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by polymath » February 12th, 2010, 10:40 am
Middle grade readers have a burgeoning capacity to process and evaluate a text. One desirable and recommendable feature of middle grade literature is incorporating writing methods that present challenges without overwhelming middle grade readers' comprehension capacities. Interior monologue, indirect depiction of thoughts, and other forms of introspection do challenge that reader group. As a consequence, less of those features than in young adult or adult literature is more desirable. The same is true of show and tell; more tell, less show than in more mature audience literature. Figurative abstract concepts and open to interpretation passages as well are recommended for sparse use. Yet there's a treacherous balance between challenging middle grade readers and underestimating their capacities that postulates careful application.
One factor that makes a middle grade story successful and respected across reading age groups is how it teaches its audience to think and learn for themselves, just as successful writers learn to think for themselves.
On writing thoughts in middle grade literature, all the prescribed methods are used in varying applications by middle grade literature authors. Which ones to use are a matter of "teaching" readers how to interpret the text within the text by using consistent, readily understandable methods in relevant contexts. Deep and frequent introspective depictions require comprehension skills that are in a process of development for middle graders. A best practice is to limit the frequency and depth of psychic access, again, without underestimating middle grade readers capacity to process and evaluate that access.
Which method, quantity, and depth of thoughts is correct, is a matter of self-imposed rules that follow writing conventions of middle grade literature. This is the law of writing, there are no absolutes. There are writing conventions and principles that are a writer's obligation to determine to apply as self-imposed internal rules.
Last edited by
polymath on February 12th, 2010, 10:44 am, edited 1 time in total.
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