Teen main character in adult story. Can I make this work? - Writers Forum

Dreamingsinger · 04-10-2008, 01:08 AM

So here's the thing. I am writing a short story which I am hoping will have a chance at attactign the interest of adult readers as well as teens. Now I could be wrong, but I had noticed that most adult ficion features adult characters, and teen stories feature teenage ones. Now, I am working away on this piece which happens to feature a 17 year old girl. She's livign the life of your average teenager. Going to high shcool, helping out at home, all that usual stuff. Today it hit me. Will I ever be able to market this. Will adult readers want to read soemthing about a high shcool student? I know that some teens do read adult fiction, but do adults read, teen fiction? Of course there is always the option to jsut keep going with it, and eventually try to sell it as a young adult or teen piece. Problem is, it aklso features things of a metaphysical, or paranormal nature. Can that sell on the young adult market? Does anyone here know a little more about any of these issues, or have any advice on this? I made my main character 17, because that age suiting the plot well. Now I think I may have backed myself into a corner here.

Necromortis · 04-10-2008, 01:17 AM

I don't know anything about adults reading teen/young adult fiction, but I do know that there's an amazing amount of variety in young adult works. I wouldn't be put off by the fact that it's got paranormal stuff in it.

But another thing - it sounds like you're writing the story to sell it. Why? If I were you (I'm obviously not, but I'm pretty sure this is a generally accepted ideal) I'd write the story because I wanted to write the story.

~Christian

Dreamingsinger · 04-10-2008, 01:35 AM

Thanks for the advice on this. Yes, you are very right. I should write becaus eI want to, and that is first and foremost what I am doing. Making money as a writer is not nearly as important as writing because I love it. It's just that the chance to get something published is always a consideration as well. I mean, if I ever write anything that could hit the market, I may as well try. I do love the story though so far. I plan to go on and finish it, even if I did back myself into a corner with it.

CodeRed · 04-10-2008, 04:15 AM

I obviously can't speak for all adults, but I read books/stories from any genre and pay little attention to the age of the characters when I choose one. You shouldn't worry about trying appeal to the broadest range of age groups, as that could actually become quite restricting. To paraphrase a favourite quote, just tell your characters' story honestly.

lilacstarflower · 04-10-2008, 07:00 AM

I don't think it matters much about the characters age - I mean Jurassic Park The Lost World had two of its main characters as kids and it didn't impact on the overall enjoyment of the story.

There are also many adults who read young adult fiction - take Harry Potter for instance; it appealed to all ages despite first being published as a children's book

If you're writing a strong enough story, the ages of the characters wont matter

seigfried007 · 04-10-2008, 09:43 AM

Most YA puts me off to no end--too much angst, too many immature characters, too much of the same stuff as far as characters and their development go. That said, I read some YA Pern stories and Harry Potter and liked both. Several classics and 'growing up' novels are fabulous though I'm not sure if they were marketed as YA (To Kill A Mockingbird, for instance).

Lots of the YA I've seen features paranormal stuff. Heck, teens loved the X-Files.

Writing about adult themes in an adult, realistic way may boost your story to the realm of adult fiction as may having a couple adult POVs. Sadly, without that, you'll probably be stuck in YA (not that YA's a bad thing, but I'm under the impression the editor will pass it up the chain as YA wether you think it is or not.

I don't think adults pick up YA novels unless A) the kids are reading them or B) they were marketed and received by other adults as being fabulous (such as the case with Harry Potter and Eragon)

Mike C · 04-10-2008, 10:18 AM

Catcher in the Rye and Vernon God Little both feature teenage protagonists and both sold rather a lot of copies, and the latter won a Booker prize also.

Just Jim · 04-10-2008, 10:37 AM

I think it's already been said in a way, but the key will be that you make the adults be real full characters. You can write a teen story and maybe even YA story, where the adults are just cardboard cutouts; just there as parents etc., but that won't sell to adults.

If you do that, then selling will depend on the quality of your writing.

lin · 04-10-2008, 11:16 AM

Exactly, Mike. There are LOTS of books for adults with teen main characters, or even children.
Dune springs to mind. Lord of the Flies, all those jillion "coming of age" things(like Great Santini and Separate Peace and Dead Poets Society) Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet... I won't even mention Lolita.

Adolescents, I would say, tend to like their characters like they like their music stars...a couple of years older than them. But adults tend to accept all ages if the story has an adult consciousness.

seigfried007 · 04-10-2008, 12:02 PM

That's funny because as an adolesent, I prefered adult fiction to YA--partially because of book length (YA tends to be shorter, at least from the shelves I've seen at libraries) and a ot of the plot lines seemed to smack of each other (even more so in genre fiction like YA fantasy).

Adult consciousness is definitely what separates books that adults read from those they won't touch without parental prvocation--least in my experience.

Teenagers frequently go through the same things that adults do and can be involved in very realistic 'adult' plot lines (17 is certainly old enough to have a lot of adult consciousness in the story). The problems come with the emphasis on high school and its many superficial and temporary vices and vanities. Writing high school tends to come out as Dawson's Creek to Smallville--angsty, soap opera, often poor characters being plot-puppeted to make more drama.

Another thing I've noticed with fiction about teens and children that adults pick up is that it usually has a deeper theme and/or an immersive environment.

Robin Hobb's the Farseer Trilogy focused on a young man who might have been seventeen by the end--old enough to have been poisoned, to have killed peolpe, to dealt with being illegitimate, to fall in love and lose his beloved, to have eaten his words and stuck his feet in his mouth more times than I care to count, to have died, to be possessed by revenge. An immersive environment tied to some very painful circumstances, in short. No fantastic happy endings, no magical full-heal spells, no great magic items to steal the show and save the world. No high school either.

Harry Potter had all the crap from high school (nasty professors, nepotism, teacher's pets, sports teams, angsty teenagers, hand-me-downs, couples making out in the hallways, dances) plus the immersive world and some awfully adult themes, concepts and events (some of which are found in YA fairly often and are usually treated as great sources of angst alone).

Both series had adolescent male protagonists but I read them for the world and supporting casts and to find the ending despite the actions of the main character (couldn't stand Harry and Ron, and poor Fitz was painfully adolescent too)

starseed · 04-11-2008, 12:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Necromortis

I don't know anything about adults reading teen/young adult fiction, but I do know that there's an amazing amount of variety in young adult works. I wouldn't be put off by the fact that it's got paranormal stuff in it.

But another thing - it sounds like you're writing the story to sell it. Why? If I were you (I'm obviously not, but I'm pretty sure this is a generally accepted ideal) I'd write the story because I wanted to write the story.

~Christian

I agree, write a story you love, one that is from your heart. Write a story you would love to read.

And as far as reading a story about a teenager, Id love to. I disagree that all adult books are about adults. I know a lot of people around here consider him crap, but Stephen King has written a few stories I can think of where the main characters were children, and I enjoyed them. I'm sure there are a lot of other examples but I'm a bit tired and can't think of them at the moment.

What I'm trying to say is, an interesting, well written story with fascinating characters, is just that. I think that is enjoyable no matter what the genre or the age of the main character is.

Good luck!

lin · 04-11-2008, 11:05 AM

The whole genre of YA wasn't around when I was a kid. Thank God. Nor were there books for kids written with approved word lists and politically correct parameters.

My buds and I generally read stories about Robin Hood, Three Musketeers, pro baseball players, WWII soldiers, cowboys&indians, etc. We wanted to be those people...grown men with weapons doing dangerous shit and nabbing bitchin' women.

The closest thing to YA I remember from junior high was like The Hardy Boys. I prefered Heinlein and Asimov...both wrote a lot of books with YA characters. We dug a lot of mythology and comic books superheroes, as well.

Now it seems like there is this whole industry of "books about kids exactly like you dealing with the same problems in really improbable ways".

Ilasir Maroa · 04-11-2008, 11:19 PM

I'm an adolescant. I prefer adult fiction, but character age doesn't matter much at all. As long as it isn't YA, I'll read it, even if the MC is five(and it's a good book...).

Dreamingsinger · 04-13-2008, 10:48 AM

Thanks everyone for your advice about this. I'm really greatful for your help.

Destroyer · 04-15-2008, 04:02 AM

Consider how many adults are fans of Harry Potter. That should answer your question. So long as you don't write like they're idiots, you shouldn't have a problem.