As I've noted in previous posts, I am in the midst of writing a Young Adult science fiction novel. It's my first attempt at a novel-length science fiction story (but writing's writing, right?). I'm fairly certain that the story is good, and my prose is passable. However, I have been pondering something recently, and I haven't come across an answer yet.
Lately, my thoughts have been anchored to the idea of language. I'm not talking about foul language or anything like that; I only swear occasionally and those sorts of words are used even less in my writing. No, I'm talking about advanced words. With a YA book, I find that I have to be careful not to use words that might fly over my intended audience's head. Or at least that's what my editor has told me.
My problem is this, though: I think that advanced word usage is helpful to younger readers. If the story is interesting, and the context is clear, why not use complicated words? Why shouldn't my readers think? Why can't their vocabularies grow as a result of reading my work?
I contend that they can, and they should. Maybe I'm wrong, though. Time will tell.
