Encouragement for Young Authors

I do not believe people should be discouraging. By and large we need to encourage people to pursue the things they dream of and desire. It is good to offer them reality checks to keep them grounded, but we still ought to push them toward their goals; they may achieve their goals even when we think they cannot. One of the lessons I have learned, and am still learning, is that people can defeat my pessimism and cynicism and do the things I do not think they can do. This is most simply attributed to my lack of deity, for I do not know enough to make any fair, accurate, or even decent predictions. I am usually negative, and yet when people ignore my pessimism, pursue their goal, and succeed, I have to bow to them (with joy) and admit I was wrong.

It might be true that people in their twenties do not have a lot of life experience, and it might be true they do not have much to offer readers. However, we should still encourage them to write, if they want to be writers. Let them write their book, then help them make it better. We grow through trial-and-error. We fail, see our mistakes, and correct them for the future. If we cannot make errors we will not be able to improve. We are imperfect and we need practice. Young writers should be given that practice; they should be offered encouragement and support. In time they will gain more experience. They may or may not have something to offer now, but invest in their future, it cannot hurt.