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How can I find the right word or sentenc when I’ve a teen audience?

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Phoenix_Writer

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Hello Writing-Community,

To find the right word or sentence isn’t easy as it sounds in the first moment. You have to make a picture in the reader’s head. However, some words you want to use aren’t such a good idea when you have an audience who is 12 – 16 years old. Or did you know what’s a divan with twelve?
So, I would say you should write it as easy as you can. (Adults would enjoy this, too, wouldn’t they?) But with a picture in his or her mind. How can I do that?

Bye,
Phoenix_Writer
 

Bufty

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How can you pick the right words and sentences for teens to read?

You're a teenager yourself, so the answer is simple. Use your own everyday vocabulary.

Draw on the structures and words you presently use, together with the sentence structures and words you hear your friends using. :Hug2:

And read books of the type you wish to write.
 
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indianroads

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Write it as you want to. If your audience uses kindle, they can select a word and get the definition right away. Let reading improve vocabulary. Don't dumb things down for your readers.
 

Marissa D

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I have never understood why people think books for teens need to use simpler vocabulary and structure. For heaven's sake, many teen readers are in the middle of college prep and are trying to improve their vocabularies as they study for SATs and so on...and are reading classic literature in school. They don't need to be talked (or written) down to.

Respect your readers.
 

MythMonger

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For me, it's not so much about the reader as it is the character.

If my character was brought up saying "divan" she'd darn well say it in the narrative. :)
 
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blackcat777

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I never heard of a divan until I moved to Canada, and a dear friend exposed me to the splendor that is Plastic Bertrand. But that was a regional issue of language. ;)

Write it as you want to. If your audience uses kindle, they can select a word and get the definition right away. Let reading improve vocabulary. Don't dumb things down for your readers.

Definitely this. I'd also imagine voice of the character is important.

Reading widely in the genre to get a feel for what others are doing is always helpful.
 

frimble3

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Hello Writing-Community,

To find the right word or sentence isn’t easy as it sounds in the first moment. You have to make a picture in the reader’s head. However, some words you want to use aren’t such a good idea when you have an audience who is 12 – 16 years old. Or did you know what’s a divan with twelve?
So, I would say you should write it as easy as you can. (Adults would enjoy this, too, wouldn’t they?) But with a picture in his or her mind. How can I do that?

Bye,
Phoenix_Writer
Is your divan basically a couch? Then, 'They sat on the divan, watching TV' or similar, should do it. Unless it has some particular significance, or other factor that makes more detail necessary, that would probably be enough.
 

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Phoenix, do you read a lot of books in your intended age category?
 

Phoenix_Writer

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@Sage Yes, a lot. Particularly, Rick Riordan. But I also read Diary of a wimpy kid.
 

mpack

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Hello Writing-Community,

To find the right word or sentence isn’t easy as it sounds in the first moment. You have to make a picture in the reader’s head. However, some words you want to use aren’t such a good idea when you have an audience who is 12 – 16 years old. Or did you know what’s a divan with twelve?
So, I would say you should write it as easy as you can. (Adults would enjoy this, too, wouldn’t they?) But with a picture in his or her mind. How can I do that?

Use the word your character would use. Word choice can be a colourful way of showing a character. If you think it necessary, you can always show the definition contextually, or you can even lampshade a particular ten-dollar-word in some cases.

"I ordered the most elegant divan for the parlour," Aunt Millie said.
Uncle Ralph snorted. "Stop putting on airs. Catalogue called it a sofa, and you know it. 'Sides, we ain't got a parlour."
"Well, it will look nice in the tv room," Millie said.
 

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Those books tend to be aiming for a younger audience, Middle Grade rather than Young Adult, although Rick Riordan's stuff tends to be upper MG (10-12yo). You mentioned writing for ages 12-16, which would suggest a YA audience. Main characters would be 13-18 for these age groups.

If your intended audience is more MG, how do the writers you admire in the age category handle writing for that age? Read your favorites again, but with an eye for how those authors write to that audience.

If it is actually for teens, I suggest reading more YA with characters who are old enough to be in high school (regardless of whether there's a high school or not). Same thing as with MG, how does the author write to the teenage audience?
 

Bacchus

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Or did you know what’s a divan with twelve?

"I ordered the most elegant divan for the parlour," Aunt Millie said.

I realise that it's a very specific example, but here in the UK the first thing that the reader might wonder is why Aunt Millie is putting a bed in the parlour, but I don't think it's beyond the ken of any reader of any age to find out - especially when most have the whole internet at their fingertips...

Uncle Ralph snorted. "Stop putting on airs. Catalogue called it a sofa, and you know it."

...or to extrapolate meaning from context
 
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