Stop Acting Like YA Writers Aren’t Real Authors ‹ CrimeReads

The bias against young adult literature has been discussed at length in the book community and within publishing circles. Adult readers who gravitate toward young adult fiction, in particular, have been the subject of Twitter arguments and clickbait headlines, making it necessary for young adult authors to have a response in their back pocket to preempt criticism of the YA category itself. Yes, I write for teenagers. No, that doesn't mean my books are dumbed down, or less sophisticated than those written for adults.

All of the above might be why I've found myself approaching the question about the difference between writing young adult fiction and adult fiction a bit defensively. Truthfully, though, my experience has been this: It is far more challenging to write a compelling and believable mystery novel featuring teenaged characters than adult characters.