Writing Middle Grade vs. Other Genres

I'd like to welcome back MG Author Kari Lee Townsend, who's been gracious enough to share with us her thoughts on writing middle grade as opposed to another genre.

What it’s like to write Middle Grade books versus Cozy Mysteries

 

Thanks so much for having me, Sheri. It’s great to be here. A big hello to all you folks in bloggerville J I’m here today to talk to you all about what it’s like to write middle grade books opposed to cozy mysteries.

For any of you who don’t already know, I am an author of two very different series. I write the Samantha Granger Experiment books about a teenage girl who touches a meteor and then takes on the powers of her cell phone, becoming a techno superhero called Digital Diva as she tries to find a way to reverse her “uniqueness.” I also write the Fortune Teller Cozy Mystery books about a fortune-teller in a small upstate NY town who uses her psychic gifts to work with the local detective to solve murder mysteries.

Both of my series are “tame” and appropriate for all ages and have fun, quirky characters, but the structures are different. When I’m in adult mystery land, the pace is slower and the focus is on solving the mystery. The books usually take place in a small town with a lot of fun colorful characters and an amateur sleuth playing detective. While with middle grade, the pace has to be much faster, filled with lots of action and adventure.

I am an at home mom of four children (3 boys and 1 diva). Their ages range from 8-16 which has really been a huge help to me writing wise. The biggest challenge for me has been in keeping the language authentic. My adult books have to sound like adult books, which let’s face it, is a lot easier for me since I am an adult J Where the middle grade books can be tricky. You have to be careful not to talk down to kids. They are a lot smarter than most people give them credit for. At the same time, you don’t want your characters sounding like an adult trying too hard to sound like a kid by using slang that will be outdated in a nano-second anyway.

Some of the best things I did to really get a feel for how kids talk and act is to watch Disney and Nickelodeon movies and TV series. Really listen to not only what the kids say, but how they say it. Many times I will read something in a MG book and think the piece of dialogue is a perfectly acceptable and correct piece of dialogue, but not at all something a kid of MG age would say. When in doubt, I ask my kids.

Really put yourself in the mindset of a 10-13 year old and carefully look at each sentence you write. Remember, it’s not just the dialogue we’re talking about. If you are in a kid’s point of view, then even the introspection, descriptions, analogies, etc. would all be from his or her pov. They wouldn’t describe the scene the same way an adult would. Save that for when an adult character is speaking in the book.

Lastly, don’t be too hard on yourself. It’s easy to slip up and think and talk and describe things like an adult because that’s what we are. Just make sure when you edit you look closely for those things. Ask yourself honestly, “Does this really sound like something a kid would say or do or think?” And then get a great critique partner to help you spot when something doesn’t sound quite right. Also, choose some kids from your target audience who read a lot and have them read it for you as beta readers.

Trust me, kids are totally honest and have no trouble pointing out your lamo parts that no kid would ever say or do...or at least mine don’t J

Good luck to you all. Happy reading and writing. To find out more about me and all my books, go to my website. www.karileetownsend.com

Thanks, Kari, for sharing your wisdom with us. And to top it off, she's offering up a First Five Page Critique of any MG or YA manuscript to one lucky Alleywalker!!

TO ENTER: simply leave Kari a comment below of why you enjoy writing either MG, YA, or both. Don't forget to leave your email addy. A winner will be chosen by Random.org and announced June 7th. There's plenty of time to enter, so tell all your friends. No extras necessary, but if you share via social media, just let me know in your comment with the link and I'll give a +1 for each, +5 for a blog post, +3 for sidebar. And yes, for this one you must be a follower. 

Thank you!! Have a safe and enjoyable Memorial Day Weekend! See you on Tuesday for PART 3 of the process of REwriting as I report on Progress.