I like to read what I would write. I like to write what I can't read because it doesn't exist. When a gap appears in literature, then it translates to our culture. This includes diverse characters (POC, LGBTQ+, socioeconomic status) and addressing life as it is (birth control, STDs, racism, xenophobia). 

My desire is not to be a crusader. The journalists and nonfiction writers fulfill that need. Instead, I'm starting simple: age. There's children's, YA, and then 30+. It's rare that I come across a MC in a book between the ages of 18-29. New Adults. 

As a ~20+ reader, I'm frustrated by some YA books. They use themes I've dealt with in my own life and am looking to move passed. Then, there's the books for "older" folk that deal with characters 30+ who have to come to terms with questions I haven't even asked yet as a ~20 year old. 

Books can be a way to do research about oneself, but if there are no books full of characters to relate to--?