Teen Writer's Part 3: The Advantages

As I mentioned in last week's post on teen writer's, I believe that for me the advantages of being a teen author outweigh the disadvantages. Here are a few reasons why it was my dream to pursue writing as a teen in spite of the cons:

• People often suggest to write what you know. For example, if you are writing about someone going through an abusive relationship, the emotions would seem more real to you if you had gone through one yourself. It would be a lot easier to write about a certain historic time period if you actually lived in that era instead of having to rely on research, wouldn't it? Research is a good thing, but experience is best. Although adults were at one time teenagers themselves, let's face it - it's different now than it was then. Sure, some of the struggles may still be the same, but the times have changed. Although there are some really great YA authors presently, there are still many YA books that don't feel "real". These books seem as if they were written from an adult's viewpoint of a teenager's life. However, teens have an "inside look" on youth, so we'll most likely be able to connect with our readers on a deeper level than many adults who write YA. For instance, it's been easy for me to establish my writing voice in the YA fiction book that I am working on right now. Why? Because, I'm a teenager. It's that simple. Writing in the young adult genre is most likely going to be believable as well as genuine if you are actually a teenager.

• We will have an early start in our career. Many of those who dream of becoming an author "when they grow up" don't find their name in print sometimes until late in their adult years, if ever. Does it hurt getting a jump-start? The possibilities are endless. As I mentioned in part one of Teen Writer's, why wait when you can begin now?

• As teenagers, we already have the ability and influence to reach out to the youth. I recently read a book "Do Hard Things" by 19-year-olds Alex and Brett Harris where they discussed how important it is that we don't sit around and watch our youth pass by when we have the power to change it now. You never know when the Lord will return. No, I'm not saying we should hurry and do everything on our 'bucket list' immediately while we're still young. But teenagers need to hear about God. Who best to reach out and understand teenagers than another teenager?

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Part 1, Part 2, & Part 3 Summary: With God on your side, there's no better time to pursue your dreams than in your youth (Eccl. 11:9). Many people may try to discourage you, saying that "you're too young" and "inexperienced" - but notice that in the Bible God often used the young and the weak ones to prove His power. However, you're not in a race. God may want you to enjoy your youth without having to be busy with a time-consuming career. But that doesn't mean you can't start developing your craft. Prepare yourself now! Especially if you feel as if God has put the passion in you to write, then don't procrastinate. As teenage writers, we have power to reach our broken youth and a lot of time to get a head-start in our career. Why wait?