I’ve noticed something strange about YA authors: If you get a group of them together, they usually end up in a debate about who was the biggest geek in high school. They’re all vying for the title.
If any served as class officers or homecoming kings or queens, you’ll not hear of it. Of course, the general adult populace seems intent on putting any distance between themselves and the “in groups” of high school. (For you high schoolers not considered popular, rejoice. The popular kids are in the minority. You will be spending the rest of your life amongst the majority.)
What strikes me as funny about this is that publishers continually express a desire for writers who are “in touch” with teens, who are “in the know” on the latest trends and social choices, who are–in short–“in.” But most YA writers I know weren’t “in” in high school, less enough now as potbellied middle-aged people. And, in my mind, that’s probably a good thing.
Who better to write about teen angst than someone who has experienced a healthy dose? Who better to write about social interactions than someone who has spent a lifetime studying them?
Geeknicity helps. Who but a geek would be mulling over such things in middle age?