 | 17 Dec 09 |
My eighth grade daughter Kelly is an avid reader and will soon be launching her own blog when her mother finds ten minutes to put it together for her . . . she’s well-read in YA, loves historical, paranormal, and contemporary, and has well-formed opinions about a whole host of things, including what makes (and doesn’t make!) a good story. She prefers stories on the darker side, as you can see from her recommended YA reading list below. Like mother, like daughter perhaps? I saw this in her at the early age of eight, however, when she started reading the Lemony Snickett SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS books and said she loved them “because bad things happened and they didn’t have a happy ending.”
Kelly is now reviewing YA novels for RT Book Reviews, and she’s taken over my blog today. Last time, I wrote about my take on YA novels. Below is all Kelly with very minor editing by me, her mother. I didn’t even take out the naughty words she used, because as writers and readers know, voice is everything and I think this article shows that Kelly has a very strong voice all her own.
Here is what she thinks you should know BEFORE writing YOUR YA novel . . .
As an avid YA reader, I’ve read a wide variety of YA authors and story plots. I’ve seen vampires, witches, werewolves, romance, history, teen drama, you name it. I’ve been reading YA since I grew out of Junie B. Jones, and I appreciated a lot more when I was younger. But now the YA market is really driving me up the wall! I don’t know if it’s the authors people are choosing to rave about, publishers publishing books in that market that really weren’t meant to be there, or just less respect for the really good novels targeted to my age group. But the biggest fad I’m really noticing, is adult authors writing for YA. Done well, this could be a good thing. But more likely than not, it leaves a lot of young people annoyed. Adult authors, I’ve noticed, who do well in the YA market are the Fantasy type, because their main focus is that: fantasy. But I’ve yet to find a romance writer that can really pull off a fairly decent YA novel. Why, you ask? Well, before you even consider stepping near the YA genre, read this first …
For starters, if your writing successful novels for adults, and ADULTS love them, that’s probably a good place for you to stay. If you find that a younger audience is attracted to your work, than yeah, YA is something to consider. But here are a few suggestions from someone in your target audience:
Don’t Talk Down To Your Audience
One thing that I get extremely annoyed with is when adult authors (usually romance) talk down to their audience. It’s sort of like reading a how-to book in origami when you’ve been doing origami your whole life. Authors often ‘over enunciate’ plots, meaning they will repeat things over and over, and the plot seems babyish. Everything is over described, from what they’re doing at that very moment to every movement and hand gesture they make when talking. Big page filler for sure.
Basically, authors are afraid to really delve into the story and make it interesting, because what’s going through their head is “YA YA I’m writing for YA.” They will sugar-coat life and make it flowery, and sometimes just write it the way they remembered life at that age. They’ll cover the basics. I sometimes would really like to love an author’s story telling ability, because most of the time, it’s pretty good. But it’s this talking down to that really has me at my hair’s end. One thing I can’t stress enough is to not think about your audience! I would, and probably a lot of other readers, rather read an author that is complex and interesting that should be pulled back a little than an author that sounds like they’re writing for 3rd graders. If you think you’ll struggle with this, I suggest writing a smart ‘clean adult novel’ and then fixing it up a bit for YA, or if you think you’ll do better writing for a “lower” audience, market for the younger kids’ section.
Avoid Too Much Dialogue
Again, something you should not do is make your book entirely dialogue based. It usually is boring and uninteresting.
Language Dos And Don’ts
My parents are usually pretty ok with what I read as long as it’s not super explicit, and probably a lot of other parents too. And I’ve yet to find a YA book that shows anything like explicit sex and language. But as writers repeat the mantra “YA I’m writing YA”, what comes to their mind is using language that they think teenagers are more likely to use. For example, instead of saying, ‘bull shit’ they’ll use “bull poopie” or instead of “fucking” they’ll say “effin’” Things like that aren’t terrible, except when they’re overdone. I think most people would be surprised at the language us youngin’s use today. Adults tend to think that they need to modify every word that comes out of their character’s mouth to be ‘acceptable’. That doesn’t mean throwing curse words all over the page, but it also doesn’t mean sugar coating it the way you think teens should talk, because, more likely than not, we don’t talk like that. Instead, think about your character. Are they more likely to swear (big time), use clean swear occasionally, or not at all? If you’re making all of your characters look like little kids trying to be like their big sisters, it not going to be interesting. My one piece of advice about language is to either use it, or don’t use it at all. What I don’t mind is when authors, trying to get their book to be appropriate for every audience, will say lines such as:
As I was about to tell him to go to a place he wouldn’t need that fat mouth of his to go to…
She spat some colorful language and then doubled over…
Or if you’re going to use it, use it:
Shit, that asshole totally fucked with her.
What the hell are you doing?!
You get the idea.
Write Believable Characters
As in any novel, characters are the most important part of a great story. Writing characters in YA books is no different than writing about adults. The worst thing you could possibly do with character development in a YA novel, or any novel for that matter, is to make every character stereotypical to the role they play in the book. For example, making your main character the ‘average’ girl and pushing that factor farther than it needs to go. When there’s nothing different or interesting about the characters and they don’t grow and develop as the book(s) go on, then the plot will go nowhere. Like I said with the language concept, every character is different; they talk, react, and act upon certain situations than maybe another 16 year old girl in the story would. Stamping a label on your characters isn’t real at all because in real life, everyone knows there’s more than just one label on a person. Teenagers change and mature in their lives, so if your series goes on long term, be sure that the reader sees how they’ve changed in a relatable way. They could change by the way they speak, react, and handle situations. Otherwise, it’s just boring, and again, a little babyish. Some of you may be thinking “Well, duh, of course I wouldn’t write my characters like that!” but you’d be surprised at how many books do this. If you’d like an example, here’s an average scenario I’ve seen in too many YA books to count:
Average, everyday girl with long dark hair, doesn’t really fit in, not popular but not geeky either, has best girl friend who is super pretty and popular and gets all the guys. Has cute kind of nerdy guy friend who she is or will fall in love with and thin pretty mom who has done so much that she’ll never do. [insert tramatic experience here] happens and they are trying to deal. Oh, look! Super mysterious super-hot guy comes along! She’d never have a chance with him but she is oh-so intrigued and drawn to him…but look! She discovers she has some mysterious scary power herself!
If any part of your story resembles three or more of the scenarios above, I would consider thinking your story through a little more.
You might ask why authors reuse and reuse this plot, and trust me, it’s definitely not just adult authors who do it. Two words: It’s easy. Not many authors realize this, but it just shows that the author is not creative enough to think of a hard-core, complex story. Why is it so easy? You have the average girl, who can relate to all readers. Every reader can see themselves inside that girl, no matter who she is or what clique she’s in. The reader can relate to not always being in the spotlight, or being in it when she doesn’t want to be. Having a huge crush on the guy friend she’s known all her life, being jealous of other girls, stress with doing well in school, living up to parents potential. All just a part of puberty and growing up. And once you get to the mysterious hot boy aspect, you should do successful with non-avid readers, young adult and adult for sure. Because every person wants to be that girl. To bring themselves up from where they are in life even if it’s kind of hard. Doesn’t everyone want to discover something they would never know could be possible about themselves? Whether it’s power to see the dead, becoming a vampire, getting magic witch powers, and in the end falling in love. That’s what every girl wants to see happen in her life. Basically, it’s her own fantasy, the fantasy no one every talks about with their friends, =is always in the back of her mind, hoping that she will be that Bella Swan and fall in love and make something of herself. It’s human nature.
So, back to book selling, what will happen when girls can relate? It will get published and sell. But it will never stand out from anything else out there. Never give anyone a different ambition. So, this was not to persuade you to write or not write this basic plot, just to show why it sells and why authors do it, and most importantly, why you should step away from that and write something more creative.
If you didn’t realize it after reading this, which you most likely have, is the fact that readers don’t want to see a cut-and-paste life with sprinkles on top. So many YA authors are great story tellers, and I want to love their stories, but just the fact that they’re writing isn’t for the right market brings it down. A lot of it isn’t even the writing itself, just the plot. A lot of authors, even though they can argue otherwise, are following the Twilight suit. More than ever adult authors are trying to make it into YA hoping for the success of Stephenie Meyer (I’m not saying this literally, if you’re a writer, you write to write, not for fame or money) and even though they don’t realize it, most of them are following in her footsteps.
Paranormal Romance is pretty much the genre dominating all things YA. And let me tell you: It. Is. So. Annoying.
Have you walked into the YA section of Borders lately? If so, you’ve seen the huge TWILIGHT-dedicated shelf, and right below, the sign that reads, “If you like Twilight you’ll also like…” and all the not-paranormal-romance-books are crammed into a corner, on their own lone shelf, while everyone rants and raves about the writing that’s just, well, not always as great. My point is, if you really have your heart set on this genre, do it WELL. Make it different from all the other pop culture books dominating the high shelves. If you’re more interested in the romance than the paranormal, write romance. Do NOT just throw the paranormal in as a side note, because a lot of fantasy lovers will be very disappointed. If you love the fantasy aspect, again, do not throw the romance in because it will more likely than not just seem awkward. Make the reader say “Hey, I didn’t think of it that way…” and make it a challenge for yourself. But, if I were writing, I’d step away from that sparkling, inviting market to do something more interesting.
Now my whole point of this blog was not to trash authors trying to make their way into YA, not at all. This is just what I’ve found annoying in a lot of authors that do. I guess you could call them Tips from a Reader Who Knows. If you think you’d be more successful with adults, just stick to that market, but if you’re making your way to YA, make it different, make it new, interesting, and consider some stuff I’ve said here.
Books I like and why I like them
My mom told me I could not post books that I didn’t like and why I disliked them, but that she wanted to me to be positive instead. I’m fine with that (ha ha.) One thing that would be helpful if you’re writing YA, is to do your research and read lots and lots of YA novels, such as the ones I list here.
GOING BOVINE by Libba Bray (class of its own)- This is one of my recently favorite books of all time. It’s a genre all its own. All crazy unexpected twists and turns full of laughs and tears, it’s the perfect YA read. I highly suggest this to anyone looking for a really good novel.
Libba’s Gemma Doyle trilogy (fantasy/historical), beginning with A GREAT AND TERRIBLE BEAUTY, is a great historical/fantasy story, another one of my favorites that I’ve re-read.
UNWIND and EVERLOST by Neal Shusterman (sci-fi/thriller)- Definitely another one of my favorites, his books are placed in a sci-fi fantasy world that perfectly mixes real life issues that teens go through everyday in a smart and fascinating way. Yet they’re so broad pretty much all ages can read them. I highly recommend him.
BLEEDING VIOLET by Dia Reeves (fantasy/romance)- I reviewed this one for RT magazine and gave it 4 stars. This is a perfect example of paranormal romance done right. Hanna is most definitely not your average girl, and the romance doesn’t over power the dark, thrilling, horrific fantasy. Comes out January 2010. Definitely an author to watch for!
LAMENT and BALLAD by Maggie Stiefvater (fantasy)- A mostly fantasy based story, but definitely written in a beautiful, lyrical way, with a little romance thrown in perfectly. Both books in different POV’s, the first Dee, an introduction to the faerie world, and her best friend James, which gets more in depth with him and his relationship with Dee and the fay.
CITY OF GLASS trilogy by Cassandra Clare (action/fantasy/thriller)- an action packed demonic trilogy that’s definitely one of my favorites. A great example because for one, she’s an adult author, and on her website, she says the series was originally for adults, but the characters evolved into teenagers.
Any of Sarah Dessen‘s novels (romance/drama)- If you ever even consider writing anything in the YA genre, you must read her books first. Her books are unique and address problems that any teenager can relate to and understand. Typically, her books have the same idea (girl struggling, meets different and unique guy who helps her through it, finding he has problems of his own) but each one is so unique, and the characters evolve in such a way that her stories are such a pleasure to read; anyone would adore her.
SPEAK and WINTERGIRLS by Laurie Halse Anderson (drama)- If you haven’t heard of her, you must be living under a YA rock. A wonderful and talented writer, her books are wonderfully crafted in a wonderful yet tear-jerking way, the first with a girl struggling to find her voice, the other with a girl struggling with eating disorders after the death of a friend. Must reads.
EVERMORE (The Immortals series) by Alyson Noel (fantasy/romance)- Again, paranormal romance done right. Ever is not your average girl, being a popular blond before an accident that killed her family and gave her psychic abilities. Her relationship with Damen balances the fantasy in a perfect way, never overriding it but combining it. In RT, I gave SHADOWLAND, the third in the series, a Top Pick.
THE FETCH (historical/paranormal) and A CERTAIN SLANT OF LIGHT (Paranormal/drama) by Laura Whitcomb- Great writing and original, interesting stories.
Kelly has to go to school–mid-terms this week!–but she’ll be back tonight after basketball practice to talk more about books and what she likes (and doesn’t like!) Feel free to ask her (or me) questions–she’s very well and widely read in the YA genre (and younger books as well) When considering trying out for the middle school basketball team, Kelly said, “I’m just afraid that practice will take away from my reading time.” Gotta love that girl!
© 2009, Allison Brennan. All rights reserved.
Allison Brennan is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling and award winning author of seventeen romantic thrillers and several short stories. She lives near Sacramento, California with her husband and five children. Recently, RT Book Reviews called Allison "A master of suspense." And Lee Child said of her Kincaid series launch, "A world-class nail-biter ... Brennan is in the groove with this one." For fun Allison enjoys wine tasting, swimming, kids sports, playing video games, and "of course" reading. Her most recent release is IF I SHOULD DIE, book three in the Lucy Kincaid series. Watch for SILENCED coming on 4.24.12.
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Excellent post, Kelly! I only have one question: When is your first book coming out????
by Debra Webb December 17th, 2009 at 8:56 amNice to get your perspective, Kelly. Just finished judging a bunch of YA novels in an awards program. Noticed while reading that several cross genres, as you noted in your post.
Wondered if you’ve read any YAs recently you would categorize as mysteries? If so, which would you recommend?
by Michael Sherer December 17th, 2009 at 9:03 amI’m interested in Kelly’s response as well. She and I were talking about this a couple weeks ago and she said there weren’t a lot of mysteries in YA. We were talking about what I would write if I wrote YA, and I was thinking along the lines of a modern day Nancy Drew (a bit Veronica Mars-ish, but obviously different) and she said I needed something other than just a mystery.
by Allison Brennan December 17th, 2009 at 10:49 amAllison – A Veronica Mar-ish mystery? That would be so cool. My 14 yr old and I just watched all three seasons last spring and she loves it. Gotta say the on again, off again with Logan was a big draw. Though he seemed really determined to go the way of the anti-hero.
Kelly – I love your post. I’m in the midst of a YA, can’t believe I’m writing it, but it’s an afterlife story about a girl who died from cancer. Inspired by a friend who died young from cancer. That makes me wonder – You mention more complicated plots and not necessarily a happy ending, but what is too dark? Have you read Lurlene McDaniels? My daughter loved her as she was going through chemo but can’t read her now, while I reacted the opposite. Couldn’t read sad then but can now. Like “Before I Die” by Jenny Downham.
I love your recommended list. I have read several of them. I am also very curious about your dislike list and your reasons why.
by Jamie Leigh Hansen December 17th, 2009 at 7:01 pmyeah, like my mom said, there’s not a ton of YA’s that are categorized as ‘mystery’ but rather YA books that have mystery in them. I think when i told my mom that, it’s because a lot of authors are trying to move away from mystery and add more fantasy type stuff. Probably why I never read a lot of the stuff my mom read. The Awakening series by Kelley Armstrong is another one of my non-listed favorites and definitely has a some mystery. The Devouring series is more of a thriller but has got a little mystery thrown in. I’ll be on the look out for a little more I can add to the list.
by Kelly Brennan December 17th, 2009 at 6:17 pmAbsolutely fascinating! I’d definitely recommend this as required reading for anyone wanting to write YA (and you make me glad I’ve never had the urge–it sounds hard! LOL) I’m actually most excited about the recommendations. Everyone I know seems to love YA, and I keep meaning to try it, but I didn’t know where to start. Now I do! Thanks, Kelly!
by Louisa Edwards December 17th, 2009 at 9:09 amHi Kelly, terrific blog! I think you hit on some truly important points, particularly in not ‘talking down’ to your audience.
Of the YA books you listed, I think I’ve only read Alyson’s series which I love. She does a great job of showing how the paranormal abilities change Ever, both complicating her life and giving her advantages. Plus Ever is just interesting and while she has much to be sad and angsty over, she doesn’t spend pages and pages in the novel feeling sorry for herself.
I don’t have a question–you covered everything very well in your blog!
Be sure and let us know when you do write a book though
by Jen Lyon December 17th, 2009 at 9:14 amWhat a great post Kelly! I agree with everything you said. I don’t like when authors talk down to their readers in YA books and I think the best books are actually YA books that read like adult ones. The same old storyline (aka the Twilight storyline) is redone over and over in alot of books, I agree. I actually like to read these books though but I guess eventually I will get sick of it.
Alot of the books you recommended are ones in my TBR pile. I have read the Immortals Series by Alyson Noel and have enjoyed most of the books but the last one I had problems with. I’d love to read some of your reviews. Are they in the RT magazine or on the website? I think non members can’t read them though right?
by RachaelfromNJ December 17th, 2009 at 9:15 amThanks! Yeah, you can totally read them, quite a few have been published already, just go to http://www.romantictimes.com and look up Kelly Brennan, and you only have to be a member for the reviews that aren’t published yet!
by Kelly Brennan December 17th, 2009 at 6:10 pmThanks Kelly! I’m going to check out your reviews now.
by RachaelfromNJ December 17th, 2009 at 9:37 pmAnd on a side note, I know it’s not a nice thing to do but secretly I am curious about the list of books you disliked and why. LOL
If anything, it could save me money from buying books that I won’t end up enjoying.
by RachaelfromNJ December 17th, 2009 at 9:16 amI enjoyed this a great deal. I will read more YA. When I was a child, YA did not exist. We had Children’s books and then straight to Hemingway, Steinbeck and Harper Lee. And for some reason, my own daughter (now 19) read only the Clique books, and none of the other varieties of YA/Teen.
by Kathryn December 17th, 2009 at 10:21 amKelly, what a terrific post! I love how you dig into the nitty gritty of what works and what doesn’t, especially the overused tropes in the genre. And now I’ve got several of your favorites on my to-be-read list. I’m fascinated with the growth of this genre. I was always so frustrated as a young reader that there wasn’t anything really aimed at my age–especially as I got into high-school. I’m betting I’m going to really enjoy these. Thanks!
by Toni McGee Causey December 17th, 2009 at 10:38 amYes, my daughter definitely has strong opinions, and she’s very creative as well. She’s an exceptional artist, and I wouldn’t be surprised if she wrote a book some day. Kelly is the one who came up with the basic cover concept for ORIGINAL SIN (woman holding an apple) and the designer at Ballantine really made it shine!
by Allison Brennan December 17th, 2009 at 10:45 amI fell in love with books as a kid, and as a teen, I devoured Sweet Valley High and other similar types. Because of what those stories gave me, I’ve always wanted to write a YA story (or series) and the concept of a story is percolating in my head. Your blog post is so helpful, thank you.
I do have a question for you… on the straight romance YA. What do you enjoy? I know this is your personal preference, but I’d love to hear your thoughts. What is overdone in your mind? What do you wish you could read?
by Jeannie December 17th, 2009 at 10:49 amOn straight-up romance, as I said I think any of Sarah Dessen’s novels are a perfect example of great romance. I like romance that’s not your average, picture-perfect, boy-meets-girl scenario, but what you wouldn’t expect to happen. I’d want to read more of that. I’m kind of tired of the whole, my best friend who’s a guy that I’m falling in love with cuz I’m going through puberty kind of thing. It’s relatable but way overdone. Does that answer your question?
by Kelly Brennan December 17th, 2009 at 6:07 pmAllison and Kelly, I LOVE that cover. It’s awesome.
by Jeannie December 17th, 2009 at 10:53 amHi Kelly-
Wow, what a smart post you’ve written! A few months back I gave a talk about this very subject at my local chapter, and agree with you wholeheartedly on all your points–especially your comments about language (the only complaints I get about language in my books is from adults-never teens!), and the importance of overcoming the urge to talk down to the reader.
And, of course, thank you so much for the including Evermore and for all your kind words and for giving Shadowland the RT Top Pick–I had no idea that was you!!
And to Allison-well, it’s clear the apple really doesn’t fall far from the tree! What a great daughter you’ve raised!
by Alyson Noel December 17th, 2009 at 12:00 pmWow, thank you so much! I’m really just an obsessed fan-girl, so when I read your blog where you mentioned my review, I was like, over the moon! But I’ll stop obsessing
. Yeah, I could imagine adults be complaining about language in any YA novel…my dad refused to send this to anyone because of the language in it! haha!
by Kelly Brennan December 17th, 2009 at 6:00 pmKelly, what a great blog. I LOVE it mostly because I you think pretty much like I do — except the dialogue part. I’m a dialogue freak and would happily read/write scripts as stories and have the whole thing played in my head.
I’m not a big YA fan, and I haven’t read it nearly as much as you have, though I’m 21. My mom LOVES YA (mostly the paranormal and fantasy ones), but, generally, I don’t have much patience for them (for several of the reasons you said here and some more). So, you can imagine my surprise when a story appeared in my head (I ‘play’ writing and want to be a writer some day) and the main character is *gulp* 17. Sevenfreakingteen. So, I’ve been thinking about these lots of ideas a lot recently. And, believe me, you’ve helped me loads here. First of all, I don’t think I want to write a YA romance at all — it’s mostly paranormal (They CAN be interesting with no romance, can’t they?). I’m not much of a romance person, either (can you tell I’m picky?) and it’s irrelevant for me. So, thank you for the blog!!!
Just one last thing I want to say (even because my mom and brother are hovering around me since we’re on our way out) is that I HATE the stereotypical characters, especially for the main characters. I found that I don’t mind secondary stereotypical, they can be rather funny and written ironically, but main… ugh. I can’t stand Bella Swan because she’s what I call ‘perfectly built’. She’s supposed to be the less-than-perfect kind of weird teenage that most girl imagines themselves as, and it obviously worked if you think about the sales, but even her flaws are perfectly written for her to seem ‘real’. And while most people will set for the exterior, I don’t buy it. She’s too perfect of a flawed character. Give me a real person next time and I’ll have it.
Personally, I’ll have Junie B. any time over that. I ADORE Junie B. because I’ve met a handful of kids who’re exactly like that. She’s more real than any less then perfect girl out there!!!
Thanks for the blog!!!!
by Barbie December 17th, 2009 at 12:11 pmKelly,
Great post! I am impressed with your thoughtful, clear commentary–you could teach a class on writing YA! You make great points about language, talking down to readers, and pacing. I completely agree with you on all fronts. Thank you for taking the time to post this, and I look forward to the launch of your blog!
by Erin Dionne December 17th, 2009 at 12:40 pmIt is hard to write YA. You want a balance between not-too-adult & not condescending. Out of the all the writing that I have done; only one is remotely YA.
Kelly, what do you think of Terry Pratchett? Have you ever read any of his work? Do you consider its target audience younger than YA?
by Sewicked December 17th, 2009 at 12:40 pmI’ve heard of them, but no, I haven’t read her, but I’ll definitely put that on my To Read list! when I find the time! Reviewing and my obsession of buying new books eats up reading time!
by Kelly Brennan December 17th, 2009 at 5:52 pmGreat post, Kelly!
Looking forward to reading your blog when you get it up and running..
by Lauren Barnholdt December 17th, 2009 at 12:42 pmFabulous post, Kelly. Absolutely terrific.
Regarding your favorites (and thank you for including those), I recently read SPEAK and WINTERGIRLS, and holy cats, LHA blew me away. There’s a raw — not gritty, but raw — quality to the work that gets under your skin, and you don’t even know you’re bleeding until you look down. That’s the sort of writing that makes me hunger for excellent books to read. (And, hopefully, write.)
by Jackie Morse Kessler December 17th, 2009 at 12:50 pmKelly this was great! So so so true! The geeky best friend is such an old over used topic. I haven’t read any book lately that I can actually say is amazing and different. I’m 18 myself and still read YA always have. (Love Tamora Pierce’s old stuff!) I think all YA writers should read this before sitting down to write their books :] I’m already thinking about anyway that my YA urban fantasy could be using some of these common plots or not.
Thanks! Very insightful! Now, what exactly are you planning as a career? A writer could be a pretty sweet option if you are already this good about plots etc. :]
by Elizabeth December 17th, 2009 at 12:52 pmThank you! Honestly, I have no idea what to do as a career, not because I don’t know, but because there are so many options! Anything in the creative field is pretty much where you’d find me…I’ve definitely thought about writing a lot but I love art, editing, fashion, makeup…
by Kelly Brennan December 17th, 2009 at 5:49 pmThanks again!
Let me just say that I loved this. I love to read, especially YA novels; but lately it has been disappointing how many writers are going for the same approach. It is like reading the same thing over and over, and it is getting to a point where I am moving slowly to Urban Fantasy/Sci-Fi. Now, do not get me wrong, I still love YA, but it is just hard to sometimes find something different on the shelves.
It is funny, I was talking about all this with a friend of mine today. Love the book recs. and loved the way you phrased everything! *KUDOS*
^.^
by Ale December 17th, 2009 at 12:53 pmHave you ever read Gone??? it’s a great book and I heard that 13 resons why is good too thank I have to check out some of the book’s you talked about
by Rachel December 17th, 2009 at 12:55 pmI’m definitely tweeting this around. I can’t tell you how frustrated my editor side is with writers jumping on the YA bandwagon whose skills are naturally oriented toward a diffferent demographic. They’re wasting whole books trying to pander to trends rather than tapping their real talents. They’re also making it harder to find compelling YA authors in the ever-increasing glut.
My husband has made a career of writing animated cartoons for viewers of all ages, and I’ve heard him say time and time again that even for the youngest audience, you should never, never talk down to them. I feel the same way. If you can’t talk to a teenager like a thinking, fully-formed person in real life, don’t think you can write a book for one!
by AudryT December 17th, 2009 at 1:13 pmYeah, that’s exactly what I mean, a book that’s “trendy” Is definitely going to get published, because that’s what publishers are looking for, something that will sell, which is what makes it so hard to find the really good novels. Now I’m wondering, should we blame the authors, or the publishers? Something to think about…
by Kelly Brennan December 17th, 2009 at 5:46 pmAnd your husband is definitely going the right way about that–even I’ve seen cartoons that sound so moronic I can’t believe they’re written for anyone over the age of 2! =] I guess it doesn’t matter how old you are, no one needs to be talked to like they’re brains are too puny to comprehend real life.
Thanks so much for your insight! I’m currently finishing up the first draft of my YA novel, and I think I’ve hit on something great. It’s not paranormal YA, and I’m definitely not talking down to anyone – I hate when YA books do that too (and I’m almost 25!). I bet we have some of the same books on our “books we hate” list.
I will absolutely keep you and this post in mind, though. I try to just write what comes, and not think with the mantra “this is for YA.” Teenagers are smart; they can handle life and everything that comes with it.
I’d love to see your list of books you disliked as well, but I know your mom wants you to keep it positive, so I won’t beg!
by Heather December 17th, 2009 at 1:16 pmWow Kelly, this is a very eye-opening post, the kind of post that I prefer and appreciate. Your frank honesty did me a lot of good and made me realise that my story still needs a lot of tweaking. It’s really bad at the moment and I’m not ashamed to admit it, though it could be better if all you mentioned is taken into consideration, which I definitely will. I almost wish I could send it to you when it’s done to read before deciding what I want to do with it.
Your post did a lot of good. Thank you
by Jay December 17th, 2009 at 2:08 pmAwesome post! My upcoming YA is edgy/contemporary and I agree with so much you’ve said here. All YA writers should read it (and I’m going to link it on my blog in hopes they do).
I’m sure you’d write a great book – but I see your own publishing imprint in your future…
by CynJay December 17th, 2009 at 2:50 pmSocial comments and analytics for this post…
This post was mentioned on Twitter by allisonbrennan1: RT @murdershewrites Guest Blogger: YA Reader and Reviewer Kelly Brennan http://bit.ly/6ZLPV2...
by uberVU - social comments December 17th, 2009 at 3:00 pmWow, your daughter is amazing! She definitely knows what she is talking about.
And she is soo rigth. I’m actually 22 years old, and I enjoy to read YA books. But since Twilight, you just see a bunch of books that are so lame…its like everyone is trying the same recipe.
by Gaby December 17th, 2009 at 3:50 pmAnyway, I wanted to recommend your daughter Fire and Graceling by Kristin Cashore. Maybe she is too young for those books (i forgot she’s just 8!), but both are great books and very different from the other YA.
LOL Gaby, she’s in 8th grade–nearly 14. At her age, I was reading Stephen King and Dean Koontz and there wasn’t many books written for the YA market specifically. I wish there were! Kelly will be commenting when she gets back from practice
by Allison Brennan December 17th, 2009 at 4:17 pmim a teen who love reading the same types of books like your daughter and thats not all me and your daughter have im am also in avid at my school and enjoy the help that the class offers and reading helps alot and i decided for my senior year i would enroll in english 4 ap and now i am practicing annotating book and i will definitely read her book for the practice
by jessica salinas December 17th, 2009 at 6:12 pm<3 jessica
Thank you to everyone who commented!! And your welcome, I guess! i’m always talking to my mom about what annoys me with books and just about other stuff in general, and every time she says, “You need a blog.” haha, and I agree!
I had to leave before I could finish my description for Laura Whitcomb, but she’s one of my favorites. THE FETCH is set during the Russian Revolution and the Romanov family, and the fantasy aspect with a tad of romance is a perfect and unique concept. A Certain Slant of Light is a ghostly romance that I love. But it is a little more explicit for younger readers.
by Kelly Brennan December 17th, 2009 at 6:24 pmAgain, thank you for the comments and tweets, I really appreciate it!!
Thank you for your thoughtful and insightful post, Kelly!
by Jamie Leigh Hansen December 17th, 2009 at 7:08 pmWow, that’s some post. I guess I’m going to have to pick up one or two YA’s now.
Thanks for guesting, Kelly!
by Karin Tabke December 17th, 2009 at 9:12 pmThanks everyone for posting! I’ll let you all know when Kelly’s blog is up and running.
by Allison Brennan December 18th, 2009 at 7:22 amThanks so much, Kelly, for giving us a teen readers insight on the YA category. I’ll agree that there are way too many of the same types of books out there, but there are some authors showing us others how to find your unique voice and show different sides of the paranormal/fantasy. that’s what I’m trying to do with my own story right now and I’m reading tons of YA books to make sure my idea is unique. Have you tried Aprilynne Pike’s Wings, or Wonderous Strange by Lindsey Livingston (unique takes on faeries)?
by Alice Kasey December 18th, 2009 at 11:35 amI’ve just started reading YA books. My favorite so far is Hunger Games. We didn’t have YA when I was a kid, I went straight from Little House on the Prairie to romance novels. I’m keeping Kelly’s list and I think I’ll try some new authors.
by Jill James December 18th, 2009 at 3:26 pmWow, Kelly… you would totally fit in with my 8th grade Pre-AP students at school! We have these conversations all the time. I’m a middle school Pre-AP teacher AND a new author of a YA cross-genre series called Phantom Island. So much of what you said aligns with the feedback my students give on their independent reading interests, too. When we read and discuss YA fiction in class, a lot of the time the students and I agree that it’s obvious some of these YA writers have NO INTERACTION with teens since their own teenage years because, well, it shows. I enjoy hearing from my audience… teenagers just don’t sugar coat how they really feel about a book. You seem to fall in that category, too. LOL. Thanks for the insight.
by Krissi Dallas December 19th, 2009 at 3:34 pmhaha, I would love to take a class like that! But unfortunately my small christian school only offers Honors english!
by Allison Brennan December 22nd, 2009 at 11:15 amI’ve never heard anyone in my life say bull poopie, even my 4 yr old says bullshit. I understand where you are coming from though, I have used effing instead of f*cking because it is less vulgar. Sometimes though, you have to us urbandictionary.com to find another word for penis since it is constantly changing in slang. Nice article overall. Thanks
by Danae ayusso December 19th, 2009 at 5:24 pmHi Kelly & Allison!
Kelly, thanks for the well-written and thoughtful post.
I think some of the issues you pointed out actually keep YA from finding an even larger audience. There are so many smart, clever, unique YA stories out there, but they’re not always easy to find or well-promoted.
If you’re looking for YA mystery, check out the LuLu Dark series – I really enjoyed that. For fantasy, have you read Beautiful Creatures, Eyes Like Stars, or Prophecy of the Sisters? I found them to be unique and very non-Twilight (in a good way). I also loved the Mortal Instruments series.
Thanks again for sharing your thoughts. I look forward to your blog!
by Sarah Ockler December 19th, 2009 at 6:14 pmKelly, thank you for the YA recommendations. Went to BN today and got Unwind. Just read the first couple of chapters but….um….it is amazing. Very deep. Very dark. And very believable.
by Jill James December 19th, 2009 at 6:45 pmUNWIND is a truly unique, moving book. It stayed in my head for weeks after I finished it. It also had the distinction of making my most unsentimental friend cry, which is pretty impressive!
by sophie littlefield December 20th, 2009 at 11:21 pmIt was bizarre reading this, because I feel THE EXACT SAME WAY.
I am heartily sick of reading Adult Authors who cross into YA for the money and simply don’t know how to write the genre.
I am sick of bad Twilight clones. How many have there been now, 30? 40?
You spoke beautifully. I have no doubt I’ll read a book written by you one day.
by Gammin December 19th, 2009 at 6:47 pmI’m late to read this post, but I loved the comment “Authors often ‘over enunciate’ plots” – I’ve never heard it said quite that way but I do think that is a great way to describe one of the pitfalls of writing for teens.
I have my own teenagers weigh in occasionally when I get stuck. I have to be very thickskinned because they don’t mince words
Great list of reads. Have you read THE FOREST OF HANDS AND TEETH (Carrie Ryan)? Based on your list I think you might like it…
by sophie littlefield December 20th, 2009 at 11:19 pm