Hello,

Long time lurker, first time poster here.

For context, I am currently in the midst of writing out a plot/premise for an MLP (My Little Pony) Fanfic. Unfortunately, I came across a roadblock, “Which demographic should I have in mind when writing the story?”. This is, in part, due to MLP having quite a diverse audience, which ranges from:

The infamous “Bronies”:

• Gender: Male. (I’m sure there are a few females scattered around in this group despite the name.)
• Age Range: 20 – 40+ years of age.

The fans of the Toys & Franchise:

• Gender: Female.
• Age Range: No idea.

The OG fans of My Little Pony Tales:

• Gender: Female.
• Age Range: Again, no idea.

The intended target audience:

• Gender: Mostly Female.
• Age Range: 8 – 14 years of age.

The Legacy Fans (those who grew up with the show but by now should “grown out of it”):

• Gender: Mostly Female.
• Age Range: 15 – 19+ years of age.

**I should make it clear that this is mostly anecdotal based on my own interactions with the fandom and I’m 100% sure I have missed some groups.**

Despite what some of you may think, Bronies do not comprise the majority of the fandom (though they are the most vocal), that spot falls to Hasbro's intended target demographic (8 – 14).

Due to this I have decided to write the Fanfic with this audience in mind as I think it is kind of irresponsible (and maybe even dangerous?) to ignore them and write whatever I want, regardless of whose reading.

**Just to clarify, the audience I have decided on is; Female, ages 13-17**

Finally, I have reached the point where I actually ask the titular question (and some others):

1. What are the pitfalls when writing for children?
2. What should I avoid?
3. What should I NOT avoid?
4. Does my decision make sense?
5. As a male and no longer a teenager, should I only write for my own demographic (Bronies’, despite not identifying as one.)?
6. Obvious question I have forgot to ask.

 

You can absolutely write for a demographic not your own, you just need to be self-critical of your writing to keep an eye out for assumptions and such that you've made but are incorrect.

Things to avoid would be, as a broad and sweeping rule, anything you wouldn't discuss with that person face to face.

But, in terms of what to not avoid and as a complicating factor in the above, people tend to loyally read things that they connect with in some way. So you'll need to find issues that your target audience are interested in, and weave them into your writing. Personally I don't know what teenage girls are interested in, I have zero contact with any in my life. If you don't already have insight into that (perhaps through a younger sibling) you need to do research, and honestly fanfiction isn't worth the creepy google searches you'd probably end up having to do. However, you can always get a bit of a feel for it through general media and there's always a few things that seem to hit the mark: explorations of emotions and sexuality; struggles against unyielding and unfair authority; and dealing with trauma, pain, and drama.

Personally I wouldn't choose to write for that demographic. I have no insight into them, no understanding of them. And that would make writing something for them extremely difficult.

 

Thanks for the response.

Quite a lot of the media I consume seems to fit the target audience I picked (eg. Pretty Little Lies, MLP, The Next Step, Miraculous: ToL&CN,etc), so I thought, since I enjoy there genre(?), I thought I would have a finite understanding of what teenage girls want (or at least what TV/Movie Producers think they want) and what to include.

My biggest concern, is if I didn't write this fanfic with the Teen/Pre-teen in mind and had mature themes though out the story. What if a child reads it and it leaves a bad(negative) impression? That leaves a sour taste in my mouth & a feeling of irresponsibility.

The best answer I have come up with for my dilemma is "Would I be comfortable if I found out a bunch of middle school girls were reading my fic? If no, I have nothing to worry about. If yes, change it." but this answer seems lacklustre to me.

Is it possible to even write for an older audience without alienating (I don't think that is the write word?) a younger one?
or is it a better idea to do the opposite? Write for a younger audience but make it engaging and interesting for all ages.

Actually, is there even a difference when writing for girls or boys, especially in 2019 were the stereotypes and gender norms are becoming more blurred and less defined? is it subtleties only the target audience pick up on? Do you need to be a boy to write a convincing (& relatable) boy and vice versa for girls? I know it obviously help.

You are not wrong there.

Apologies if this is not completely on topic, it's just I'm reluctant to even start the fic despite have the plan & plot ready to go. These nagging questions and doubts just feel me with a sense of uncertainty.

 

OP, I think you need to figure out your goal first. Why do you want to write to please the target audience? Are you after clicks, to put it bluntly? If yes, then sort your chosen fandom by most follows/favorites/reviews and identify the tropes the popular stories use, then write that.

Otherwise, I'd advise you to just write the story you want to write and not worry about attracting an audience.

 

I had an idea for a MLP story. After I thought about it, I wrote down the plot and then looking back at it, thought is was alright. But when I started to write it, I started having annoying thoughts. like "MLP is a kids show, what if a kid reads it & it's to mature for them?".

At first I thought it is probably just me coming up with an excuse not to write it, but I still thought I was a valid point:
"If it's a kids show, there's a chance kids could read it. Is it not irresponsible of me not to at least think about that before I write it?"
I ultimately decided, Yes, to me that is irresponsible. So I thought I might as well write it with kids in mind and ask for pointers to see if there are any pitfalls DLP authors know of when writing for a young target audience.

 

Harry Potter is a kids series, certainly at the start, and I'm sure you don't need to be told about the range of content in fanfic for that. At the end of the day, probably the best thing you can do is make sure to choose an appropriate age rating when you post, and maybe add some details in the summary/notes/tags as well.