I spent the first three hours today being shadowed by a high school sophomore, Holly. She’s enrolled in a career class and needed to shadow a person in her chosen future profession. She wants to write science fiction or fantasy.
We talked about writing being one of the few professions you don’t need to hold a certain degree or reach a certain age to practice in. Holly has already recognized how difficult the field is to break into despite that fact. She said she’d like more support to reach her goals. People always point out that S.E. Hinton wrote The Outsiders when she was only 16 and Christopher Paolini wrote Eragon as a teenager, but they don’t always mention–or maybe even realize–that Suzy had guidance from her high school English teacher and Christopher had help from his parents, who published the book themselves. It would be extremely difficult (if not impossible) for most teenagers to write a full-length saleable novel while simultaneously going to school and amassing the knowledge needed to maneuver through the industry. That’s probably why it’s always big news when a child or teen is published successfully.
I took Holly with me to one of my Saturday morning critique groups. (This had to be more exciting than shadowing me as I sit writing for hours, I figured. 
) She saw other writers interact with my latest manuscript and help me fine-tune it. She may join this group or try to find a critique group specializing in science fiction or fantasy. Most people think of writing as a solitary profession, but Holly’s already recognized the role others play in an author’s career.
