Some people would have us believe that boys and girls are the same. They assert that the differences between genders are merely social constructs imposed upon us. Even physical differences are considered “flexible.” 

The Bible teaches that God created us male and female. Common sense tells us that boys and girls are different. Science tells us that males and females differ, right down to the number of chromosomes in every cell. 

So what does this mildly controversial statement of the basic facts of life have to do with writing a book? A lot, actually. 

To write a book readers want to read, you need to know what kind of book they want to read. Don’t assume all readers are the same because they are not. 

You can improve your book without excluding readers outside your target audience by focusing on a certain kind of reader. 

One of the hardest audiences to write for is young boys between the ages of 8 and 14. If you can thrill them, you can thrill anyone. If you don’t believe me, just ask J.K. Rowling.

By writing her books to thrill 12-year-old boys, she was able to write books for boys that thrilled millions of people of all ages. 

If you are writing for young boys, you’ve likely heard Christian publishers and agents say they don’t know how to sell books to that demographic. 

But don’t let that statement convince you that boys don’t like to read. Boys will read if they have a book they love. S.D. Smith’s books thrill 12-year-old boys, and he has sold over a million copies. 

It can be done. Don’t listen to anyone who says it’s impossible. 

When I was a 12-year-old, I bought and read dozens of books every year. 

How do you write books boys will love? 

I asked Tim Shoemaker, who is an expert on writing books for boys.

He is an award-winning author of twenty books and is a popular speaker at conferences and schools around the country. Over twenty-five years of working with youth has helped him relate to his reading and listening audience in a unique way.

Thomas Umstattd, Jr.: Why do many Christian writers find it challenging to write for young boys?

Tim Shoemaker: Writers tend to lump boys in with “kids” in general. They write to a group, which is a nonentity. Boys and girls are different; and if we don’t consider that, we’ll miss that whole market segment.

Thomas: Shooting between two targets is not the same as shooting at both targets.

You have to first shoot at one and then the other. Any duck hunter knows you can shoot multiple ducks, but you have to shoot each one individually.

If you want to reach boys, you must specifically focus on boys.

How would you aim your writing directly at boys as your target readers?

Thomas: If you’re starting a new project targeting 12-year-old boys, how would you craft that book to thrill them?

Tim: First, remind yourself of the differences. If we only think of “kids,” we’ll get ourselves in trouble.

For example, consider the difference between how boys and girls communicate. Boys will address love, fear, anger, and friendship differently than girls do.

How do you accurately portray a boy’s emotions?

Aggression

Aggression is a broad wavelength for boys. They like to communicate through aggression, whereas girls might use their words.

Anger

 A boy might punch somebody.

Fear

They won’t walk cautiously through a dark alley. They’ll run full speed, screaming their heads off to make a potential attacker think they’re crazy or perhaps simply to startle a would-be assailant. It’s not a great strategy, but boys have a different way of approaching things.

Friendship

They don’t want to talk to their friend on the phone. A boy might wrestle their friend, slug him in the arm, or trash-talk him in a game; but all those approaches to friendship are different from a girl’s.

Love

Boys won’t say they love somebody, but they may give a hug.

That targeting principle is also true with marketing.

Boys are hammers. Hammers break things, but they also fix things. Girls are more sophisticated. Girls are like smartphones, and boys are like pencils. That doesn’t mean boys aren’t smart, but they’re a little simpler. They’re used to smaller and fewer words. When we remind ourselves of these differences, they will be reflected in our writing.

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Why do you need to portray the differences between the genders?

Thomas: You’re saying that one element is to accurately portray boys. If a boy is reading a character who isn’t believable, it will affect the boy’s interpretation of that character.

If your worldview says that boys and girls are the same and all your characters are generic copies of each other, the young men reading your book won’t feel like they’re expressed on the page. At the same time, the young women reading the female characters won’t feel like they’re expressed on the page either.

Say what you want about J.K. Rowling and her politics, but she strongly believes in the differences between the sexes. She portrays that on the page in a way that resonates with young people. Readers can relate to specific characters in her book because they’re based on observations of real people who are distinguished from each other.

Tim: I picked up this book called Up to No Good by Kitty Harmon, which describes boys. She quoted a 13-year-old who had written a memory:

When we were 13 or so, my friends and I had this game.

We’d go down to the basement, where it was completely dark, and each of us would find a hiding place. Then someone would start the game by turning out the lights, and we’d try to hit each other with darts. You’d think you’d hear someone make a noise, and you’d come out of your hiding place throwing darts but cringing because you were fair game too. There’d be complete silence. Then you’d hear somebody yell, “Ow!”

One time we turned on the light, and the guy had a dart dangling from his cheek just below his eye. After that, we wore goggles.

Up to No Good by Kitty Harmon

I love that story because it demonstrates the difference. No one said, “Hey, this is stupid. We should stop.” They’re asking, “What do we need to do to keep doing this? Let’s wear goggles, and go back to playing this game.”

How do you write dialogue in a book aimed at boys?

If the story you’re writing has a boy sitting at a table talking with somebody for a while, it won’t feel right. The boy won’t identify with the character because it doesn’t feel like him.

Everything you do to ratchet up the tension or conflict will fall flat because the boy doesn’t relate to the character.

The boy may also wonder if there’s something weird about himself since he never sits at a table talking for long periods of time. If you show somebody in a conversation standing there, rather than doing something boys like to do, it won’t feel right.

But if you put that character in a car, he could look out the window. He doesn’t have to look at his mom when they’re talking. That’s a more realistic conversation. You’ll want to include his interior thoughts too. What is he thinking, and what is he saying?

If that conversation occurs at night when he’s in bed and it’s dark, then when Mom or Dad comes in to talk to him, they can have a better conversation. The face-to-face stuff for any length of time doesn’t feel real.

Thomas: Beware of the long pages of dialogue. A book targeted at girls might include an intense discussion, but boys need dialogue interspersed with action.

What purpose does the action serve in a book for boys?

Tim: Keep your characters active and not just sitting in chairs, talking to each other. If you want to write a conversation between two people, make sure there’s some sort of activity going on. That boy needs to be moving.

Thomas: Realize that action isn’t a break in the conversation. When a boy reads a book, the action is an extension of the conversation. If the characters start punching, that is also communication.

Some films don’t get this right. They force a meaningless action scene just because they know th