How Reading Outside Your Genre Can Help Your Writing

I try to always be reading a middle grade or young adult book (since these are the two age groups for which I write). Reading widely in your chosen age group and genre is essential for anyone who wants to be a published author. This way, you can see how successful (published) writers tackle subjects and get examples of writing that resonates with the target audience.

As I mentioned in my last post, though, my family just completed a cross-country move. During the weeks of disruption, I really needed some comfort reading—something I didn't have to think about or analyze—so I turned to several of my favorite dog-eared women's fiction novels.

It was surprisingly enlightening. Even though these books were obviously written for adults, with plenty of bad language, violence, and even a sex scene or two, they shared many elements with my kidlit favorites. The writing is spare, without any unnecessary words or overly flowery descriptions. Witty asides are just as funny for kids as for adults. And my favorite characters were fully developed, with believable motivations and understandable reactions.

I'm going back to my writing with a renewed sense of what's important. Although I'm going to be switching back to MG/YA for a while, I'll try to read outside my usual age groups more often. Good writing is good writing, no matter where it's shelved in the bookstore.

YA is NOT Dumbed-Down Adult Fiction

Last week, it was announced that Dan Brown is currently working on a special YA version of his mega-bestseller The Da Vinci Code. As you can imagine, this sparked a lot of conversation—much of it incredulous.

It isn't clear exactly what will be different about the YA-specific version of the book, other than the fact that it will be "abridged." What does that mean, exactly? Hard words taken out? Sex scenes removed? The religious/historical aspects toned down? All of those can be found in YA novels, so the whole concept has many people confused.

In the interest of full disclosure, I wasn't a particular fan of the original. But the idea of changing a book that's perfectly readable for young adults (I was nineteen when I read it, and I know plenty of people who were younger!) is just insulting.

There's a pervasive attitude that young adults aren't smart or sophisticated enough to understand adult fiction. This couldn't be further from the truth. Sure, there are plenty of simple, uncomplicated books in YA... but just like adult fiction, there's a whole range (surely no one's going to argue that most category romances are dense or difficult to understand?). YA novels often feature beautiful, well-written prose, plenty of literary devices, and complex social and moral issues. Show me someone who thinks all YA is simplistic, and I'll show you someone who hasn't read widely in the category.

Time will tell if young adults flock to the "abridged" version of The Da Vinci Code like Brown and his publisher are hoping. But I think I'll stick to YA written by people who don't talk down to their audience.