Young Adult Fiction: Writing from the View Point of a Teen When Youre Not Dialogue and narration

needs to be realistic and believable, but if you make it too real, it will be loaded with a bunch of ums, yeahs and likes, making it disjointed and hard to understand. Teens will toss the book aside and find a new one. Believe me, teens these days do not waste their time re-reading and trying to figure something out. They wont do it for a text book even if they have a test on the material the next day, so they certainly arent going to do it when it comes to reading for pleasure or reading a novel because it is required for school. Dialogue can reveal so much about a character in terms of his or her personality, mood, and how he or she feels about other people, so it is important to use dialogue to enhance your characters and the plot, but at the same time keep it authentic and relevant. John Steinbeck is a master when it comes to using dialogue to expose a characters personality and push the plot along. John Steinbeck is considered a realist and a regionalist because the characters in his novels could be mistaken for real people living in Central California in the 1930s. Every time I take a trip up north and drive through Salinas or Soledad, I cant help but peer out the window and picture Lennie and George from Of Mice and Men cutting across a field dotted with oak trees. You probably read Of Mice and Men in high school. Read it again. Its not a YA novel, but it is such a good example when it comes to how character traits and even back story are revealed through dialogue. Okay, so how do you write from the point of view of a teen? I have an advantage because Im a high-school English teacher. Six hours of my day is filled with teen speak. 1. Go someplace where high-school students hang out the mall, a high-school football game, etc. and ease drop. You wont believe the things kids say these days. Take notes. Watch how they interact with one another punching each other in the arm, high-fiving, giving knuckles these are great lead ins or lead outs for dialogue. Example: Good game, said Michael, raising his hand for a high-five. 2. Watch teen television shows and movies. Read teen magazines. 3. Read lots of YA literature. 4. Use slang, but dont use words that will date your book. For example, teens dont say narley, rad, or thats sick anymore. Words that do seem fairly timeless are cool, awesome, and sucks. I dont think those are going away any time soon. I use them a lot.

5. Hold back on profanity. Yes, teens use it all the time. I cant tell you how often I hear the f word when I walk through the quad at lunch, but it tends to be a turn off for publishers, and it makes your characters less likeable. I think these words and/or expressions are okay: hell, damn, damn it, Im screwed, screw you, crap, ass, that sucks, jerk, shit you get the idea. 6. Take time to remember what you were like when you were a teen. Think about your first crush. You were pretty pathetic and overly emotional, right? Teens havent changed much in that department. They are still incredible self-conscious and constantly worried about making a fool of themselves. They think they know more than their parents, but are extremely vulnerable and blurt things out before they can stop themselves. On top of that, they are extremely judgmental, gossipy, and sarcastic. 7. Narrative voice (what the narrator says and how he or she says it) is the most important thing you can give your main character. Voice gives each character a distinct personality. Is your character a bit abrasive or shy? Sentence structure and word choice are key here. 8. Having your character listen to hip hop, eat at a certain restaurant, or have a crush on an actor is a great way to show the age and interests of your characters, but dont name drop. Make up the name of a hot celebrity or singer instead of using Justin Bieber of Zac Efron. Retail chains can also go out of business, so make up the name of a store or restaurant or be less specific. For example: We ate at the most popular burger place in town. 9. Clichs are okay, but dont overuse clichs. These go out of style, too, and it may seem like youre trying too hard to sound like a teen.