There’s definitely something going ’round the Young Adult writing world these days–the notion that the “ideal” YA male character (particularly the “love interest” or hero) is a “bad boy.” You know, the super-hot boy with a smokin’ body and a bad attitude. If you read a lot of YA, you’ve seen these YA heroes everywhere. … [Read more…]
When we talk about “world building” in young adult novels, people often think it only applies to fantasy/paranormal/urban fantasy genres, but world building is just as important in realistic fiction novels. Many times contemporary fiction writers forget that or need a few writing prompts to get their world building going. What exactly is world building? … [Read more…]
There’s a lot of confusion out there about how “hot” a young adult novel can (and should) be. The short answer: it all depends. Here’s the thing–there is no “line in the sand” where sexual content is concerned in YA fiction. To completely ignore the topic of sex in young adult fiction is, at best, … [Read more…]
Lately, I’ve been hearing lots of complaints about “cliffhangers” in young adult series–you know, where a book ends seemingly in the middle of some sort of crisis, and you have to wait for the next book for the resolution. From a marketing perspective, a cliffhanger ending can be a good thing. It leaves readers desperate for the … [Read more…]
Every year when I begin teaching a commercial fiction class for adults, I have at least one student who, when we start discussing Young Adult/Teen fiction, asks something to the effect of “YA fiction is just dumbed down writing, right?” I can’t tell you how disheartening this YA fiction stereotype is. Let me state it boldly … [Read more…]