Sometimes it’s hard to remember all the emotions, feelings, and concerns that young teens have. Times change, attitudes change, technology changes, but some things remain the same. A wise author taps into universal truths to write a compelling story that resonates with readers.
Consider the Concerns of Your Audience
It’s not enough to care about teen and preteen readers. To reach them, authors must connect. Young readers want to know that the things they care about are being addressed.
Ask the teens in your life what they’re worried about. The issues today’s teens deal with seem far from what previous generations faced, but commonalities exist. The same threads are woven throughout coming-of-age stories, because all people go through some predictable processes, experiences, and emotions as they mature. There are variations but there are just as many, if not more, similarities. The trick is to translate past experience into material relevant and accessible to today’s readers. Stretch yourself and find the connection, a way to relate to what your audience is going through right now. Dig deep, draw on the experiences of your own adolescence, and make specific applications to the best of your ability.
Talk to People
If an author chooses to ignore the concerns and fears at the forefront of their audience’s mind, they risk a disconnect. If you’re unsure or unaware of the issues, start a conversation with a favorite teen or two (or three). Teenagers are not always the most forthcoming of conversationalists—depending on who they’re talking to—but give them a chance to express themselves by going to the source first, your target reader. Listen to what they have to say. Then, ask teachers and youth counselors what they feel are the most important issues facing young people today.
Have a Sensitive Heart
Once you’ve found an issue you want to address, approach it with sensitivity, caring, and compassion. No one wants to be preached at, talked down to, or lectured. This is true no matter the age of your audience.
Make good use of beta readers and critique partners. Ask them to look for places that are preachy or heavy-handed. Enlist the help of a sensitivity reader when needed.
Be Authentic
Everyone has been disappointed, suffered a loss, felt misunderstood, felt lost, failed, been embarrassed, and so on. Without authentic emotion, it’s difficult for a reader to become invested in a story. The saying is true, No tears in the writer, No tears in the reader. Don’t be afraid of powerful emotions. Capture them and put them on the page.
Go Beyond Surface Research
Understand the culture and attitudes of your audience, going beyond the surface. What’s popular today may be obsolete tomorrow. Points of view, ways of seeing the world, and cultural influences can have more of a lasting impact than trends. It’s important to know where people are coming from, how they interpret their environment. If an author doesn’t understand their intended audience, they aren’t likely to reach them.
If your story is contemporary, by the time it goes to press current fads may have fallen out of fashion. Stick to describing details that will remain the same for a few years or longer and avoid anything trendy. On the other hand, if you want to date your writing, use details firmly establishing your story in a particular time period.
Keep your eye on the prize. Writing for young adults is a calling. It’s an opportunity to have a tremendous influence on the future and change lives with the potential to have a lasting impact.
Donna Jo Stone is an award-winning author of young adult contemporary and adult historical fiction. She writes about tough issues but always ends her stories on a note of hope. Her novels are about common struggles and finding the faith to carry on through those battles.
The first book in Donna Jo’s young adult series is scheduled for publication in 2025, and her adult inspirational novella, Book Five in The Apron Strings Series, will release in May of 2024. You can find out more at donnajostone.com.
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