What Appeals to Young Readers Today?

And Advice to Young Writers (under 45)

What appeals to young readers (in their 20s & 30s) today? Here are some of my observations:

(1) Intriguing concepts - if you talk about truths no one else is talking about, or offer interesting solutions, or help people understand something better it will be much appreciated.

(2) Well executed writing - take your time with it & begin with the end in mind. Visualize what you want readers to takeaway from your writing. Even if you are a "pantser" and enjoy meandering like a gazelle through your writing, know generally what the pay off is that you are delivering to the reader.

(3) Honest writing - civilization as currently configured lends itself to lies, to say the least. (Just today I was looking at the many lies in the official story of Pearl Harbor, sigh!) Refreshing honesty from a reliable narrator is a hot commodity especially with young readers.

(4) Lingo of the day - try to keep updated on the latest slang, https://parade.com/1293898/marynliles/gen-z-slang-words/ because even if you don't use their slang, the words and phrases they've coined give insight into the their world

(5) Short and to the point - not long-winded; much is vying for their attention. Give headings, subheading and photos to help readers navigate the material.

Advice to Young Writers

Vigilantly guard your own interests. It used to be the job of the ghostwriter/editor/publisher to make sure nothing potentially harmful to the author or publisher got published. But beware that now they may be perfectly happy to let you write things that could potentially ruin your life to sell a few more copies.

For Example, don't mention drug use. This year, a well-known first-time author actually wrote in his memoir that they consumed an entire shopping bag of weed in one sitting and that illegal drugs gave him the ability to "clear the screen so [he] could see clearly." But far from demonstrating that ability, the drugs appear to have clouded his thinking to the point that he did not realize he was confessing to illegal activity! A surprising number of people have been deported, lost custody of their children, etc for forgetting the difference between something being culturally popular v. being legal. 

Personal healing is very important for all writers, but particularly anyone who grew up after 9/11. For the most part, our writing is only of value to readers insofar as it helps them in some way. This requires getting beyond oneself. 

Books by Ruiz like the Four Agreements & their workbooks can be very helpful in achieving this, https://www.miguelruiz.com/the-four-agreements.

And writing about one's own life and difficulties can be very healing in itself. The goal is to write from the inside-out, meaning from your heart because the truth is you have an amazing story to tell.

The trouble with many "jobbing writers" including journalists: they “can't get access to the insiders to get into the sacred places where revelations can emerge. So they have to rely on insiders.” —Lady Colin Campbell

The video below is a fascinatingly candid explanation, the BEST ever, of why Israel et al. can’t or won’t work it out (like the Beatles song below)—the view from the top of the pyramid.

Discussion of the Middle East begins at minute 12:00, her answer starts at 17:30: