# A lot of good writing in YA - why?



## Steerpike (Oct 29, 2013)

I posted a link to Chuck Wendig's blog a while back, where he talks about how a lot of the best writing right now is happening at the YA level. This article from the NY Times opinion page addresses the same issue, and the author provides some opinions as to why he thinks this is the case:

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/10/28/junior-varsity-is-where-the-work-gets-done/?_r=0


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## GeekDavid (Oct 29, 2013)

He may be right, but I think there's another equally plausible explanation.

Adults (including myself) will read YA books, but few decent parents will let their kids read adult literature (and less-than-decent parents are far less likely to have teens that read much anyway).

Therefore, by aiming at the YA market, you're adding a huge market segment without losing much, if any, of the existing adult market segment.

I know, I'm such a pragmatist sometimes, I take the poetry out of everything.


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## Steerpike (Oct 29, 2013)

My parents let me read anything I wanted, from as early as I could remember. Certainly by sixth and seventh grade I was reading anything on my dad's shelf, which included fantasy, science fiction, and horror novels written for an adult audience.


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## GeekDavid (Oct 29, 2013)

Steerpike said:


> My parents let me read anything I wanted, from as early as I could remember. Certainly by sixth and seventh grade I was reading anything on my dad's shelf, which included fantasy, science fiction, and horror novels written for an adult audience.



But I imagine that you, like me, were reading far above your grade level anyway, so your parents were fairly certain you weren't getting in over your head. I'm talking about the average parent of the average kid.

Also, though I don't know your exact age, Steer (maybe you told me and I forgot), but I get the idea you and I are within a decade of each other. The wave of sexuality currently in vogue in sci-fi and fantasy (_Twilight_, anyone?) was practically non-existent in SF and fantasy when we were teens.


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## Steerpike (Oct 29, 2013)

Yeah, I don't think there was as much of it back then (though I think Twilight is rather tame). I don't remember ever coming across it to a great extent in science fiction or fantasy, but on a few occasions I came across some fairly explicit sex scenes in horror books of the time period.

I'm 44 btw.


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## GeekDavid (Oct 29, 2013)

Steerpike said:


> Yeah, I don't think there was as much of it back then (though I think Twilight is rather tame). I don't remember ever coming across it to a great extent in science fiction or fantasy, but on a few occasions I came across some fairly explicit sex scenes in horror books of the time period.
> 
> I'm 44 btw.



You're three years my junior, so I was right. I stayed -- and stay -- well clear of horror. It has to do with some incidents when I was very young that I'd really rather not go into further.

My point was, my parents knew that if I was reading sci-fi and fantasy, I was fairly safe from the kind of stuff you'd find in your average Danielle Steel book. I can guess what their reaction would have been if I'd brought one of those books home.


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## Svrtnsse (Oct 29, 2013)

GeekDavid said:


> Adults (including myself) will read YA books, but few decent parents will let their kids read adult literature (and less-than-decent parents are far less likely to have teens that read much anyway).



I don't believe in this. Optionally, I believe that the kind of parent that watches what kind of books their kids read is very small. Instead, I believe most parents would happily brag about how bright and intelligent their kid is for reading adult books, without bothering actually checking up on what they're actually reading.
After all, reading is a cultured and intellectual pastime, so anyone who does it must be smart and talented (especially if they happen to be my kid).


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## Devor (Oct 29, 2013)

I really liked the article and agree with the premise.

But kind of a different angle on what GeekDavid was saying, everyone remembers what it was like to be a teen, while teens have never been through adulthood.  I do think the percentage of adults reading a lot of YA is much bigger than the percentage of teens reading a lot of adult literature.


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## Jabrosky (Oct 29, 2013)

I haven't really checked the YA section at my local bookstore yet, but the OP's argument surprises me because I keep hearing the stereotype to the contrary. Everyone complains that YA these days is chock full of derivative, poorly written mindless drivel. For my part, I think you can find an abundance of inferior writing in almost every genre, but YA is the fashionable punching bag among literary types. Must be generational snobbery at work.

My own protagonists tend to be in their twenties, much like myself. Would their stories count as YA?


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## Steerpike (Oct 29, 2013)

Yeah, it's not the case, Jabrosky. Or, I should say that while that kind of stuff is out there (just like in adult fiction) it isn't all that's out there.

See Chuck Wendig's blog post on the same topic, here: 25 Things You Should Know About Young Adult Fiction Ã‚Â« terribleminds: chuck wendig

For example, item 16:

*"16. RISKIER STORIES*

Personal opinion time: some of the bravest, strangest, coolest stories right now are being told in the young adult space. It’s stuff that doesn’t fly by tropes or adhere to rules — appropriate, perhaps, since young adults tend to flick cigarettes in the eyes of the rules and don’t play by social norms as much as adults do. (Though teens certainly have their own social codes, too.) I wish adult fiction so frequently took risks on the material at hand, but it doesn’t. And as a person (relatively) new to the young adult spectrum, I used to assume it was all *Twilight*: generic pap. But then you read John Green, or Libba Bray, or Maureen Johnson — or holy ****, have you read *Code Name: Verity*?! — and your eyes start to go all boggly. Amazing storytelling in this realm. Amazing! I’ll wait here while you go read it all. *stares*"


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## Legendary Sidekick (Oct 30, 2013)

1st-person, heavy on dialogue, genre-blending—welcome to my comfort zone!

I do like keeping my protagonists young, though I prefer the 19-25 range over 12-18. I don't see a 16-year-old doing well in a sword fight with an adult. 19 is the age I find defeating an attacker in his thirties believable (been there, done that).


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## SeverinR (Oct 31, 2013)

I like proving Arya Stark's statement:
"Anyone can be killed."

*Sword fight between Baron and Dragon rider, an ignored 12 yr old kills the dragon rider with a 3inch dagger when the dragon rider kills the baron, in the gap under the arm when he thrust his sword. (kid is fried by lightning dragon)
*Merc(large strong man) carrying 14 yr old small female thief, tosses her into a group of men, she lays there looking for help, then when he steps forward to pick her back up, she stabs upward between his legs with her small dagger, merc should have wore more protection from that attack, femoral artery hit. (First wrote it that artery and bladder where penetrated, but wasn't sure even a small blade could go that far at that angle) She escapes while the group stand stunned.
(I should note, he did assure everyone he wore his cup, the lance ripped just above the cup past his belly button.)

*Current wip, Silsi trips and falls, trying to get up she hears the bandit is on her, she rolls over as he tackles her, landing on her dagger, driving it up under his armor into his stomach*. More of an accident then her actually killing him.
[these are three different stories, not all in one. The triumph of the weak over experience/muscle is not often repeated.]

Reality is a must, but there are weaknesses that if known provide a reasonable avenue for "kids" to prevail.  Basically, the kid is not a threat to the warrior, so they don't use as much caution as they should.  
I don't write about kids going toe to toe with a trained warrior.

I use the martial arts kill zone chart to know the areas easier to kill a person then look at how they might be reached even when a person is armored.

*Idea for this weakness was from an actual event, friend I knew doing a IJA(International Jousting association) demonstration, didn't fasten his abdomen armor to his breast plate during a joust, lance exploded but shaft hit just above groin and ripped up into his stomach under his breast plate.  Luckily it was soft wood and only cut the skin.  He didn't realize it at first, then when started to dismount in front of kids, he realized he was bleeding. He stayed in saddle and quietly exited the area, where he called out his assistance and they dressed his wounds. (of course, he did not go see a Dr. -Warrior spirit.)  First hand experience or hearing it from the people that did it, is much better to build a scene on, imho.

I think most of us know that an archer can kill a fully armored man, so the hunger games girl could kill a field plated knight if she was able to handle the pull of the bow. (I doubt a 25lb bow would penetrate.)


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