First off, let me admit to the fact that I myself am a young adult writer, though I target more mature audiences with my fanfictions and such. I do however write small short stories of teenage ideas and themes.
Second, part of me is ashamed to be put under that category because of some of the negative connotations behind the term.
I posted a status a few days previously that stated no writer should be ashamed of their work, which I firmly stand by. No one should be discouraged to post a piece of their creation because of a social 'norm.'
The young adult literature of today, and there are always exceptions but I will not post examples of these exceptions, are lacking original plots. The twists are all the same. Time and time again I see the same bland female protagonist, with that one quality that makes them stand out from the rest, slowly fall in love with the amazingly attractive teenage boy whose past is unknown or shady. While I'm not condemning these cliches, I think it's time for some fresh ideas, don't you think?
I want to see more themes of pirates, or ninjas, or spacemen. I want to see more male protagonists with a mission in life that they actually stick by and not fall in love with the mysterious red-head that suddenly appears in their life. I want to see more children under less-than-acceptable circumstances finding the parents of their dreams. I want to see more stories of friendship and brotherly love, not teenage romance.
I want the stories that help me transition into the more adult themes, of murder and mystery, death and depression, grief and hatred. The harder topics that no one wants to write about. I want the real stories, not the ones everyone uses to escape the world.
Yes, I do use literature to escape the stressful world that I live in. I'm not saying I don't. We all do, just admit it. What I want is a more believable escape. One that isn't all fairytale and happiness and inevitable romance. I'm not 10 anymore. I'm 18 with the knowledge and intuition to know when things aren't exactly what they seem.
So, to the authors and authoresses or my generation, and even those after me, please. Write the things that are hard. Write the things that make me wonder if my views on life are the right ones. Write the stories that make me want to convince others of their validity and defend myself over. I want to be able to be surprised, I want to cry, I want to laugh, I want to be embarrassed because of them.
I don't want to be seen as the young adult with the mind that's stuck in a fairy land. I want to be seen as the author who brings to life a not-so-perfect world that others would want to live in because even though the world, real or not, isn't ideal it is still a world and you should always find the good things.
Write something others would see as weird. Write the bizarre, write the strange, write the controversial. Make me proud of the generation of writers I belong to.
With that, I declare that I am proud to be a young adult writer because I wish to shape a generation that I hope will change and shape the minds of those after us. I want to help change the world a little, even if my only weapons are my small words.
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