dark_gaia91

i am sixteen years old and I am adamant about my writing. So, my question is, can you be too young to be a writer, and will people take you seriously even if you are young?

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Balmarog

I can't say anything from experience, but I don't think you can be too young. If you're looking to publish and they treat you like a kid, just get an older relative to submit it for you with your name on it.
Also if you submit your work to online magazines or similar media then they most likely would never learn your age any way.

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"Science again! I said science again!"
-Homestarrunner

RomanticRose

Age is no guarantee for being taken seriously as a writer. Dedication to the craft is more important, coupled with knowing how much you don't yet know.

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Mr Sci Fi

Are you too young to be a writer? No.

Are you too young to write publishable material? That depends entirely on you, based on how educated and well read you are, how serious you are about the craft, how you apply said craft, and where you submit.

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"The writer you envy today will probably have reason to envy you tomorrow." - Orson Scott Card

Starcrossed

Hi there, somewhat new to this site but this seemed an appropriate topic for one of my first posts.

I'm 15 and write on and off ever since I was about 10. I'm having another one of my sprees of obsessions with interests right now.. It's writing.

You say anyone can be a writer. True, but surely, surely the things that I write cannot compare to the knowledge of an experienced adult? If one simply knows more words than me, they can describe better.

If someone knows more about the world than me, they can write down more ideas from inspiration?

Any advice? Because simply, I can't see my small notes that I call stories comparing to anyone's here.

Non Serviam

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Thoughtcrime does not entail death. Thoughtcrime IS death.
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Starcrossed

Ha

One of those gifted people I guess.

Is your point that I should write stories that are appropriate for my age?

Great now I'm addicted. Refreshing this page every 30 seconds you know..

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Non Serviam

No, just write the best stories you can.

__________________
Thoughtcrime does not entail death. Thoughtcrime IS death.
http://www.theoddvillepress.com/html/download.html

Balmarog

Writing about things you know is always easier then writing about things you can only speculate about. Age can have some impact on this, but not always. Nothing bad will happen from doing your best.

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"Science again! I said science again!"
-Homestarrunner

Starcrossed

Alright. Guess I can't be a child prodigy and write books up to the quality of world famous authors

thanks for the help

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ClancyBoy

Get some practice in and accumulate as much experience as possible so when you're 30 or 40 you will be beyond awesome.

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"Mother Hitton's Littul Kittons wait for you down there. Little pets they are, little little little pets. Cute little things, they say. Don't you believe it. No man ever saw them and walked away alive. You won't either. That's the final dash, flash. That's the utter clobber, cobber." --Cordwainer Smith, Norstrillia.

CGymnast11

I'm 15 and I don't think that you can be too young to write. You still have veiws of the world and topics that others may not see.

dark_gaia91

cool. good advice. Another one of my problems here is that no one supports the idea of a young writer. My friends do not take me seriously. Like, in school at lunch, i sit at the table and write down a lot of things for my book. They all say to me "What are you writing?" and when i say "Writing for my book." all i get is jokes and taunts. I guess thats where it sorta stemmed from.

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VigorousMastication

Describing something well isn't just about the words that are used; it's the combination of words, and the images they create. There's also the rhythm of the sentence - does it flow, or does the reader stumble? Just because someone knows more words than you, doesn't mean their writing is better. There's a lot to be said for simplicity.

Of course, I think that anyone who even dreams of being a writer should first be an avid reader. Good writers do need a big vocabulary, though I think that other things - like grammar, and sentence construction - are equally important. That's just my opinion though, and nothing I've written has ever been published.

I think the biggest problem for young writers is actually emotional maturity. I think that to construct convincing characters, you need to have an understanding of other people. Younger authors are often too focused on themselves to observe the behavior of the people around them, and so their characters end up as stilted versions of themselves. Well, that or a Mary Sue. Flawless characters don't make for an entertaining story .

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My way of joking is to tell the truth. That's the funniest joke in the world.
-Muhammad Ali

Mr Sci Fi

Just pick yourself up a copy of "Meriam-Webster's Vocabulary Builder." You will have the most advanced vocabulary for your age, and your writing will seem a lot easier.

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"The writer you envy today will probably have reason to envy you tomorrow." - Orson Scott Card