As a young adult, you will face disbelief; this is a fact of life. Trust me, I wish it weren't. But believe me when I say, YOU ARE CAPABLE. If you hear "you're too young for that" or something similar, this article is for you. Young adults are generally stereotyped as naive and braggers, and this can be an obstacle when what we want most as writers is support. But life isn't always uphill, and that's okay! How would you grow if there were no challenges to overcome? Here's how you keep ageism at bay: 1. BUILD CONFIDENCEYOU CAN DO IT. You must have confidence to fight off ageism. You have every reason to be confident! You are trying and practicing, and that is all that matters.
IGNORE. People will always comment. Someone will think you are lying, bragging, just talking, anything. Ignore it all. The most important thing as a new writer is to keep your confidence up. What they say may be true, but in the beginning, the only one who will truly help you grow is yourself. USE RESOURCES. You do not have to face people you think doubt you and will not truly help you. Our generation and future generations will be more capable at teaching themselves to write than any other. THANK YOU, INTERNET! Any time you have a question, look it up! Use online writing support groups. You can even contact me! Read published books out loud. If you like how it holds your attention, and how the flow of the words sounds, practice until your writing feels and sounds the same. THINK AHEAD. Imagine showing all those people who didn't believe you your finished work! 2. AFTER YOUR CONFIDENCE IS BUILTRECOGNIZE. As a young adult, some of the first impressions we give, though negative, can be true. You must recognize what is true about you. When you recognize whatever it is, your approach to it will be more open-minded. For example, we are naive; we can't be extremely wise with our lack of life experiences. But, you can also recognize that everyone who has written was naive too at one point. No one begins knowing every little detail. You must not be angry that you are naive, but open-minded so that you can gain the knowledge to lose this status.
SEEK HELP. Ask other skilled persons for help and their opinions. Find those you trust (for me, this was relatives and school teachers). If you think they are not giving you their all because you are "too young," move to another person. Do not waste your time proving something to others, use time to improve. If you see patterns in these persons' behavior, return to growing on your own. When you believe you have significantly improved, continue seeking help from others.
SHOW. You are a young ADULT. You can act as much as an adult as anyone older than you. Be respectable, calm, and informative. When you show people what you are capable of, their ageist thoughts will melt away. If you find this nerve-racking, return after you have further built up your confidence. Above all, stay confident in yourself. YOU CAN DO IT.
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More InfoErin blogs because she wants to help other young adult writers and new writers. It's aimed to educate others on the writing and self-publishing process. If there is anything you'd like to know that she hasn't covered yet, please contact her! |