Sunday, January 11, 2009

I have been told that I write 17 year old characters rather well. For some reason, I tend to make my teenage main characters 17/18 years old, usually seniors in high school. I confess that I enjoy writing about that age the most. I feel as if I can get into a teenager's head more successfully than someone even a couple of years younger.

I find this an odd phenomenon because I have surpressed so much about that period in my life. I don't care to remember all the nasty details of my senior prom (where my friend's boyfriend danced with, and hit on, everyone but her) or what I wore when I went to homecoming by myelf. I have pretty much forgotten the details of high school. However, I realized recently, I've never forgotten those feelings. In fact, I still experience the utter confusion, the disorientation, and the seclusion of my teenage years on a regular basis. The difference is, I know how to handle them now. So, I guess that's why I can tap into the teenager's mind so well. I use things I have observed or heard about or can imagine as the premise of my stories, but the emotions that I put down on the paper, in one way or another, are all mine.

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