Hey! Do you read YA fiction, either primarily or exclusively? If you do then AMAZING, I'd like to talk to you! What do you look for in your young adult fiction? Is it adventure? Romance? Conflict? Basically, what is it about YA fiction that makes you tick? Comment below and let me know!
Good, well-rounded characters and a compelling story. Same as what I look for in adult fiction. Conflict of one form or another is at the core, though it can be internal and understated. Elements like romance, &c. are fine with me, but they're not requirements.
What I really enjoy is watching the main character grow, change and adapt to new situations. I also enjoy seeing (and creating) that peculiar teaching character who is really strange, likes to swear a lot, and can be a good teacher minus one bad habit (drinks, smokes, sex, other random sins). This always goes to one scene where the MC decides to free himself from his teacher. Big turn on. Of course, adventure helps with growing up, but I feel like the "I'm going on an adventure with my horse and two of my best friends" trope is overused and growing old. I like when the world has its own mythology and history, but that is not so distant from ours so that you can still unconsciously go : "Oh right, this Na'Qsorat goddess is the equivalent of Athena". Romance is not a requirement for me. Even, I'm sometimes totally unaware of the fact that something is ongoing and I find myself wondering what the hell is going on when they get down to business. I've had one experience where that totally angered me and I had a hard time to finish the book. I also like when the outcome of situations depends on various characters. I don't mean two or three, I mean four to eight, each with their own way to act and their goal. It really brings out that realistic flavor, even if I know just how hard it is to set up. Hope that helps !
An element of science fiction, especially time travel. But I look for those things in any fiction I read.
I look to YA fiction to get away from the darkness of my own writing. I understand and know that this is not all this genre covers, not by a long shot (and I am actually doing this genre an injustice by using it for 'lighthearted reading') - but it is what I am looking for. I need a way to just read, without fear of being hit in the gut, and this genre is perfect for getting lost. So give me an adventure, love, family, a quest, give me hope. edit: I am not a primary YA reader.
I don't read YA anymore, but I used to. I outgrew it and now focus mostly on classics. However, with the right story, it is a fantastic genre. I look for YA that deals with serious teen/young adult issues, such as depression/mental illness, the reality of the job market out of college, the need to fit in and be accepted in social circles, but the most interesting part of this genre is it's ability to tackle extremely heavy and controversial topics adult fiction might shy away from, especially in today's age when most teens are fairly, if not very, liberal due to their access to the internet and rubbing shoulders with all sorts of people in this online world. I think most YA novels would be categorized as 'slice of life' or 'coming of age' simply due to the nature of teen development. the plots are often character-driven, then again I am really thinking high school/school-based novels.
Possibly the same as any other book I find interesting. A good plot, memorable/relate-able characters, and a hell of an ending.
In addition, YA novels really tap into the adolescent belief that everything going on in their life has such high stakes that could irreparably ruin their lives forever. Their first love, their first job, their final years at school, mandatory participation in the very literal lottery of life and death. Those sorts of things. The case can be made that very few of them actually suggest the idea that there are alternative paths to your goals in life, just the promise that no matter where you turn there will always be something or someone blocking your way and the best you can hope for is a comfortable place to stop, settle down, and accept that this will be as good as it gets. I suppose what bothers me about the genre is that the young protagonists are so comfortable in their conviction that they were not the ones responsible for everything being so terrible. So when, after they have fought so hard for it, they are given the opportunity to lay better foundations, they are content to just lay there in the rubble like, "Well we did our bit. Peace out." Anything that challenges this would tick for me.
This actually sounds like the outcome of the 60s movement. I was a few years too young to have taken part, so I became an observer and in the 70s, all those radicals decided to become part of the system so they could change it from within. And they ended up being sucked into the whole lifestyle of money, power, fancy cars, big houses and nothing really changed... maybe an attitude here and there, but that was about it. Not what I'd call Social Progress in title case, anyway. And then in the 80s when they backed people who started this whole trickle-down thing...
Believable characters, good or bad. Characters that leave you unsure of what side their on, that always captures my interest. A great plot. Rags to riches, forbidden love or just a convincing story with ups, downs, twists and turns but always a happy ending. I'm a sucker for that.
