Comments on: How To Tell If You Are Writing a YA Novel

By: Manahil

Manahil — Thu, 28 Jan 2021 01:45:13 +0000

Thank you for the advice! Do you have any tips for how to get into the frame of mind to write a teenage protagonist? I'm finding myself a bit out of touch with today's teens. I'm not super sure anymore how to emulate a teen voice. Any tips would be much appreciated. Also, would you say it's more helpful to watch TV shows/movies with teenage protagonists or read books targeted at YA audiences (or a combination of both)? Thanks again for this post! And congrats on your book!

By: ecellenb

ecellenb — Mon, 06 Jul 2020 22:50:06 +0000

In reply to Kris Maze. Me, too! I'll keep querying.

By: dholcomb1

dholcomb1 — Fri, 26 Jun 2020 03:25:46 +0000

In reply to Kris Maze. She announced it on SM on 6/24, and I had read her post before reading this one. *Holding Up the Universe*.

By: Ontyre Passages

Ontyre Passages — Fri, 26 Jun 2020 01:08:07 +0000

In reply to Kris Maze. You did help. You helped a lot. Thank you so much!

By: Ericka McIntyre

Ericka McIntyre — Thu, 25 Jun 2020 22:46:39 +0000

In reply to Kris Maze. We did! You were one of my favorite people I met there! I am so happy your book is coming out! :)

By: Kris Maze

Kris Maze — Thu, 25 Jun 2020 22:37:03 +0000

In reply to sam Steidel. Hi Sam, I am a transplant to the PNW, but my husband graduated from our current little mill town years ago. :) The Gorge is a beautiful place to live. That's a good question on Lord of the Rings and I'm sure that could be a longer discussion than what I could go into here. As far as your story, I wonder what they mean by "youthful" as that could help you determine whether your story is YA. The YA perspective, the feeling of being a teen with the extreme reactions and uncertainty are good earmarks. Some stories have teen characters, but the driving points may appeal more to adults.

By: Kris Maze

Kris Maze — Thu, 25 Jun 2020 22:15:42 +0000

In reply to Ericka McIntyre. Thank you, Ericka. This is a great compliment given how much you work with all angles of the publishing world! I'm glad my guidelines resonate for more than Young Adult lit. You crack me up with the "much less an actual young adult" - my house has a few of those and I completely agree. I believe we met at the Pasadena Writer's Digest novel writing conference and am thrilled that you read my post. :)

By: Ericka McIntyre

Ericka McIntyre — Thu, 25 Jun 2020 22:02:42 +0000

Excellent post Kris! "The story will let you know. Listen carefully as it may be whispering something else to you."--I LOVE this advice! (And it applies to more than YA.) I have often found the "is it YA?" question to be muddy in my work with authors. And I've also found that if you ask a librarian, an author, an agent, and an editor what precisely YA is (much less an actual young adult) you get widely different answers. Congrats on your book, too!

By: sam Steidel

sam Steidel — Thu, 25 Jun 2020 20:41:56 +0000

question, Is age of the MC or PoV characters the primary determining factor. I have been told my writing is very youthful oriented but iI have few characters under this category. Would "Lord of the rings" fit as a YA. It did for me. I read Tolkien when I was 14.
I am just saying, shouldn't voice and content be weighted higher.
Thanks for the insight of this genre.
Ps. in the back ground of your picture is Mt Hood. Double thanks from a fellow Oregonian.

By: Kris Maze

Kris Maze — Thu, 25 Jun 2020 18:13:21 +0000

In reply to ecellenb. Hi Ellen, It really can enhance a story to place it correctly, adult or YA. I realize you have worked through the story of your historical fiction to find the best POV and age. Your characters are young and set on an unexpected journey of independence (I've been lucky enough to beta read some of it!). Even so, they are facing scary, adult activities and dangers. The dark topics are perfectly fine in a YA. I can't wait to see your work in print!