How to Write Teen Fiction

06 | Be Original, Embrace Diversity, and Don't Just use Stereotypes

Hi Wattpaders! When forming a story, many things can get an author stuck. It is important to remember that your story is your own, and while others have written versions with a similar plot, you have not written your version. You haven't embedded the story with your own words and ideas. Once you do that, it is yours and no one else's. Adding different kinds of people can get you to connect to those who you haven't come across yet. It can make someone feel so special and see they remember your book when they think of their favorite books. It is a special connection that the author creates with the reader. Lastly, It is important not to use stereotypes. Adding special details for the characters in your story is essential to create their personality, but you don't want to add things that cater to society's view of those people.

Be Original

Focus on your characters: Your characters are an essential part of your story. They create the world your readers are excited to get into. These are the people we connect to and make us want to finish any story. Maybe you might consider spending more time on their personalities or background, making people obsessed with the story. Maybe they have flaws that your readers want you to overcome. Whatever the case, the people make the story because that is who is reading your story.

Plots: This is where people can get nervous. Plots get compared to each other all the time, which can make things hard for the writer to come up with something new. Stay on track regarding plot twists, your climax, the resolution, and intimate details. These things make your story different.

Don't waste time comparing: We know it's hard not to, but comparing your story to others only guarantees things not getting done. It is harder to write when all the things in your head are, "This isn't as good as Percy Jackson," or "This isn't as romantic as The Princess Bride." Keep yourself focused on your story, and you will be set. Read more on being original.

Embrace Diversity and Don't Just use Stereotypes

The world is filled with different people, places, and experiences. People feel proud to be something unique and different, and it is important to incorporate that into books.

A complaint people have when reading is that the cast of characters is not diverse enough. People want to feel seen and heard; without diversifying your characters, you can drive away from some readers.

It is impossible to make everyone happy with your story. Still, you can satisfy your readers by creating people who feel real and different, not just loaded with stereotypes Hollywood has created or society says fit in. If you consistently portray characters that are not authentic, it will put you in a negative light. Read more on these topics here. 

So keep these things in mind- write authentically, and the originality will happen, embrace a vast array of characters, and don't just use stereotypes to create people.