A few weeks ago, I interviewed author Sarah Holman. I'm happy to be part of her blog tour and have her here again with a guest post for young writers! Added to that, she's having a giveaway for her newest book! I have not read Brothers and Betrayal yet, but it looks like something exciting to check into!
Writing for Younger Readers
Growing up, I had a hard time finding books I wanted to read and that was one of the reasons I started writing. I wanted to create books that were full of adventure, excitement, and messages of faith. I wanted to write books that were written for kids that were between the ages of ten and fifteen that didn’t contain a lot of romance, violence, or non-Christian themes.
Too often in our culture, we give young people books full of subject matter that is better suited for adults. While there is nothing wrong with clean, God-honoring romance, a lot of young people really don’t need to be spending a lot of their days thinking about it. While some violence, especially while talking about events that really happened, is not an issue, a lot of young people just don’t want to read about it.
When I started plotting out the Tales of Taelis series, I wanted to write it with younger readers in mind. I wanted to create a series that would spark not only their imagination, but their faith. How did I plan to do that? Here are some of the things that I keep in mind while writing a book for this series:
Romance should not be the main focus of the book and if mentioned, be more hinted at then anything, not because it is evil, but so that kids have one series that isn’t saturated with guy-girl relationships.
Violence should be avoided for the most part. The heroes and heroines of the books should always try to make peace and take the most non-violent path. There are enough books out there that use violence; young people need to hear that there are other ways of dealing with issues.
Morals should be high and based on biblical standards. The heroes and heroines of the series should teach lessons through their actions and show the readers how to live according to God’s plan.
Adventure should be the key to every book. The journey that each character takes should capture the imagination of the reader and keep them turning the pages.
Those are the basic ideas that govern my Tales of Taelis series. Are you interested in reading them? You can find Adventures and Adversities here, or pre-order a copy of Brothers and Betrayal here.
Sarah Holman is a not so typical mid-twenties girl: A homeschool graduate, sister to six awesome siblings, and author of three published books and counting. If there is anything adventuresome about her life, it is because she serves a God with a destiny bigger than anything she could have imagined.
6 comments:
Hugs, Sarah. I am so excited about this new book. You are a dear. :)
Hi Sarah, I've just heard of you recently from Amanda, and read your story, "Waltz into the Waves". Very cute! I'd definitely love to read more of your books, especially "A Different Kind of Courage".
So do you consider writing a hobby, or a career that you would like to pursue full time?
Lovely post! And so encouraging. after reading both of the books in this series so far, I would definitely recommend it for younger readers without a thought. So glad for that!
Thanks, Amanda for sharing this on your blog!
Alicia, thank you so much!
Janell,
A Different Kind of Courage is one of my favorites.
I am currently a full time writer. I spend eight to ten hours almost every day, writing, editing, and other activities that have to do with being a writer.
Thank you, Raechel.
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