeebeans, I recently stopped midrevision on a project, and it was the best decision. I like what I am working on now, and what I will work on next. Maybe I'll get back to that project when I have a chance.

Sage said:

*mopes*

I feel like every time I get excited about writing/editing, I read a published book & realize I shouldn’t bother because it’s probably already been written before. The amount of ridiculous coincidences that are in books that share a plot element with mine...

Oddly the book I was thinking of doing for NaNo is an old idea that actually was meant to be a little derivative of a beloved series. I had described it to my writing group as that series but queer + X & Y. Then the series unexpectedly continued & did X & Y (but wasn’t queer, at least), so I gave up on it. But I've been thinking of it for NaNo lately anyway.

At least I can go in knowing what to avoid with derivative NaNo project since the similar book’s already been written. Take *that*, ridiculous coincidences!

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Shhhh you've always written well, your prose is fantastic. You will do NaNo this year and own it. So will I.

Aw, I hope you're all compatible, Sage.