First of all, our list for the Critique Partner Blogfest is growing, but there’s always room for more. If you’re looking for someone to read your work, or if you’re looking for something new to read, check it out ^_^

A critique got me thinking about something today. It’s not the first time I’ve heard this in a critique, but it’s not something I hear often. And even though it was directed at the writing, I suspect it’s more a comment about me than my stories.

I…don’t think I sound like an adult. I don’t mean my voice, though I wouldn’t call that mature either. I mean the words I use, the way I structure sentences, the way I react to things around me.

The comment that got me thinking about this was “but since this is YA…”

Except the story they’re reading isn’t. Because I don’t write YA. Not because I have a problem with it, but because those aren’t the stories I tell. But when I look at the voice in the story, I can see why the conclusion was drawn. My characters don’t talk like adults either.

My first reaction was to defend the writing. Because I think that’s a gut instinct for all of us. To say “I know my main characters are in their late 20’s, but they’re still single and they operate in an industry that changes on a daily basis. Keeping current in software development requires a certain mentality…”

blah, blah, blah, excuse, excuse, excuse.

I should probably look at correcting it somehow. Except I don’t know how. You know how we’re always hearing ‘find your voice, and write with it’. Making my characters sound more mature…it’s not something that comes naturally to me.

Or maybe that’s an excuse too. I’m going to be pondering this for a while.

Can a ‘younger’ voice in a story ruin the entire thing if it’s not a YA story?