Writing in the young adult (YA) genre isn’t something I planned, it’s something that happened. The moment I finally caved in (to the voices) and began writing, all the characters who spoke to me were teenagers. To be honest, when I started my first novel, I didn’t realize I was writing in a specific “genre” because I was so focused on getting the story on paper.
I believe YA speaks to me for a variety of reasons. First, I have 5 teenagers (well, one is 12 but if you ever met her you’d understand why I call her a teen already) and a big part of my life is immersed in their world. Teen angst, confusion, drama, laughter and tears are all part of each week at our house. This keeps me really tuned into the young adult world.
Second, I mostly despised my teen years and thought constantly about being a “grown up”. All these years later, I find writing in the YA genre allows me to play in a teenage world, have some fun and experience things through my characters that I missed out on or had avoided completely. It’s been interesting to say the least.
Third, I feel a very strong connection to children and how important a role they play in our future. Almost everything I write has elements of fantasy woven throughout, some of which are a reality for many teens across the globe. So, in essence, there is a method to my madness; fiction that pushes the mind’s limits on what is possible. And who knows, maybe someday all this science fiction will become science fact. X-ray vision anyone?
