This information is from a panel I listened to a year or so ago. I took notes while attending a wonderful SF/F symposium called Life the Universe and Everything. The panels are very educational. The panelists were: Mette Ivie Harrison, Elana Johnson, Bree Despain, Robison Wells, J. Scott Savage.

–        Adults are turning toward YA fiction because these books offer a hopeful story.

–        A lot of hope in YA fiction can often illustrate to YA readers that life is worth living.

–        YA want to read books about themselves. If the character dies, the reader dies.

–        YA characters are responsible for teen tasks, not adult responsibilities.

–        Middle grade conflict in external issues while YA usually provide internal conflicts. We like reading YA because the YA character is play dough that is still being formed into the person they will be as an adult. The story/book is helping them discover who they are.

–        YA as characters in college usually don’t work.

–        No YA character can be over twenty otherwise readers feel it raises the ‘creep’ factor.

–        Voice in YA is single or limited view point.

–        People often like the book because of the voice.

–        Way to check voice. Read a lot of YA fiction and see what you like in other novels.

–        Voice is something that pops off the page and defines the characters.

–        You come up with metaphors to define that character by her personality. If she is an artist than her thoughtful comparisons will hold artistic imagery. If she is religious than she might see a group congregating together, which would be a religious reference.

–        Writing a story in first person can help give the story a sense of isolation.

–        First person means the protagonist will not know the motivation of other characters thought they may try to extrapolate what they thing the motivations are.

On a personal note, I have noticed that my personal reference in YA fiction is that I’m not as much into the romance aspect, as other people are. I seem to favor writing in male characters point of view over female. I’m not certain if I have a romantic bone in my body. With my next planned project, let’s hope I can find one.

Happy writing, if you have some suggestions and advice about why a fiction writing it, or maybe a book you’ve enjoyed, please feel free to share it in the comment section of this blog. Thank you