Writing a novel that appeals to a younger audience takes a certain amount of finesse—especially if you are no longer in that age bracket! It is not easy to venture into the minds of young adults and, essentially, “relive” your own past.
6 Tips for Connecting With Teen Readers
At Inkitt, I am regularly in touch with published authors who are eager to share their experience and provide support to emerging writers. Let’s have a look at six essential tips they have shared with us when it comes to writing YA novels.
I hope you find them as useful as I did!
1. See the World Through a Teen’s Eyes
All public forms of writing are dependent on understanding your intended audience. As we age, we naturally tend to move past the problems of our youth. At least, we try to!
However, for a YA writer, it is crucial to see the world through the eyes of a teenager in order to connect with them on a personal level. In fact, drawing upon experiences, emotions, and growth that you experienced in your adolescence is an excellent way to begin writing with the teenage voice.
Teenagers live on the cusp between childhood wonder and adult responsibilities, and it is essential to put yourself into their shoes when writing a YA novel. What was your driving motivation as a teenager? What were some of your key moments of growth and how did they come about?
Teens tend to gravitate towards coming of age stories that give them hope for the future while acknowledging their current state of mind. By showing how our characters fall and pick themselves up again, we are giving teenagers an example for overcoming and growing in their own lives.
2. Identify Teens' Philosophical Questions
The teenage mind is a complex, tumultuous place, and most of us can relate to the confusion, hope, and the intense emotion that defines an adolescent’s state of mind. We’ve all been there—and that’s exactly what you need to draw on to connect with a teenage audience.
The beauty of YA literature is in its ability to define the emotions and changes that teens go through as they move towards adulthood. During this transition, teenagers find themselves searching for an identity and look for answers to questions like the following:
- What do I believe in?
- Why am I here?
- What purpose does my life have?
- Does anyone understand me?
- What is love?
- What do I want in my life?
- Who am I really?
Questions revolving around identity, mortality, and love occupy much of the teenage mind. In order for a young audience to relate to a novel’s characters, the quest of the author has to be all about finding emotional authenticity and understanding the philosophical questions that they are struggling with.
The key defining aspect of YA novels is answering the question of why the characters behave the way that they do—not just describing what they do.
3. Be Concise and Straightforward
Although teenagers tend to grapple with deep philosophical questions, they haven’t developed the emotional attention span necessary to stay interested in long, drawn-out storylines. Teens love excitement, and they want to be taken on a ride filled with ups and downs that relate to their own spectrum of daily emotions.
The trick to connecting with the YA audience is to stay short and concise with your writing. As you are developing a scene, ask yourself, “Does this drive the story forward?” If not, cut it out.
Every story needs a good hook, and developing a detailed outline for the journey that your novel will take is a important first step in keeping your YA readers interested.
4. Avoid Slang
We’ve all heard the slang language of teenagers going about daily life, and trendy new words seems to change as much as their outfits. And that’s the big problem with using slang.
On one hand, it might help the author relate to teenagers in this very moment, but on the other hand, in just a few years’ time, these words may sound awkward and out of fashion. The goal of a YA novelist is to relate to their audience in a timeless way by delving into the emotional nature of teenagers that remains constant, regardless of how society changes.
Outdated slang can cause your audience to struggle with relating to the characters in your story—which is definitely not what you are going for.
In addition, slang words are often regional in nature. The language used by those in a small southern town will likely be very different than the popular slang of a major west coast city. While it’s tempting to try and relate to teens using their own “language,” overusing slang can do your novel more harm than good.
5. Take Risks and Explore Darkness
The word “risky” often comes to mind when asked to describe the behavior of a teenager. Part of a teenager’s development is pushing the boundaries of what is right or wrong, safe and unsafe, and so on. A skilled YA writer is willing to dive into this intense maturing process and create a storyline that allows teens to experience these risks in a safe, controlled way.
By delving into the dark side of your character’s personality, you are creating a bond with the teenage reader who is likely struggling with the same feelings. Additionally, by seeing how the character’s negative actions or risky behavior affects them in your story, it gives teens an opportunity to learn—without taking part in the behavior themselves.
Without internal conflict, impulsive actions, and emotional turmoil, your characters are likely to appear flat and uninteresting to teen readers.
However, there is a fine line between acknowledging the dark side of your character and simply overdoing it. If you put too much angst into the story, you may come across as unrealistic, inauthentic, or trying too hard to create a “stereotypical” teenager.
6. Give Hope
Your teenage readers may very well be going through dark times, struggling with their emotions, or be in the midst of personal conflict. However, as a YA novelist, it is your job to take them on a journey that expands their mind and shows them that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. In many YA books, the overriding theme is coming to the conclusion that life is worth living.
Teenagers often have trouble reaching out for help, and for some, reading books can even act as a form of therapy. Stories with a positive message can give hope to your readers when they need it the most, and it can help give them the tools they need to conquer even their worst days.
Now, nobody’s saying that your YA novel has to be all roses and sunshine. After all, exploring the dark side of life and defining common adolescent struggles is a core aspect to this style of writing. YA writing is about the journey, and having a direct message that guides your readers through the darkness is what makes a truly memorable novel.
Tap Into Your Inner Teen
If you’re ready to start writing a YA novel, there are many things to keep in mind while translating your idea onto paper. By connecting to the emotional state of the teenage mind, you can develop an authentic voice for your characters and connect on a deeper level with a younger audience.
Keep things simple, find your message, and let the power of your words take your reader on a journey to self-discovery.
What strategies do you use to write stories that connect to teen readers? Let me know in the comments.
PRACTICE
Take fifteen minutes to try your hand at writing a story for teen readers. Here's your prompt:
“He was finally home. And although he did enjoy the ride, deep down he knew he’d never embark on such a journey again and risk losing everything.”
As you write, keep the following essentials in mind:
- What was ‘the journey’ about?
- Try to focus on a teenager’s thoughts and feelings: why do they feel this urge to try new things that are often not approved by their parents?
- Being back in a place that truly feels like home: think about the process through which a teenager reevaluates what ‘home’ is, tries to set their own rules, tests—fails—and evaluates once again.
When you're done, share your story in the comments, and be sure to leave feedback for your fellow writers!
As a teen reader and author, I totally agree with you about avoiding slang. The worst YA books I’ve read were ones where the author tried too hard to make his characters sound like teenagers. They ended up being caricatures, like the stereotypical teen girl on sitcoms who says “like” more than any other word. If an adult wants to write teen characters, they need to listen to teens in everyday life. Our language is different, but it’s not always riddled with slang and curses.
I also always appreciate it when an adult author can make his teenage characters mature. Teens don’t always get enough credit in that area. Whether or not you like his books, John Green did a great job of that in The Fault In Our Stars.
Above all, if you take the time to listen to teenagers, you’ll get a chance to get into their heads. They usually have a lot to say. 🙂
Thanks for reading and for your comment 🙂
This is encouraging, violinist. My biggest fear with my YA novel is that my protagonist may come across as too mature. I see now that is simply her character. There are mature teens in real life, too.
A post worth reading for all children’s authors. I wholeheartedly agree with the comments from “The magic violinist.” My favorite point that Eleanna made was to find “emotional authenticity.”
I read “Need” by Joelle Charbonneau and “Panic” by Sharon Draper last year and they are both exemplary in terms of exploring dark subjects. I recommend parents of teens read both of these books before sharing with their young adults.
When you mentioned that reading can be therapy, I was cheering, because we librarians often use the word bibliotherapy. We are trying to find the right book for the reader in any situation, but especially we want to help a reader who has a concern in his/her life. Thank you for writing this guest post for us children’s writers and readers. You are “write on!”
Hi Beth, thanks for reading and for your comment! It’s great to receive such positive feedback 🙂
Speaking as a teen, I have to say I disagree with #3. Excitement and fast paced plots are very enjoyable to read, and there are quite a few books of that nature on my shelves. But I also read Crime and Punishment at seventeen and loved it. Like any other demographic, teens are individuals with unique tastes and preferences. My advice to adults writing novels for teens is don’t think you have to jam pack your books with action to make it appealing to YA readers. No matter what your story is, there is a teenager out there who will love it!
Thanks for your comment! You definitely have a point there. Although I do believe it’s true that younger audiences tend to prefer faster paces and stories with more action, it doesn’t mean it’s the same for every YA reader. And like you said, authors don’t need to overdo it, this could actually have the opposite result – same as with any element that is exaggerated. For sure, it’s not an ‘ingredient’ which is enough on its own to make a great YA novel.
I was a young, shy, awkward teenager. Sensitive as well. I write children’s books for now. Not sure if I will be writing for the teenage audience soon. It is possible. Thank you for this article.
Why not? There’s a first time for everything and it sounds like you’d have a story to share that teenagers could easily relate with. We’ve all been there – especially when it comes to being (or feeling as if you’re) awkward. I’d say go for it 🙂
Thank you for reading!
Awwww, you flatter me…..thank you….I agree.
Elanna has a point. What’s the worst that could happen? You get some practice in and write a story no one else ever reads? What’s the best that could happen? You write an international bestseller that gets made into a movie and has people saying, “J.K. who?” Reality probably lies somewhere between those two extremes.
you know you’ve written REALLY motivational lines right here. gonna write this in my diary.
You love making me blush, don’t you, sameema?
Great advice. I think # 4 is one of the most important. Slang and trends change seemingly on a daily basis. For that reason, it’s also good idea to stay away from popular culture references that might date the novel by the time it see press.
For example, I had a few references to the band My Chemical Romance in a YA WIP. Since that early outline, the band had since broken up and the references would have no real affect on a teen reading it today.
My WIP is a YA novel. The prompt made me think of the antagonist, who is an adult.
* * *
He was finally home.
Home.
That word had never meant much to him. As a child, “home” was the place dad got drunk and beat him and his brother. As a teen, “home” wasn’t anything. It certainly wasn’t a place to run from, since no one cared if he was there or not.
“Home” might have been the streets. He’d lived there for four years. They were certainly more “home” to him than the shelters. None of his foster homes had been home.
But now he was home. At least, he was here. It was odd to think he owned a mansion in the mountains and hardly ever went there. He spent most of his nights in the finest hotels in the world, but this small warehouse was home to him. It was where he belonged. It was the only “home” he had ever known. This was where the money was made. Not in palaces where whispered deals were made and hands shaken. No, this warehouse – the treasure trove of his unique merchandise – this was home.
He caressed his newest addition. It was sleek and white, hardly bigger than a briefcase. Yet it was capable of killing millions. It was more than a simple atomic bomb. In addition to a thermonuclear explosion, it was designed to produce a cloud of radioactive fallout that would make its target uninhabitable for decades, possibly a century or more.
And if the Sultan agreed to the price, this Cobalt Bomb would surely find a target.
The thought made Vincent smile.
This is exactly what I want to do when writing for cartoons. The mix of straightforward yet containing depth in a positive hopeful message is all I want to achieve with my writing and story boarding.
”He was finally home. And although he did enjoy the ride, deep down he knew he’d never embark on such a journey ever again and risk losing everything and everyone he ever loved.
He lay himself down and closed his eyes, as soon as he did, he saw her. Her laughing eyes turning terribly scared, her body trembling with fear in the horrid darkness. His vision sent shivers down his spine. He opened his eyes suddenly, he didn’t want to see her like that ever again yet every time he closes his eyes she’s there screaming in pain.
All of these thoughts ran through his head “I need to see someone so that I can go and talk to them about her’, “I need to go see her. I want to go see her. I just can’t leave her like I did, she needs me…”. he made up his mind. He was going to see her.
He grabbed his coat and boots since it was still frightfully cold outside and then he walked to the door grabbed his keys and stepped out into the cold morning air. He ignored the stares of his neighbores knowing that he looked like he felt. A complete wreak. He hadn’t slept in two nights, nor brushed his hair or changed his blood stained clothes. The drive to the hospital was good so he could think of what to say, to sit or stand, to hold her hand or not, to hug or kiss her.
He walked into the hospital and asked the lady at the information desk for Indigo Zackery. The lady looked up at him and said ‘not like that you’re not’, ‘here come with me and we’ll get u some better clothes’. I looked down and nodded. We walked down to a small room where the lady parsed him some clothes, a white top and gray pants. ‘thank you’ he spoke in a quiet voice.
‘floor two, room 266′ said the information desk lady and walked away.
He dressed and found his way up to her room but stopped outside, took three deep breaths and walked in.
There she was, connected to so many tubes and wires. With all her cuts stitched up to make scars. She wasn’t on life support and you could tell she didn’t need to be, her every breath strong, her every beat so loud. Her figure laying on the white hospital bed brought tears to his eyes. He walked over to her and sat in the chair right next to her bed so he’ll be ready for when she wakes up. He sat and looked at her beautiful wreaked tired face, trying to remember her wonderful smile and laugh.’
I am 13 and I haven’t written for long and this is the first story I’ve written that I’m truly happy with. Any tips or comments would be appreciated !!.
Avoiding slang as a general rule is a good idea because these words and there associated meanings change too. The only thing I would add is that sometimes slang words give colour to a character. A veteran of WW1 for instance is going to call his friends ‘cobber’ because that was the slang term for friend when he was young and he’ll continue to use it.