DragonOfTheAerie
Vala
So, I guess you would say teens are a group different from both adults and children.
There's a logical fallacy here somewhere, if this statement is to be extrapolated.
Yeah, I also find this thread sort of offensive, in a strange way...
I'm having trouble understanding all the hate for YA?
I'm writing Middle Grades (which must make me the lowest of the low as far as intelligence, grittiness), and I'm not writing it because it is "easier" or "I wanted to try a new genre" or "I have a nephew that I'm trying to write something special for".
I'm writing middle grades because I'm absolutely inspired by the imaginations, wonder, and excitement of kids ages 9-13. Yes, I teach middle school, so I see it every day, and yes, I take my kids to the library where it is a treasure trove of fantastic, gritty, dark, mind boggling deeply themed kids fantasy.
People mostly know Harry Potter and Percy Jackson, but there are so many more fun, inspiring and wonderful books out there, like Narnia (obviously), The Hobbit is considered Middle Grades, Coraline, The Artemis Fowl books, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, A Wrinkle in Time, The Giver.
For many young kids these will be their first introduction into fantasy, and there is something so special about these books that just can't be found in adult fantasy. A certain whimsy, a certain truth that just can't be found in adult fantasy.
I feel like with kids and young teens everything is still possible. It could still be 'real' in some way that the Pevency children can go to Narnia, or Charlie can go to a magical chocolate factory, or Meg could go on an adventure to space to save her father. For kids this stuff can really exist and the stories are written in a special sort of way that is just not found in adult fantasy.
I prefer it, personally. That is why I write it. I love knowing I'm sparking a kid's imagination. That is the reward for me.
I'm having trouble understanding all the hate for YA?
Sorry, Russ, not everyone... there has been a TON of support on this thread in general, but I do sort of get this sense of "YA is a dumbed down version of adult fantasy, with shallow themes, simplistic writing style and no one would actually want to write it unless they were forced to or needed some quick cash."
lol. That's just the tone I'm getting here.
I second that. And since
1. I read (and enjoy) YA
2. I write YA
3. I AM a YA
i don't like it.
I despise YA. I love the first three Harry Potter books and I think Mairelon the Magician by Patricia C. Wrede is YA (but I usually don't consider it so because its shelved as an adult book at my library), but for the most part I just can't read YA for a couple reasons, but I think the main one is that I was never like a regular teenager. My sister and I both never did normal teenage things and neither of us like YA. For awhile I found the assumptions YA authors tend to make about their audience kind of offensive, because as a teenager I wasn't like this but then I looked around and realized I'm the anomaly. I don't relate to other people in my age group (which is the YA age group) why should I relate to books written for them? Clearly it just wasn't written for me, but if that's your thing keep doing it.
I'm somewhat late to this discussion, which is a shame because it's pretty interesting. To be fair, I'm not a YA fan either. That's for two reasons:
1) YA is typically narrated in first person POV and we all know how I feel about that.
2) I prefer my fantasy with strong adult themes and a bit of sexy time thrown in there (not erotica levels though).
However, I totally disagree that YA is dumbed down because I've found it to be creative with deeply rich themes. Teenagers make for interesting characters and they don't usually have the tainted view of life that us adults do, with plenty of emotional wounds that make us lazy and afraid of taking the hero's journey.
Literature written for all ages is art in its own right. Currently, my son is reading the cat Warrior series and I've been reading along with him. I'd be lying if I said they weren't highly entertaining. I love reading with him and sharing in that childlike fantasy.
One last point, my understanding is that most YA readers are actually adults. That should say something. Readers are smart and they vote with their pocketbooks. Writing for teens doesn't make you better/less than any other author out there. Writing a book is hard for all of us regardless of audience age. Every genre (and subgenre) comes with its own set of challenges so in the end, we're all in the same overcrowded boat up a creek without paddles.
It is about intimacy, isn't it? In that case, the best way I can explain it is that 1st POV feels like a person I just met getting in much too close during a conversation. Like my space is being invaded. I like being able to see the story for what it is, get immersed in it, and first person totally breaks that connection between me and story. I've turned down many a good plot line or interesting story because of it. Won't even go past the first page.I love first person. That is, I love writing it. I like the intimacy, and my characters/narrators are snarky and sarcastic, so it can be pretty fun as well. I don't have any preference when reading.
Just in the interest of making conversation, can you explain why you don't like first person? I've heard that sentiment expressed on here many times and I'm wondering why. In a good story I don't even notice the narration.