Monday, December 5, 2011

Genres—deciding where to fit

  I used to think my historical novel, The Seventh City, targeted the adult audience. Hardly any sixteen-year-old young adult stories included widows dealing with mature themes. Then I got some feedback that the voice of my story felt YA. My next project, Perception, stars a high school senior. Maybe I am a YA author. I’m setting out to ascertain what young adult includes. Obviously it means more than wizards, vampires, and high school crushes. It’s time to start reading younger, learn the YA secret language, and figure out the guidelines.
  Whatever the genre, people read for entertainment and escapism. Readers want to be taken away from their own life or world. This doesn’t necessarily mean fantasy or sci-fi, but could be why they are so popular. Genres and subgenres have evolved with time and we are seeing the product of creative imagination.
  What do you like to read and why? And if you write YA, maybe you could leave a guideline or tip for me. I'd love to read your comments.

4 comments:

Karen Jones Gowen said...

I don't enjoy YA much but I do know that the voice has to be right or it doesn't work.

Unknown said...

Thanks, Karen. I'm sure that you know much more than that and it's a good comment to remember.

Hannah Holt said...

I like YA, but I don't know if I have any advice. I don't try to write for that age. Although I would encourage you to avoid making your characters whiny. I hate whiny YA characters! (But then again I'm not a teenager.)

JoLyn Brown said...

Its fun how you learn more about yourself the more you write. One thing that I've heard suggested is to listen to teenagers and spend time around them. If you don't have teenagers of your own, someone suggested volunteering at high school or religious functions so you can listen to and start to understand just how teenagers today talk and what's important to them.