I want to write a book for teens. Would you read it or your teen read it?

Question

basically i want it to be about being yourself while dealing with the drama and peer pressure of school. a girl moves to a new town and shes beautiful and wealthy. well the popular girl doesn't like and tries to get her to turn her back on her friends when seeing that she wont turn her back on her friends the popular girl decides to ruin the girls life. im not sure how i want to end it but what do you think

i only have a basic outline

its not like all the other books i promiseit has a couple of twists in it

Answer 1

I think the idea is reasonably good.

I'd say just make sure you put in something to really make it interesting, since there are so many books out there that deal with the same issues. Your book should be like them, only better and should have something they don't.

Also think of a good catchy title. Alot of times the title will make or break what a teenager will read or not.

I would probably read it. I love books like that. :]

Answer 2

Your story outline isn't unique, it has been done thousands of times before--in fact there are probably over a dozen each year published with that basic outline of new girl vs. popular girl...and throw in wealth and jealousy and you've got the "typical" teen book which is readable but forgettable. To make it UNFORGETTABLE and really stand out from the crowd, it takes a unique writing style that the others just don't have. You've got to make it special. Got to make it your own. Do not copy what has been done. Seriously. It won't help you sell it to publishers or readers. You might be able to spark up an interest with your friends and peers by writing an imitation style novel, but libraries won't buy it and I don't know how well the chain bookstores would care about stocking it either. Write for yourself. Focus on the writing and not the selling.

As a reviewer and a librarian I've read hundreds of books with similar plots, but only a handful stand out as quality. The rest are just okay--not a total waste of trees--but not something I'd go out of my way to recommend to others.

So don't be too anxious to 'sell' your potential novel which is just in its barest forms...and focus on the craft of writing. Slow things down and work on perfecting your craft before you try to build an audience. Write, let it sit for a while, reread it, edit it, rewrite whole portions of it if need be to get it right. Editing and revision is part of the process too. Probably the most important part--discerning what is good and bad about your own writing.

Answer 3

I hate to tell you, but telling someone the story line of your book is not a good idea.
First of all, it dampens your enthusiam to really write it.
Second, it gives other people good ideas.
Most importantly, the story line is worthless without the craft of the writer.
Let me explain: Would you read a book about a girl and a guy falling in love and having a few problems? You might if it was "Cinderella" or "Beauty and the Beast," but you might not like it if it was "Romeo and Juliet" or "Jane Eyre."
The WRITING of a story is the hard part. Coming up with a story line is easy. Choosing which words to say and how to move the story along is what makes a writer a writer.
My best advice? Write your story exactly the way you want to. Take classes. Call the library to find a writing group in your town. If there isn't one, start one. Read your story--after you are finished, to any trusted person who will sit still. Make changes if you WANT to. Do not write for publication--write for you-because you must.
If you don't have to write-do something else-writing is hard.
Write down every idea you have- and don't tell a soul, until it is done.
Good luck.

Answer 4

If you just want to address this (valid) issue, you could start with a short story and maybe publish it in a school paper or a "fanfic" forum, to start with. You need to have a better understanding of writing style, grammar and spelling for it to really benefit anyone. Also, it's best to write from your own experience, unless you do a lot of research. Even popular authors do this. For example: Stephen King usually writes about people and events in his native Maine.

There are many other books already out that deal with this problem. Yours might be unique, but you should go on line and/or check the library for other, similar concepts.

If your book is well-received in local or informal circles, try taking some writing courses and submit your work for evaluation by teachers, peers and professionals in journals such as Writer's Digest. You will learn what common pitfalls to avoid as a new writer.

Another thing all new writers should do is READ, READ and READ some more! Try to find writers in that genre, such as Dickens, Jane Austen and Alcott. "Little Women" deals with the issue you raise, among others faced by teens of all eras.

Personally, I think students today are so deluged with "the latest thing", that is, books written specifically about their "issues", with not much literary value, that it's time to head back to the classics. I often protest (to the school) some of the books my kid (now 16) is told to read, as they are not really "academic" in nature. When I home-schooled my child during 4th grade, I refused to let him count the "Harry Potter" books as academic reading, but as extra credit or recreational instead.

Good luck!

Answer 5

Well to be honest, it sounds kind of unoriginal, but it does have an interesting twist on it. I think tweak it a little, like make the wealthy girl not be able to get in with the popular girls or something, because she's so wealthy. I don't know, use your imaginiation and i think it could be great.

Answer 6

This is a very light outline and a plot which I could say has been done 100 times before. You have to give the story a twist of plot line that differentiates it and makes is special.

Elaborate on the "being yourself" part - do you have further ideas/details…

Answer 7

As a reader, I can say that I probably wouldn't read it. It's nothing against you or your writing, I just don't read many books like that. I tend to read more of the classics, and I'm not particurally into that type of books.
As an (Unpublished) writer, I say go ahead, because that's what a lot of people like to read. But don't write JUST about what people want to read. Write about what you like. Whether your book is succesful or not doesn't always matter in the long run.

Answer 8

I think i would read it the ending should be that the popular is so jelus that she kills the rich and beautiful girl!

Answer 9

u pretty much told us the whole story. why don't u just give us the name of the book and ending and we can end this conversation here

Answer 10

yes i would read it.. and if i had a teenage girl im sure she would read it also...i think that teens do need to realize to be who they are and no one else!