Tag: point of view

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Writing for YA

Is Your Historical Novel YA or Adult Coming of Age

How do you know if you’ve written a young adult novel or an adult coming of age? What about books that have dual timelines with both a teen point of view and an adult point of view? Finding your genre can be a difficult task. Here’s a few things to look at that might help an author determine what genre their work lands in.

Age of the Protagonist

The age of the protagonist does not determine whether or not a book is young adult, but the age of the protagonist can eliminate some books from the young adult market. If the main storyline is not about how a teen character is dealing with their story world, than it’s not young adult.

The protagonist in a book written for adults can be of any age.

Topics Explored

All young adult fiction is coming of age, but not all coming of age is young adult fiction.

Coming of age written for the adult market tends to be grittier. In these books, the protagonist may be young, but is dealing with adult issues.

In young adult fiction, the teenage protagonist could be dealing with unusual circumstances, but the material is typically less graphic than fiction written for adults.

Word Count

A young adult generally sticks to a prescribed word count, whereas a coming-of-age written for the adult market with a teenage protagonist can have a wide range of word count and can be literary, upmarket, or commercial. 

Point of View

Young Adult fiction can be in one point of view or more, in either first person or third person, as can an adult coming of age. The current trend is to write YA in first person, but it’s not a defining rule.

Voice and Tone

Deep point of view is common in YA, as is an angsty bent. Teenagers are going through a myriad of changes and are focused on their feelings, more inward looking, and young adult is inclined to be written that way.

In adult fiction featuring a younger protagonist, the person is often operating as an adult, dealing with adult issues.

Vocabulary and Style

Novels written for the young adult market may use different vocabulary and language style than novels written for the adult market. Even if it’s historical young adult, the language would be slightly different to make it accessible to the targeted reader. 

Romance

In most YA Historicals I’ve read, romance is often a secondary storyline. Love triangles seem to abound, and I think readers accept that more in YA because young people are experiencing a lot of those first love emotions for the first time. Young people are often still discovering the contrasts between between a crush, an infatuation, or a possible real love, which may lead to developing feelings in two different directions.

Setting for Historical YA

The historical era is a backdrop for the issues that the mc is working through. Description and historical details will be a natural part of how the character interacts with it.

Historical for adults allows for a few short historical tidbits to be inserted into the narrative to give understanding.

In YA, this tends to only matter if it directly affects the main character in some way. Even though there will be history inserted, it only goes as far as to how the main character has to use this information to forward her own story. 

Hopefully, examining these different elements of a story will help authors decide what genre their historical fiction with a teen protagonist belongs in.  

Can you think of any other differences between historical YA and historical coming of age for adults?

Leave a comment below.

Stephanie Daniels writes Christian historical fiction for young adults and the young at heart. Her debut novel, The Uncertainty of Fire, first appeared on Amazon’s Kindle Vella platform where it was a top faved Christian story. It is now available in paperback and kindle format online at Amazon and Barnes&Noble.

The Uncertainty of Fire

Sixteen-year-old Whimsy Greathart would rather fight against Chicago’s child labor practices than attend her privileged family’s high society events. On the night of the Great Chicago Fire, her world turned to ash, she must rely on the mercy of poor relations to rebuild her future and is forced into the very labor system she wished to fight against.

Donna Jo Stone writes YA contemporary novels about tough issues but always ends the stories with a note of hope. She blogs at donnajostone.com.

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Guest Posts

Reader, I…? Writing in the First Person

In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird (1960), the character Atticus Finch says, “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view… until you climb in his skin and walk around in it.” As authors, this is what we do when we choose to write in the first person. We come as close as we ever can to experiencing the world from a perspective that’s not our own. Writing fiction in the first person then is a leap of empathy and imagination, but the challenges this point of view (POV) poses are technical, as well as psychological. 

Some writers experiment with POV, trying out omniscient third, close third, and first, before settling on a narrative approach for their book. But when writing my debut novel, Bronte’s Mistress, I was never in any doubt as to whose voice the story needed to be told in. Not only was my book a response to one of the most famous first-person novels ever written, Charlotte Bronte’s 1847 Jane Eyre (“reader, I married him”), but my protagonist, Lydia Robinson, was a woman who’s been vilified through history as being responsible for the Bronte family’s demise. What would she say if she could tell her side of the story? I wondered. And, equally importantly, How would she say it?

Writing Lydia forced me to enter a world (1840s England) in which, even wealthy, women had few choices. She doesn’t own property, she’s never voted, she has no access to divorce. And it also made me confront the technicalities of writing first person prose, a few of which I’ll share with you today.

Placing your narrator in time

You’ve decided you’ll be writing in the first person, but this is just one of a series of hard choices. Now that you have the who, it’s time to think about the when. Will your first person narrator be telling the story from a point in the future? Will they know the story’s destination from the very first line? Think of Charles Dickens’s titular character David Copperfield (1850) or Nick Carraway in F. Scott Fitzerald’s The Great Gatsby (1925).

Choosing a retrospective viewpoint has the potential to make your story more didactic. It’s easier for a character to draw conclusions or moralize with the benefit of hindsight. And there are other advantages. For example, if your character is going to undergo a significant transformation, the older protagonist can excuse, explain or apologize for the behavior of their younger self, maintaining reader sympathy. This makes this choice popular for writers of bildungsroman. 

On the other hand, a retrospective first person can distance us from the character in the moment, alienating us from the action, and even intruding on scenes with overly expositional commentary. A retrospective first person can slacken the tension too. A first person character is already unlikely to die, but the existence of an older narrator pretty much precludes this possibility. If you write historical fiction like me, you might also have to pinpoint an exact year from which your protagonist is speaking, giving you a second time period to research and understand.

In Bronte’s Mistress, although the book is in the past tense, Lydia Robinson tells her story as if she’s in the moment and living through the events of the novel vs. relating the events years later. For me, this decision made sense as I wanted readers to feel viscerally with Lydia as she enters into an illicit and dangerous affair. However, I did occasionally miss the tools a retrospective first provides, like giving me the option to foreshadow more overtly.

Experiencing your story through their senses

Writing first person means your story can only contain what the protagonist knows, but this advice goes beyond questions of plot. 

Seeing the world through the narrator’s eyes means describing each new setting through the lens of what they would observe—and in the order in which they would notice every detail. Your characters’ senses (sight, hearing, taste, smell and touch) become readers’ only points of access to the world around them. This isn’t a movie where you can start with an establishing shot before zooming in on the face of the character we’re following!

This means you have to be careful that your descriptions seem to fit within your character’s realm of experience. Can your narrator really detail different types of weapons? (Maybe yes, maybe no.) Can they see another character’s expression from so far away?

Watching your metaphors

Linked to this, is the difficulty of handling imagery (for instance, simile and metaphor), when writing in first person.

As with your descriptions, your images need to ring true to the character whose perspective you’re writing from. Would they know these words and think these thoughts? Crucially too, is this an appropriate moment for them to be thinking poetically? Or are you sacrificing believability because you’ve fallen in love with a sentence, phrase or image? If your character starts thinking in too many similes, they may seem distracted from the task at hand.

People have their favorite images and points of comparison, and these are dependent on their interests. Tapping into this can be a great way to establish your character’s personality, but you may also run the risk of making your imagery repetitive. In Bronte’s Mistress, for instance, my character Lydia is a good musician, so she often uses musical metaphors. This was a helpful guide for me, as music gave me a lot of scope to play, without the imagery I employed ever feeling out of place in her narration.

Offering other perspectives

Finally, one of the toughest parts of writing first person fiction is the danger for overidentification between the writer and the protagonist. How can you show that you disagree with your character’s views or actions, if you’re writing from their perspective?

Here, other characters’ voices (e.g. through dialogue) are crucial. Include others’ views to cast doubt on your protagonist’s conclusions or to hint that they might be unreliable. There is also potential to use irony in the same way, having “what happens next” totally contradicting what the first person narrator has thought/said previously.

In Bronte’s Mistress, I had another device to help me do this. I inserted letters addressed to Lydia at various points in my narrative, allowing me to showcase viewpoints that were in opposition to hers, and, of course, play around with additional first person voices!

I hope some of these tips have been helpful to those of you writing fiction in the first person. Writing using the “I” may seem straightforward, but when the going gets tough, remember that what you’re attempting is truly extraordinary. You’re stepping out of your own skin and into someone else’s. What could be more miraculous?

Finola Austin, also known as the Secret Victorianist on her award-winning blog, is an England-born, Northern Ireland-raised, Brooklyn-based historical novelist and lover of the nineteenth century. She has two degrees from the University of Oxford, including a Master’s in Victorian literature. Brontë’s Mistress is her first novel and is available for purchase now. By day, Finola works in digital advertising. Find her online at www.finolaaustin.com, or connect with her on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter.

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Fantasy-Sci-Fi

Your Protagonist: The Eyes to Your Story

Choosing a perspective character is one of the biggest choices when it comes to writing your novel. There are usually several great options, but as the writer it’s up to you to choose the best option.

And that’s where the difficulty comes in.

Your perspective character is often referred to as your camera. To stay in line with point-of-view rules, your reader can only see, hear, taste, touch, smell, and know whatever your scene’s perspective character sees, hears, tastes, touches, smells, and knows.

For the sake of this post, let’s assume you’re choosing one perspective character for the entire book, rather than several and switching perspectives scene to scene.

Your perspective character sets the tone of your story.

Imagine if the classic Pride and Prejudice was re-written and told from Mr. Wickham’s perspective. The tone would not have the romantic, at times light-hearted feel the classic is known for. What if J. K. Rowling had written Harry Potter from only Hagrid’s point-of-view? It would likely have felt a little more comedic.

Ask: What tone do I want in my story? Then choose the character that will best represent that tone.

Your perspective character reveals your story.

Going back to the Pride and Prejudice example, we don’t find out what’s happened to Mr. Darcy’s little sister until quite a way into the book. Trying to discover who Darcy is and why he’s so mysterious keeps us turning the pages. But if Jane Austen had written it from Mr. Wickham’s perspective the mystery of Darcy’s character wouldn’t have been a mystery.

Decide: What do you want to hide from your reader, and when do you want to reveal it? Then choose the character whose journey of discovery matches the journey you want your reader to have.

Your perspective character learns a lesson.

Good stories have good character arcs. Lizzie’s character arc in Pride and Prejudice is one that goes from judgmental to loving. Again, if Wickham had been the perspective character the reader likely wouldn’t have walked away changed. Not in a meaningful way.

Consider: What lesson do I want to teach, and which character will learn the lesson?

Choosing a perspective character is a big decision. He or she will set the tone of your story, experience a specific journey of discovery, and learn specific lessons other characters won’t learn in the same way.

As you consider which character to tell the story through, take your time. But once you’ve made the decision move forward with boldness. It’s your story to tell, and after all, you’re the writer!

Sarah Rexford is a Marketing Content Creator and writer. She helps authors build their platform through branding and copywriting. With a BA in Strategic Communications, Sarah equips writers to learn how to communicate their message through personal branding. She writes fiction and nonfiction and offers writers behind-the-scenes tips on the publishing industry through her blog itssarahrexford.com. She is represented by the C.Y.L.E Young Agency.

Instagram: @sarahjrexford
Twitter: @sarahjrexford
Web: itssarahrexford.com

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The Picky Pen

How to Think Like an Editor Part 2

Writing is a funny art because agents and editors (freelance and publishing house) tell us to write, write, write . . . and to make sure that our manuscript is edited well. “Edited well?” What if we don’t like the word editing because it’s too daunting? What if our minds turn to jelly or we seize up when an agent or mentor tells us to edit our manuscript?

Well. Editing doesn’t have to be so intimidating, daunting, or scary because it’s really another piece of the writing process. Before sending our manuscript to a freelance editor or mentor (or even critique group), we need to make sure that our manuscript is fluid. Simply, we edit to make sure our manuscript is ready for the public eye. How do we think like an editor when we aren’t one? I’ll give you some more tips on how to think like an editor. Ready?

Three More Rules for Thinking Like an Editor

4. Is the point of view clear in my story?

Who is doing the “seeing,” or telling the story, anyway? As a contest judge and having read over 100 books this year, an issue I see a lot is a wobbly point of view. And, granted, it’s so easy to overlook, especially since there are so many points of view we can use in our manuscripts. There’s first person, second person, third person, third person omniscient, omniscient, and—are you confused? Take heart. I was too before I really sat down with someone and they talked me through the differences, and then did some googling to make sure I really understood.

Best rule of thumb here: whichever character you choose to tell the story, that character must experience the story unfolding in those scenes. What does this mean? This means that that character you choose must see, hear, touch, taste, and smell, as well as perceive what’s going on in the current situation. If Mabel is your protagonist, you cannot describe Jacob tying his shoe when he’s behind Mabel because she cannot see what’s behind her. Now, she might be able to hear noises, and you can describe those. If there are too many people “talking,” the story gets muddled, and our readers won’t know who to root for.

5. Is my manuscript well researched?

Ew. Please don’t throw rotten tomatoes at me! While I realize not everyone enjoys research, it’s important for our books to be well researched. Why? Because if we use the word “bulbous” in our 1577 medieval fantasy manuscript or refer to saddle shoes in our 1929 novel, our knowledgeable readers may snap the book shut, and their investment in our story comes to an abrupt end. Or, if we have our character walking through a door before he’s opened it shows that we haven’t researched the sequence of the action. These may seem like unimportant details, however, small as they are, these details add credibility to yourself as an author—and makes you think like an editor. And it truly is the difference between the Victrola and an MP3.

6. Is the manuscript tightly written?

If you’re anything like me, I’m imagining a 300- or 500-page manuscript stuffed into a miniature straight jacket. Well . . . not quite. But that’s the idea. By “tightly written,” this means that every detail, dialogue, and plot thread in your manuscript connects to the overarching theme and overall message of your story.

For instance, if Sassy had not gone with Chance and Shadow (Disney’s Homeward Bound), that sarcastic element would not have made poor Chance’s misadventures humorous or empathetic; or if Shadow had had an elderly woman’s voice, he might not have been endearing to viewers. (I am not downgrading male or female voiceovers here.) The tired, old man voice fits Shadow’s personality, as well as the storyline.

Now let’s apply it to a sentence or two of writing. In these sentences, our character’s goal is to get from the house to the barn to play with the new baby goats that are a few weeks old.

Original:

Helen set the cup down on the table and scooted her chair back. She put on her jacket and headed out to the barn, where the tiny bleats sent a pitter patter through her chest.

Tight rewrite (keeping only necessary details for our character’s goal in this scene):

Helen set her cup on the table and scooted her chair back. As she shrugged into her jacket, she ran to the barn. Tiny bleats sent a pitter patter through her.

Did you catch the smaller details that were left out because they did not propel this scene forward?

Keep in mind that every author and editor has their own style, preferences, and idiosyncrasies for what they like in a story. The bottom line is to make sure your writing shows what is the most important for the story’s that on your heart. And if you write like an editor, you will have a much stronger story that creates a fabulous reading experience for your readers.

Please join in the discussion! I’d love to hear from you!

Take a few minutes and ruminate. What are some other ways you can think like an editor?

Tisha Martin is a writer and editor, and she lives to encourage authors and editors to bridge their relationships and work together for the publishing industry cause, where readers will treasure books for always. With a bachelor’s in Professional Writing, a master’s in English Education, and an editing certificate from the PEN Institute, she has equal passions for writing and editing. Active in ACFW and The PEN, she appreciates both communities. She is the former Assistant Director of PENCON, a conference for professional editors. She’s also a judge for Writer’s Digest. When she’s not editing, Tisha blogs about writing, editing, theater, horses, and American home front history at www.tishamartin.com. She looks forward to the conversation with you!

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Write Justified

It’s All a Matter of Perspective

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Twice in the last year, my husband and I have made the trip from Denver to Grand Junction, Colorado. Once by car, once by train. The train trip takes twice as long, but the views are even more spectacular than the scenic I-70 route. From the train we saw mountain streams and rock formations, nearly deserted towns and remote homesteads that are not visible from the highway. We made the same trip, but the perspective was different. If we had chosen to hike even part of the journey, we would have had an even different point of view.

As writers, we make choices about how to tell a story. One of the most important is point of view. From whose perspective will we tell a tale? Like our journey across a portion of the Rocky Mountains, we have options available—each with their advantages and unique style.

You may have learned in grammar class that point of view is tied to pronoun usage—and that’s true. However, it’s more helpful to think of point of view as character. Which character is telling the story? Here are the most common approaches:

  • First person: First person narration uses the personal pronouns I, we, my, our, etc. The narrator tells the story from his or her perspective. This is a personal, intimate approach. Readers feel like they really get to know the narrator because they are inside her head. As a writer, however, it is challenging to stay in that point of view for the entire novel. The temptation is to tell rather than show what the narrator sees, feels, tastes, etc. You’ll most often find short stories, YA and literary fiction, romances and Goth written from this point of view.

If I were to write about hiking a portion of the Denver-Grand Junction train trip or rafting a section of the Colorado River I would choose first person POV. This would allow me to describe the sights, sounds, and smells I experienced and it would give the reader the most up close and personal glimpse into my experience.

Examples of authors successfully sustaining first person point of view include Harper Lee—To Kill a Mockingbird, J.D.Salinger—Catcher in the Rye, and F. Scott Fitzgerald—The Great Gatsby.

  • Second person: Very little fiction is written in second person point of view. But nonfiction and self-help books often are. Using the pronouns you and your the narrator addresses the reader or audience and draws them into the story or process. The reader becomes the protagonist, but perhaps not willingly. The narrator assumes you will see and feel things the way he or she does and that may be uncomfortable or annoying.

Second person POV would be an effective way for me to write a travel piece about our recent train trip. I could tell you the best way to make connections between the airport and train station, what to pack for an eight-hour trip, sights to look for along the way, not to mention the best strategy for securing a seat in the viewing car.

Though most readers wouldn’t consider Dr. Suess’s Oh, the Places You’ll Go a self-help book, he did succeed in writing a delightful second person POV verse that’s inspired thousands as they transition into a new season of life:

“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You’re on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the guy who’ll decide where to go.”

  • Third person: The most common POV in nearly every genre is third person. There are several variations on third person, which I’ll cover in next month’s post. For now, it’s enough to know that third person POV uses the pronouns he, she, they. And this caveat: POV errors are the most frequent mistakes editors uncover.

Til next time. What POV is your current read written in?