- You know what it’s like to be a teenager. And this is going to come in handy if you write for teens.
- You write. That’s pretty damn awesome already. I mean, you could be out drinking alco-pops and partying, but you’re writing! Which is ace!
- You’re actually an all right writer. Some people will try and persuade you that teens can't write. Totally wrong! If you write enough, you’ll get better at it. Beginning writers of all ages don’t become literary geniuses overnight.
- You research the industry. I know so many teens who aspiring authors who really know the publishing business and what they want to get into. A lot of people don’t even research this!
- You’ve got heaps of time ahead of you to perfect your craft. Congrats on getting started early in life! You’ve got years of novel-writing ahead! (This should be uplifting, not depressing, by the way.)
- You know how to manage your time. You study, play sport, have a social life, part-time job and lots of family responsibilities. Teenagers are busy. And the fact that you’ve made the time to write is something to be proud of.
- You don’t let self-doubt stop you from writing. Being a teenager is a tumultuous time. Well, I mean, for me it is. And people probably put down your writing and you probably put down your own writing but you ignore it and you write anyway!
- You have important stuff to say. Just because people think that being a teenager means you don’t have value as a person, doesn’t mean they’re right. It means they have the intelligence of a hyena. You have worthwhile stuff to say. Write it.
- Did I mention that you know what it’s like to be a teenager? That means no old dodgy music references, outdated slang or anything else old in your writing. Unless you put it there on purpose. And you don’t talk down to teens!
- You’ve got tons of time to get published. You don’t have to do it right away.
What have I missed? Why else do teen writers rock?
