Hi, all! I'm currently writing a novel in verse set at a northern Michigan lighthouse along the shipwreck coast. The main character is struggling with loss. It's middle grade historical fiction. I'm also playing around with a picture book about worry (so many kids are struggling with this now–even the littles). When I wrote Into the Shadows (a story of courage and loss set during WWII and based on true life events), I imagined it for 7th and 8th grade readers and aimed the experiences and content at that level. I was surprised that kids as young as 4th grade dived in. As a junior high teacher, I am comfortable and familiar with what they read. Readers this age want honest, challenging stories. They know when authors write "down" to them. For me, the age of the MC differentiates YA from MG, and choosing content is important. MG tackles tough topics. YA does so in a more sophisticated way and also has experiences that can push boundaries into more mature material. I am a firm believer that good stories will transcend a reading age down from its intended audience. That said, kids often read up in age, finding MC's younger than them less appealing, which reflects their desire to be doing things older kids do.
Jennifer, thanks for sharing your work in progress and what you're playing around with - ha, me too - and some about yourself, thoughts about writing for young people and what they read (I am still uncoffeed, what a sentence). I hear you loud and clear about audience here... I wrote about writing "up" to a young reading audience, but I don't think it made the final draft of this Writers Lab post -- I agree, though. And that young readers like to read about characters a bit older than they are. I agree about the age designations for different genres. I once had a conversation with Norton Juster who said he had lobbied for years to get publishers to put "all ages" on the covers of his books instead of labeling them with unhelpful age designations. I have not be successful at that. :> I protested when Countdown, I think it was, was labeled as for ages 8 to 12. What? I lost that protest. Publishers are selling into a market and that marketplace -- at least on paper -- is fixed. But kids read what they want to read, and my goal is to reach them where they are. Good luck with the novel. I am anxious to hear more about it -- xo
Hi, all! I'm currently writing a novel in verse set at a northern Michigan lighthouse along the shipwreck coast. The main character is struggling with loss. It's middle grade historical fiction. I'm also playing around with a picture book about worry (so many kids are struggling with this now–even the littles). When I wrote Into the Shadows (a story of courage and loss set during WWII and based on true life events), I imagined it for 7th and 8th grade readers and aimed the experiences and content at that level. I was surprised that kids as young as 4th grade dived in. As a junior high teacher, I am comfortable and familiar with what they read. Readers this age want honest, challenging stories. They know when authors write "down" to them. For me, the age of the MC differentiates YA from MG, and choosing content is important. MG tackles tough topics. YA does so in a more sophisticated way and also has experiences that can push boundaries into more mature material. I am a firm believer that good stories will transcend a reading age down from its intended audience. That said, kids often read up in age, finding MC's younger than them less appealing, which reflects their desire to be doing things older kids do.
Jennifer, thanks for sharing your work in progress and what you're playing around with - ha, me too - and some about yourself, thoughts about writing for young people and what they read (I am still uncoffeed, what a sentence). I hear you loud and clear about audience here... I wrote about writing "up" to a young reading audience, but I don't think it made the final draft of this Writers Lab post -- I agree, though. And that young readers like to read about characters a bit older than they are. I agree about the age designations for different genres. I once had a conversation with Norton Juster who said he had lobbied for years to get publishers to put "all ages" on the covers of his books instead of labeling them with unhelpful age designations. I have not be successful at that. :> I protested when Countdown, I think it was, was labeled as for ages 8 to 12. What? I lost that protest. Publishers are selling into a market and that marketplace -- at least on paper -- is fixed. But kids read what they want to read, and my goal is to reach them where they are. Good luck with the novel. I am anxious to hear more about it -- xo