Happy Children's Book Week, everyone!
Last Monday, author Suzanne Selfors wrote a guest post on Cynsations titled "Why I Love Writing for Middle Graders." To explain why, she presented a classified ad:
Author Seeks Perfect Reader.
Should possess the following characteristics:
1. Is either a boy or a girl.
2. Is not distracted by hormones.
3. Thinks the opposite sex is rather annoying and doesn't require a story to have the slightest inkling of romance.
4. Doesn't say, "That's not possible" when reading about a mermaid living in a kid's bedroom, or a plant that can make a person fly.
5. Believes that a monster lives under the bed and really wants to meet it...
You can read her entire post here.
What resonated with me in Selfors's post is that this age group (usually) is not cynical. Cynicism kills the ability to fall headlong into a story. Nothing bums me faster than someone who thinks he's seen -- and read -- it all. Middle graders still have wonder. They feel joy at discovery. They like interesting surprises. They believed in kid wizards enough to read over a million words about them.
Those are readers I can get behind!
Why do YOU like writing for your age market? Do you write for pre-readers, early readers, middle graders, young adults, adults, or someone in between? Are there qualities in another age group that make those readers intriguing to you?
3 ate pie:
I love writing YA because anything is still possible, but tens wear their emotions right on the surface. They still have their idealism, but they're savvy enough to question the status quo.
They still have the confidence to do so, too.
Ahhh! Good point.
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