Treat Your Readers with Respect

Even my children do not like being treated as children. I have found them wanting literature aimed at their level, but the stories they consider good have a challenging presentation that I often even find enjoyable. The story might be for children and about children doing fantastic things only a child might believe possible, but the narration does not itself sound childish.

I have encountered a few manuscripts where the author wrote in a 'homely' manner. The text sounded like someone speaking to a child. While such a style might work in a short story, as a novel the format gets old quick. The narration sounds as if the writer is 'talking down' to the audience, which tends to feel demeaning. Definitely focus your style of writing to your audience, but treat them with respect.