Why Are You Writing/Reading YA?
YA fiction. Young Adult. I hadn’t even heard of it two years ago. Back then Bear was 13, and I’d started giving him Robert Jordon and Raymond Feist from my own book shelves, not even realising there was a middle step in there. He found some of it at the school library, but even then I didn’t pay much mind. I was just happy he was reading for pleasure.
Then around the time I started getting serious about writing again after a few years of geeking out with the coders, I started finding author blogs everywhere. And now it seems that 80% of the writers I run into via Twitter and other blogs are writing YA.
Honestly when I hear a new author-friend writes YA, part of me starts to cross their name off a mental list with a twinge of sadness, even if I’ve never read anything they’ve written. I sigh and think, “Ugh… YA is not for me.” That could be because I like my paranormal smutty, my fantasy dark, and my sci-fi gritty. I like thrillers that scare the bejeebers out of me and mysteries that twist up my brain. And, oh, how I love a good murder.
But some of the YA authors I’ve met really are nice people, and I want to understand what they’re doing. I asked on Twitter: “I’ve not read much YA fiction. What’s the difference besides no sex? Younger protags? But what else? What makes something YA fiction?”
Here are some of the responses:
gamerbabe360 Typically YA Characters, subject matter. Very easy to read, shorter than most other fiction books
cathleenholst I’ve not read much either. But from what I have read, it also seems to be the overall ‘voice’ that is younger.
waltw I listened to an interesting podcast about YA Fiction not too long ago. Might be worth checking out: http://is.gd/bSkdz Apparently there is a fine line between fiction for Young Adult and Teens. Until that podcast I assumed they were the same
MattKelland fairly simple moral or philosophical issues. they can be serious, but not too complex. Oh, and you can have sex in YA, but not explicit, and it must be appropriate & relevant.
Jenstrikesagain When you find out what makes YA fic, plz tell me. I have a 12 yo protag and I can’t even tell you… how many rejects I have saying “We don’t do YA fiction.” Fine, but IT ISN’T. (exasperated)
I’ve also been looking around the web. This is what I’ve learned so far:
- Adolescent Protagonists – anywhere from 12 to 18, but this doesn’t mean children’s fiction with older characters or adult fiction with younger characters.
- Subjects within the experience of that age group. This means, I gather, quite a lot in the way of “coming of age” stories, but authors sometimes focus on edgier topics like abortion, drugs, self-harm and suicide, domestic violence and divorce.
- It’s shorter. 125-250 pages usually.
- Simpler stories, meaning few sub-plots, and the focus really being on one character’s growth and there’s usually a positive outcome.
Although learning more about this has helped me see it as a more complex genre than I’d first thought, I don’t see myself going out and looking specifically for YA fiction to read. As much as I adore my own teenager, I don’t find teen angst particularly appealing. It wasn’t really that enjoyable the first time around, so I have no desire to relive the turmoil and insecurity of those years through fictional characters.
So, why are you reading and writing YA? (And do you read other things as well?)
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I wrote a first draft of a YA novel for Nanowrimo last year. I started writing it as the idea I had seemed to fit the genre, for many of the reasons you state in your bullet point list. I also wanted to write something my kids could read at some point. By the time I have redrafted it and started sending it out into the world, my eldest will be entering the age group YA targets.
[ Follow me on Twitter: danpowfiction ]
I’m not into the angst either. What I like about YA is that there is no distinction between YA sci-fi and YA fantasy, so you can sometimes find cool blends that wouldn’t fit into any one adult genre.
Some YA I’ve enjoyed: Hunger Games and Silver Phoenix. The protagonists are definitely teens, but they kick butt too. No angst at all.
[ Follow me on Twitter: adamheine ]
I started off writing middle grade (ages 9-12). I don’t know why I chose that over adult. It was the audience I wanted to target. I wound up doing YA by accident because I wrote a young character but the subject matter was too harsh. I was told there’s a young YA (ages 11-14). My next two manuscripts went straight to YA.
John Connelly is an author who writes books for adults and children. I read The Book of Lost Things which was as gory as it gets, in my opinion.
I’m not particularly attracted to angst, but I know the voice well from teaching and I love that idea of being on the edge of adulthood when there’s the unknown future to fear but there’s a yearning for it and all its possibilities. And I love the age group, so I like writing for them.
I read from middle grade books to adult. If you want a nice example of a book that’s got some complexity and is wonderfully written, read The Giver by Louis Lowry.
Interesting question, because I’ve often wondered that myself. I tried to write YA and failed miserably, mainly because I don’t really understand the genre. I’m not even sure why I tried – I just wanted to experiment, I guess! Nicola Morgan is an example of another author who writes for both YA and adult audiences.
[ Follow me on Twitter: talliroland ]
I’m not writing YA, but I follow several authors who do – L. Diane Wolfe, Elana Johnson, etc. I didn’t know much about YA until recently, either.
[ Follow me on Twitter: alexjcavanaugh ]
From a publisher’s point of view, it’s a money spinner. I’ve seen several adult fantasies re-packaged under a different cover and sold as YA.
Same thing happened with Harry Potter, when they brought out the adult covers.
[ Follow me on Twitter: Indiechris ]
It’s funny that you say almost every new author-friend you run into writes YA. It’s the same with me. I have several friends who write YA as well as historicals. I seem to be the only one in the bunch who writes ‘chick lit’. I also write historicals, but since my girly novel is set to be released this fall (yikes and yay) I think I’ll stick with that genre for a while before diving back into my historicals.
[ Follow me on Twitter: cathleenholst ]
YA is booming right now, so if you want to break in, YA is the way to go. I write both YA and adult, and I love both.
I’ve read YA, but not written it (except when I was a YA myself). I think to do so, I’d have to really immerse myself in reading it before I sat down at the computer.
Helen
Straight From Hel
[ Follow me on Twitter: MermaidHel ]
I really enjoy a lot of YA SF & fantasy. I find it a lot less formulaic than much adult fiction. It often has a faster-paced plot, more entertaining characters, and focuses more on story than on “issues”.
Or, in short, it’s fun.
It takes me back to reading SF when I was younger: most novels were 120-150 pages, slammed full of action and imagination, and you could read them in one sitting. Now most books seem to be 300-400 pages, and really could do with having 60% of the guff edited out.
[ Follow me on Twitter: MattKelland ]
Well, like most people- I like to write what I like to read. And since YA was mother’s milk to me- it’s just the realm where I feel the most comfortable. It’s eternal youth, first times, adventures, romance. Everything is new again, relevant, and important. I swear to this day that I could never have fallen in love as hard as I had at 16. It’s like believing in santa clause. You can only get away with it when you’re young:)
PS- you’ve got a little suttin suttin waiting for you on my blog;)
[ Follow me on Twitter: katiemills18hotmail.com ]
I love YA and that’s what I write, and I think the reason is that I love to see the growth in the characters at such a point of change in their life. I like seeing the characters find out something about life that is leading them into adulthood. I think the relationships between characters is typically very strong because that’s what’s most important to teens at that age. I think there is much more to YA than just angst. Sure there’s some awful stuff out there, but it’s in every genre. Good YA to me is about realizing the potential of your life outside of high school. Not just Gossip Girl crap.
I read a lot, and I don’t always stick to YA. The books that keep me up at night, unable to stop thinking about them are almost always YA. I hated high school, HATED it. I wish I had had some of the great books out right now to help me through that time.
Some powerful YA authors that I’ve found and would encourage anyone wondering if YA is any good to read are; Laurie Halse Anderson, Sarah Dessen and Jay Asher. Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson is one of the best books I have ever read.
I like reading YA and writing it because there’s so much magic in the “firsts”. First love, first kiss, first real understanding of certain truths in life.
That being said, there are certainly plenty of YA books where I really haven’t liked the MC’s voice, and I’ve had to pass.
I think that weird existence between girl and woman is interesting. My own person teen experience, eh. But fictional ones are a great escape.
Very interesting post. I think I agree with you about reading YA – unless of course I try writing some and then I guess I’ll have to use it for research. There’s so many great adult books around I don’t think I’d ever have time to willingly read YA – for pleasure, anyway.
I’m glad you asked this – I’ve often wondered the same thing. And I find the same thing…it seems like every other writer I meet is either working on or switching to YA.
I have no interest in writing it, or reading much of it, but it’s good to read these answers to better understand why it’s so popular.
[ Follow me on Twitter: JamieDeBree ]
Interesting question! I find it easier to answer why I *read* YA rather than why I write it. I don’t really like the labelling that goes on (YA, MG, etc); I have to follow the rules while querying, but it seems to me that the best books are loveable by everyone. Adult critics read these books and adults – whether parents or not – read the reviews, if not the books, so why do we bother with labels at all? I’d recommend The Lord of the Rings or Charlotte’s Web or Anne of Green Gables, etc. etc. to readers from 7 to 77! I don’t know about this no sex business. All these rules seem silly. And that comment that the sex in YA has to be “appropriate & relevant” – well, shouldn’t that be so for any novel? And what was that about shorter? Good grief, the longer a book the better, and that’s how I felt when I was a kid too!
None of that quite answers why I read it, however. I think I appreciate how clear cut the morals are. I like the way experiences and adventures seem new to the characters; I like watching them discover the way the world works. That said, I certainly don’t pigeonhole my reading by category – I read ‘em all.
And why do I write it… I certainly didn’t start out writing YA. I wrote short stories when I was younger but my first two novels were romances. Somehow I gravitated towards YA. I wish I had a better explanation than “the characters that spoke to me were young” but that’s essentially what happened. The “moment of change” aspect is probably the most compelling reason.
Methinks I’ll slide this over to a blog post
I love the feel of YA books, some of them at least. I’ve just recently gotten into reading them but I love the style they carry. One of my favorite authors Sharon Shinn does a YA serious and an Adult series, her novel The Truth Tellers Tale is very good, one of my favorite books.
For me writing YA is a lot of fun, I get to use my full imagination and make an alternate universe, I think I’m able to connect with YA better than adults because a child loves to find a new world and really feel it, more or less mine has magic mixed in with it, and that might make a big difference as well!
[ Follow me on Twitter: Jendaiker ]
I write both adult and YA fiction. I don’t write angsty YA though – that’s not really for me. However, I do love the writing about the issues teens face and the coming of age storylines that usually follow.
I think having teenagers is a big part of this for me.
As a teacher I try to keep it touch with what’s new, what should be fun for my students.
I like YA characters – they have such a range of emotion – such a bottomless well of caring. Loads of fun!
[ Follow me on Twitter: jemifraser ]
Nailing down a definition of YA fiction is so tough. I guess it depends on who you talk to what the definition is. Academics usually classify based on age of main character and that character’s focus.
There is plenty of grit out there in YA too. There’s a lot out there that features plenty of swearing, sex, and real horror. I’ve read a few YA novels that I would think twice about handing over to the average 15 year old.
There’s just so much cross-over anymore it’s hard to split them up. Also, when you look over “the classics” a lot of those would be considered YA lit by some definitions, but just as many people would argue they aren’t. The whole genre thing is tough to decipher. I was hunting around for a Niel Gaiman novel the other day, one I was sure would be in YA and it was housed in the adult section of my library.
I read YA because it normally doesn’t take itself too seriously. It reminds me of being a kid and that feeling of pure joy when I picked up a new book. Not a lot of adult fiction is doing that for me these days, it’s just taking itself too seriously. There’s a light heartedness and optimism present in even the darkest YA stuff that I just don’t feel when I’m reading “grown-up” books. YA is just fun.
[ Follow me on Twitter: MeganSwicegood ]
I don’t write YA and read very little of it, but I have two CPs who write YA, so my education came through that route. What I’ve read so far is more complex than I expected.
Lemony Snicket is a good example of this.
[ Follow me on Twitter: MariaZannini ]
I don’t write only YA, but tend to write whatever story’s in my head at the time, regardless of genre or the characters’ ages. But when I DO write YA (I have a manuscript out on submission right now that is YA), I write it because the coming-of-age aspect really appeals to me and, being 22, I can easily put myself back into the shoes of a teenager.
There’s also enormous scope for drama in YA, whereas when you write adult I think you’re expected to be somehow ‘deeper’ or ‘edgier’ or ‘more serious’.
[ Follow me on Twitter: SanguMandanna ]
Oh, and as far as reading YA goes, I read it for the reasons in my previous comment, but also because more YA authors seem to network online and blog than adult authors (as far as I know). They’re such fun to talk to, it always makes me more interested in their books than I would be in a book I’ve never heard of by an author I know nothing about.
[ Follow me on Twitter: SanguMandanna ]