Why I Think the World Still Needs These Heroes...

I hear it a lot: "I'm so sick of reading about 17-year-olds who save the world."

And I get it. I do. As an adult especially, reading about a teenager going through all the things a teenager should be going through, then adding in the weight-of-the-world stakes that many of our YA protagonists take on can feel... a bit redundant, and unrealistic, as well. 

But here's the thing. I really do think that our world, our teens (and even our adults) still need this kind of hero. We still need to read the kinds of adventures that these teen protagonists go on, and here's why. 

Teens, young adults (and heck, even full-fledged adults with steady jobs and mortgages) go through a lot. Your teen years and early adulthood is full of change and turmoil. Add in hormones, finding first loves (and potentially losing them), and stepping out into the world on your own, and it can feel like you've got the world on your shoulders. Everything depends on you. Everything is your responsibility. And what happens if you don't succeed? Well, I think many of us out here shudder at the thought. 

But then we read about those seventeen-year-old protagonists who rise up against all odds. They often don't want the challenges and obstacles that are thrown their way, either. They face demons (often literally), walk through fire, and look armageddon in the face and say, "You're nothing."

All of a sudden, our own challenges, especially in our teenage years, don't seem so frightening. They don't feel so momentous. We find solace in the misery of the characters we relate to, because we have faith that they will overcome. In turn, I think that makes us in the real world actually more resilient. We become better problem solvers. We're able to compare our breakups to so-and-so's battle with a demigod.

We measure our successes up to those our characters achieve. 

Above all, these young, resilient characters, help us realize in times of rapid-fire change that we are not alone. That although we're reading fiction, it really could be worse. 

I think our world still needs these young fictional characters to show us the way. To show us that we can survive, and thrive, against all odds. That we can overcome, too.

Thank you for reading! I had this discussion with my husband today, and I felt inspired to write about it and share with you! If you like the image above, thank you! I drew it. It's a depiction of the main character in the Bound Trilogy, Lane, in one of the final battles. And yes, she is 17!

​Keep writing. Keep reading. Stay awesome, and I'll see you soon.