The "Secret" Life of Teens
One of the most frequently asked questions of YA writers is - how do you get inside the head of a teen character? Talk like them? Know what they'd do? Wear?
Here's my easy answer to that question:
When I celebrated my 33rd birthday *a few years ago* Yeah I said a FEW. Those who equate a few with two don't count like I do. Anyway, when I turned thirty-three, I made it very clear I wasn't celebrating 33 but the 20th anniversary of my thirteenth birthday. I said it to anyone who asked how old I was and did everything short of getting a cake that said Happy 20th Anniversary 13.
That should tell you a little bit about how I think and why it's not so hard for me to write from the POV of a teen character.
Last night, I had my first chat on the JORT and it reinforced that, hanging out with a bunch of teen girls is little different from when I'm with my adult friends. Yes, yes there are differences of course. But talk to teens on the regular, like I do, and the largest difference (for most, not all) you'll detect is how we view issues/problems.
Teens tend to see them face on. Adults tend to turn them over sideways, back around and upside down, dissecting it from more angles.
That's the major diff and not even in all cases.
Last night, the girls and I chatted about relationships. We spent a good deal of time on the Chris/Rihanna spectacle, relating it back to how we saw it, Rihanna's decision now or in the future to stay with him and how we'd handle both our own and/or a friend's abusive relationship.
Pretty heady stuff, yet we had fun while doing it.
Since the C/R (fight?) many radio stations have cut his songs from the playlists. Truth is, it was probably time anyway. Evolution came out in '07 for God's sake. Why it took him being a public asshole for them to put a two-year old CD to rest is problem one with the industry. But I digress...the lack of play has not diluted his fan base. Not that I can tell, anyway.
Many callers to the radio stations, at the height of the spectacle, were female and most supported playing his music. From what I gleaned, they supported Chris the artist, not necessarily Chris the douche who beat up his girlfriend.
Yeah, you can separate the two in some cases. It's called reality.
I still like Chris Brown's music. Do I see him differently as a person, now? Yes. But until the whole story plays out it doesn't change that I like a good number of his current tracks.
My teen chatters felt the same.
They were disgusted and shocked by what he did. They all said Rihanna shouldn't go back to him. Felt like in a similiar situation they'd have no issue walking away the first time he hit them (which leaves for debate if this was the first time)and thought his image had taken a large hit. But, BUT no one said anything about not buying a future CD or terminating him from their playlists.
When Chris Brown went to court, there was a gaggle of girls out front squealing and calling his name. Some people thought this perplexing.
It's not. They're fans.
No matter how much the media attempts to saturate our brains with images of celebrity life and feed us every detail from what they had for breakfast to what items they bought their kid, I can honestly say that many of us - teens included - get it. They're just people. People who live a glamorous life, make shit loads of money and make mistakes.
The teens have spoken. Mystery unshrouded.
Here's my easy answer to that question:
When I celebrated my 33rd birthday *a few years ago* Yeah I said a FEW. Those who equate a few with two don't count like I do. Anyway, when I turned thirty-three, I made it very clear I wasn't celebrating 33 but the 20th anniversary of my thirteenth birthday. I said it to anyone who asked how old I was and did everything short of getting a cake that said Happy 20th Anniversary 13.
That should tell you a little bit about how I think and why it's not so hard for me to write from the POV of a teen character.
Last night, I had my first chat on the JORT and it reinforced that, hanging out with a bunch of teen girls is little different from when I'm with my adult friends. Yes, yes there are differences of course. But talk to teens on the regular, like I do, and the largest difference (for most, not all) you'll detect is how we view issues/problems.
Teens tend to see them face on. Adults tend to turn them over sideways, back around and upside down, dissecting it from more angles.
That's the major diff and not even in all cases.
Last night, the girls and I chatted about relationships. We spent a good deal of time on the Chris/Rihanna spectacle, relating it back to how we saw it, Rihanna's decision now or in the future to stay with him and how we'd handle both our own and/or a friend's abusive relationship.
Pretty heady stuff, yet we had fun while doing it.
Since the C/R (fight?) many radio stations have cut his songs from the playlists. Truth is, it was probably time anyway. Evolution came out in '07 for God's sake. Why it took him being a public asshole for them to put a two-year old CD to rest is problem one with the industry. But I digress...the lack of play has not diluted his fan base. Not that I can tell, anyway.
Many callers to the radio stations, at the height of the spectacle, were female and most supported playing his music. From what I gleaned, they supported Chris the artist, not necessarily Chris the douche who beat up his girlfriend.
Yeah, you can separate the two in some cases. It's called reality.
I still like Chris Brown's music. Do I see him differently as a person, now? Yes. But until the whole story plays out it doesn't change that I like a good number of his current tracks.
My teen chatters felt the same.
They were disgusted and shocked by what he did. They all said Rihanna shouldn't go back to him. Felt like in a similiar situation they'd have no issue walking away the first time he hit them (which leaves for debate if this was the first time)and thought his image had taken a large hit. But, BUT no one said anything about not buying a future CD or terminating him from their playlists.
When Chris Brown went to court, there was a gaggle of girls out front squealing and calling his name. Some people thought this perplexing.
It's not. They're fans.
No matter how much the media attempts to saturate our brains with images of celebrity life and feed us every detail from what they had for breakfast to what items they bought their kid, I can honestly say that many of us - teens included - get it. They're just people. People who live a glamorous life, make shit loads of money and make mistakes.
The teens have spoken. Mystery unshrouded.
posted by Paula at 7:34 AM
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