Age of Protagonist

[Black Dragon]

From what I've read, the age of your protagonist does impact your potential market.

What is the best age range for a character in an adult fantasy novel? Likewise, what is the best age range for a young adult novel?

Also, what do you think would happen if you tried going outside of these ranges? Have you ever experimented with this?

 

[Map the Dragon]

This is only from my reading experiences, but a typical age range for an adult fantasy novel is something in neighborhood of 20-30. This might also change based on race (like elf) and the character might be older, but usually they'll maintain the appearance of a twenty or thirty-something. It is almost part of the archetype. For YA Fantasy, the characters are usually middle-school aged. I'm not sure these are the 'best' age ranges, but they are the most typical.

I tried deviating once, to what I think was much success. The short story was most assuredly adult fantasy, but featured a character/voice that was childlike--at least in getting started. So far, the story has met with some good praise and many readers. I linked it on the Showcase forum if anyone is interested. The thread is called "Battle of the Ageless".

Althought many love to experiment, and many love to read such experiments, the market is still the market. If one was going to push those age ranges, they best have a valid and interesting reason why, so as to keep agents and publishers interested in the work.

 

[Hëradïn]

adult: early 20s to early 30s
YA: 14 to early 20s
works for both: anyone who is over 100 to 150 years old, the higher the age of a character after that, the better. characters who are 1000 or older are the best.

 

[Angharad]

For YA, I'd say 15-18, and for adult, any age, although probably the protagonists in epic S & S with lots of action would probably be in their 20s or 30s, or at least appear so. But I don't think there are necessarily hard and fast rules. There are some adult books with children as protagonists.

 

[Lord Darkstorm]

I can see the younger range for YA, but maybe it's just me, but quite a bit of my reading the characters age varies from young, to well aged. Maybe there is an average that would equate to somewhere in the 30's, but there are some good stories out there that are written from the pov of older characters. Makes you appreciate not being old yet.

 

[Nightbringer]

I would think it would be the sort of age that the reader can relate to.

If I'm 18 and I'm reading about the crippling back pain that a 70 year old man is having, I can't really relate. A character my own age is going to evoke much more empathy from me, and make that character all the more compelling for me.

 

[Lord Darkstorm]

I would think it would be the sort of age that the reader can relate to.

If I'm 18 and I'm reading about the crippling back pain that a 70 year old man is having, I can't really relate. A character my own age is going to evoke much more empathy from me, and make that character all the more compelling for me.

So, if the main character is an elf, or a dwarf, or some other non human, you won't be able to relate? Would you say the same for reading a character that isn't the same sex?

I like reading from a pov of someone different than me. A good character can be related to because you care about the person (whatever they happen to be), and I don't think they have to be a certain age, sex, or species to pull that off. Maybe kids aren't as adaptable, but I question that as well. When I was fifteen I was reading Elric and the Dragonlance saga, and I don't think Elric was my age, and he wasn't human. Never stopped my craving for more.

Overall, I think there are too many imitations out there of other peoples success. How many series of wizard schools are out there now? How about vampire novels? I've actually seen quite a few people chasing the latest trend and hoping to ride the coat tails of someone else. Set the trend, write a good story with characters that people connect with and do it so well it is amazing; someone will publish it, and people will read it.

 

[Nightbringer]

So, if the main character is an elf, or a dwarf, or some other non human, you won't be able to relate? Would you say the same for reading a character that isn't the same sex?

I like reading from a pov of someone different than me. A good character can be related to because you care about the person (whatever they happen to be), and I don't think they have to be a certain age, sex, or species to pull that off. Maybe kids aren't as adaptable, but I question that as well. When I was fifteen I was reading Elric and the Dragonlance saga, and I don't think Elric was my age, and he wasn't human. Never stopped my craving for more.

Overall, I think there are too many imitations out there of other peoples success. How many series of wizard schools are out there now? How about vampire novels? I've actually seen quite a few people chasing the latest trend and hoping to ride the coat tails of someone else. Set the trend, write a good story with characters that people connect with and do it so well it is amazing; someone will publish it, and people will read it.

Good point, although I said nothing about race or sex.

I stand by what I said. A character has to be relatable. Not necessarily as the same race, but just as a person. Age is just one way of helping a character be relatable.

You're totally right though; I agree that the age/sex/race of the character is far less important than his or her personality.

 

[Johnny Cosmo]

Context plays a massive part in this. In classical and medieval times (in which most of the fantasy we discuss on these forums is set), adulthood would come sooner than it does now (perhaps from 13 to 16, and earlier in some cultures), and there would be no such thing as a 'teenager', so to identify with a certain age just because of a number is odd, because in fantasy it may not tell you anything you expect to hear about the character. I am more likely to relate to someone in the same situation as myself, not necessarily the same age. That said, it does change things slightly if I realise a protagonist is of a drastically different age. I'm currently reading the first book of a Song of Fire and Ice, and one of my favourites, Jon Snow, being 15 seemed strange for a little while, but not for long. I'm also reading Tigana, and Devin is closer to my age, but I still don't relate to him (though I am enjoying the character regardless).

So it depends. What a pointless response I've just given...

 

[Ophiucha]

I would say anything under fifty isn't going to be a problem, but once the character starts to be what we'd consider "old" it definitely will alienate a few readers. Also depends on gender, I think. There are plenty of male protagonists who are in their 30s or 40s, war leaders, barbarians, fighters and kings of all sorts. But how many female leads can you name who are older than 25 or so? As for elves and other immortal (or close to it) creatures, I would still say it depends on how they act. Most of the stories with elven or vampire leads who are actually five hundred, but look thirty, still act like they are thirty. Aside from using bigger words and knowing a few spare languages, very few of them act wizened or ancient in any way. They are functionally just thirty - all of the elves and vampires who give off an ancient air aren't protagonists, with few exceptions (and even those tend to have another main character who is much younger).

As for young adult, I would say once they are out of university, they're too old. Maybe 22 is the oldest? And probably no younger than 12, since YA often deals with topics we probably won't be discussing in a context of a fifth grader unless your name is Vladimir Nabokov (body issues, lgbt, sex, drugs, etc.).

 

[SeverinR]

I think it depends on the story.
Alot of my stories start around the time people begin apprenticeship, which was between 10 and 15.
It allows for the reader to learn with the character. Also as others have said, Medievil teens were either children or adults.
So 15 yr olds then could face what a 20yr old could now.

I do think an adult story about children gets tough. Because the reader tends to feel the story is geared towards someone of that age.
Currently I have an 23yr(basically equal to a 17 yr old human) old elf in one story and a 10 yr old human as the center of the two books I am working on. Both are starting to learn their careers and exploring adult life of medievil times. Again it allows for the reader to experience as they do.
The 10 yr old is the youngest I have ever written about in my works. But there is reasons and it is not written at a 10 yr old level. The main characters are older, and will be teaching her.

 

[Lord Darkstorm]

Maybe it isn't as much to do with younger people are more interesting, or easier to relate to, but because they are more likely to be in some form of interesting situation? Wisdom is supposed to come with age, and if that is the case, most older people wisely leave the acts of stupidity...I mean bravery, to the young.

Older people are not characters that can't be related to, you just don't expect them to go sludging through the wilderness in search of adventure. Doesn't mean that circumstances can't force them into that situation.

I think my point is that while there are averages that people write in, they don't have to be in that range to work. To those that only want to read about people in a certain age range...well, you might miss out on some good stories.

 

[Derin]

The optimal age for children or young adults is about 1 year older than the target audience. This allows them to relate to the character while maintaining suspension of disbelief that they might be like the character someday. It's possible for them to relate to older or younger characters, of course, but it doesn't seem to draw them in as readily.

I don't know how fiction for older adults works, but I'd imaging the margin would be wider.

 

[Lord Darkstorm]

I guess by the current definition defined by most here...there should be almost no books that would be interesting to me since my age is outside the target demographic.

Funny, but I don't seem to have a lack of books I enjoy or read...