Tags:
  1. Professor Gargantua

    Professor Gargantua New Member

    Joined:
    Jul 21, 2014
    Messages:
    1
    Likes Received:
    0

    I'm having a bit of trouble defining the genre/age group of my story...

    Discussion in 'Genre Discussions' started by Professor Gargantua, Jul 21, 2014.

    I'm in the middle of writing a novel that I have no idea how to define. I feel like it falls between young adult fiction and adult fiction, and as for the genre, it's a political and social satire that deals with discrimination/racism, political corruption, being a refugee, and illegal immigration.

    My story's characters are all different ages and it focuses on a group of people rather than one in a kingdom called Televisionland. I've read in several places that YA is defined as having a protagonist that's in their teen years, but I feel like a satire/parody of Hollywood and reality TV is a bit too juvenile for regular adult fiction...

    More facts:
    It is set in modern day, in our universe, but it takes place inside of the TV. (you know how some children believe that the characters on TV actually live in side of it? It's kind of like that.)
    It's a humorous story.
     
  2. Cogito

    Cogito Former Mod, Retired Supporter Contributor

    Joined:
    May 19, 2007
    Messages:
    36,161
    Likes Received:
    2,827
    Location:
    Massachusetts, USA
    First focus on writing a good story. Only then should you concern yourself with what market segment to target (and thereby how to pitch it to which publishers).
     
  3. minstrel

    minstrel Leader of the Insquirrelgency Supporter Contributor

    Joined:
    Jul 11, 2010
    Messages:
    10,742
    Likes Received:
    9,991
    Location:
    Near Sedro Woolley, Washington
    Sixteen more posts, @Cogito. Just sixteen. That's the big 40,000 and you can join Voyager 1 in Deep Forum Space.
     
    GingerCoffee likes this.
  4. ToeKneeBlack

    ToeKneeBlack Banned

    Joined:
    Jun 4, 2014
    Messages:
    383
    Likes Received:
    128
    "Political corruption", "social satire" and "illegal immigration" are generally themes that most children under the age of 16 don't care about, so it seems to me that this is an adult themed story.
     
  5. FallenShandeh

    FallenShandeh New Member

    Joined:
    Jun 12, 2014
    Messages:
    93
    Likes Received:
    15
    Location:
    Australia
    Sorry but if you think it's juvenile why the hell are you writing it? That's no way to write a good story.

    Write the story how it wants to be written. THEN judge it. Because if you've already decided it's too juvenile for adult readers you'll write something condescending and arrogant, which young readers, unsurprisingly, DO NOT like.
     
  6. chicagoliz

    chicagoliz Contributor Contributor

    Joined:
    May 30, 2012
    Messages:
    3,280
    Likes Received:
    817
    Location:
    Pennsylvania
    I'm a little confused. I don't think that a satire of reality tv is juvenile at all. Generally, I don't think any satire is juvenile -- well, it can be immature, but I don't think that it is "juvenile" in the sense that it's aimed toward children. I don't think most kids understand satire.

    Although yes, most YA is classified as such based on the age of the protagonist. But it isn't always that way. I've read several novels that had young protagonists, but were classified as adult. So although it is a big factor, it's not the only factor.

    And as Cog said, worry first about writing and finishing your story. You can deal with categorizing it later.
     
  7. daemon

    daemon Contributor Contributor

    Joined:
    Jun 16, 2014
    Messages:
    1,357
    Likes Received:
    978
    @Professor Gargantua who knows, maybe you have invented a new genre.

    But the first words that pop into my mind are "comedy-fantasy". I would not automatically call it young adult fiction.
     
  8. Artist369

    Artist369 Active Member

    Joined:
    Jul 11, 2014
    Messages:
    166
    Likes Received:
    51
    Location:
    Pacific Northwest
    I'm in the same boat. I have a story in my head that feels like YA novel- with a crisp feel, a lot of adventure, humor, and a dash of romance. But the protagonist is going to be 19 at the youngest, and then get older from there. She'll be an adult, and the target audience will be in their teens. Risky move, perhaps. We'll see.
     
  9. daemon

    daemon Contributor Contributor

    Joined:
    Jun 16, 2014
    Messages:
    1,357
    Likes Received:
    978
    Young readers usually prefer characters a few years older than themselves over characters a few years younger than themselves.
     

Share This Page

  1. This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
    By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.
    Dismiss Notice