Tag: YA historical novel

Setting the Stage for Historical YA

Post author By Donna Jo Stone
Post date July 27, 2024
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It can be tricky to grab a reader and plunge them into a different world, and even more so for historical, since it’s necessary to weave in facts. There are so many things to consider! How do you get the setting just right without overwhelming the reader with too many details? How to you make it feel realistic?

Major on the Majors First

Providing intricate details of the year, the culture, the current fads of your time but neglecting to mention that it is fall or summer until six pages in will disorient the reader.

The Filter You Give the Reader

Everything in opening chapters establishes reader expectations. Everything on the page affects how your reader filters the rest of the book. If there are repeated mentions of music, readers will expect the character to be interested in music. If there are repeated mentions of literature, then literature. If there’s a mishmash of details, then a reader won’t know what to think about this character and may give up before reaching the end of chapter one.

Over Setting the Stage

I’ve read books and noted ten unique historical markers in less than four pages, things in addition to the usual description. Once established in a time period, I’m there. The next descriptions should add something to the story and help move it forward.

Interesting Factoids

Don’t use every nugget of research that you have. While details can be fascinating, they can also be overwhelming, do the opposite of the author’s intention of immersing the reader. Worse, it can make a reader feel that you have insulted their intelligence. At the very least, excessive dropping of historical details can bog down a story. If the information isn’t vital for the current story, leave it out so it doesn’t crowd out what you’re trying to convey.

Under Researching

While it’s easy to want to use all the historical details when we don’t need them in our story, a lack of research can also be problematic. Readers want an immersive experience, to stay engaged in the character’s plight. Historical errors yank them out of a story. Authors would be wise to do enough research to provide an authentic backdrop for their story.

Clever or Trendy

The current trend of dropping in literary references to classic books can work, but if excessive could backfire. As with all description, the author should ask themselves: Why is this here and how does it fit into the overall story? Is this description for description sake? Is it repetitive, redundant, or unneeded?

Tone

After you’ve set the stage it’s time to add a bit of shading to add authenticity. Research the vocabulary and speech patterns of your story’s era by reading novels, stories, and even looking up vocabulary tools from the time period. Although some language may need to be modernized for today’s readers, they won’t want a girl from the 1800s to sound too modern. At the same time, if writing historical for teens, it needs to have a young adult vibe as well. (Easier said than done!)

Start with these tips, and you will have a good start in setting up your historical fiction.

What do you think? Do you have any tips to add for setting the stage for historical fiction? Leave a comment!

Donna Jo Stone is an award-winning multi-genre author. She writes contemporary young adult, historical fiction, and southern fiction. Many of her novels are about tough issues, but she always ends her stories on a note of hope. Finding the faith to carry on through hard battles in a common theme in Donna Jo’s books.

The first novel in Donna Jo’s young adult series, Promise Me Tomorrow, is scheduled for publication in 2025.

Her short romance, A Wedding to Remember, released Feb 1st, her adult 1960s inspy romance, JOANN: Apron Strings Books 5, released May 15^th, and her Small Town Christian Domestic Suspense with Romance, The Key Collector’s Promise, releases September 6^th.

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 spent a number of months as one of the 250 top favorite stories and as the top story under the Christian tag.

Follow Stephanie on Amazon and stay tuned for the continuation of a new story in The Uncertain Riches series on Vella, and for future stand-alone young adult historical fiction books in her series. https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B0B73RD41H

Though she currently lives in Southwest Missouri, she spent most of her youth moving every few years. She feels privileged to have seen some of the world and believes it probably encouraged her lively imagination. When not writing, she is studying God’s Word, spending time with her very supportive husband, homeschooling her three boys, and watching clean period dramas. And reading. Lots and lots of reading.

Tags Reasearch, writing for YA, YA, YA historical novel, YA Writing

Planning a Novel Series: Interview with YA Fantasy Author V. Romas Burton

Post author By Donna Jo Stone
Post date March 27, 2024
1 Comment on Planning a Novel Series: Interview with YA Fantasy Author V. Romas Burton

V. Romas Burton is the author of two fantasy series, Heartmaker and The Legacy Chapters. Her latest release, Justified, is book two in The Legacy Chapters. I asked her to share a little bit about her experiences writing a series.

DJS: Writing one novel can be daunting, and I imagine a series can only be more so! What pros and cons about planning a series did you learn as you went through the process?

VRB: There have been a lot of both pros and cons along the way. One pro is that once I know the ending to my series, I can usually find my way from the beginning. A con I’ve learned is that sometimes “pantsing” (not planning out the events in your story), is not always the best route when trying to make it to the end!

DJS: I can understand the pansting issue. Sadly, I’ve taken the route of not enough plotting before sitting down to write. That method didn’t work well for me, although one of my critique partners swears by it. As you planned your series, what did you learn about the process that surprised you? And now that you’ve produced a series, is there anything you would do differently?

VRB: I’ve learned that sometimes your story doesn’t end up where you originally thought. Sometimes a better plot line is uncovered or a new twist is added that makes the story richer. Now that I’ve produced a series I would probably look a bit closer at my characters’ development and really try to make those solid and relatable.

DJS: Trying to figure out where to begin or what resources to start with can be overwhelming. Where do you suggest authors find help planning a series?

VRB: I would recommend attending a writers’ conference to take some classes and also to meet other like-minded authors. It’s always helpful to have people to bounce ideas off of when you’re not sure what to do next. I also recommend reading through your favorite series with the eyes of an author, not a reader, and see how your favorite author crafts their story over the span of two or more books.

DJS: That’s great advice. I always recommend reading. What are your three favorite YA series? Why do you think you like them so much?

VRB: The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer

This was the series that introduced me to YA Fantasy and ultimately made me a writer.

The Caraval Series by Stephanie Garber

I love Stephanie Garner’s descriptions and how she crafts her stories.

This isn’t technically a series, but I love all of Jane Austen’s books. Her stories and characters have influenced my writing in many ways.

DJS: You can never go wrong with Austen. (And I think The Lunar Chronicles and The Caraval Series are also great picks.)

Thanks so much for visiting with us!

Find future book updates and news on V. Romas Burton’s website: www.vromasburton.com

V. Romas Burton grew up bouncing up and down the East Coast where she wrote her first story about magical ponies at age seven. Years later, after studying government and earning an M.A. in Theological Studies, V. Romas Burton realized something even bigger was calling out to her—stories that contained great adventures and encouraging messages.

Donna Jo Stone is an award-winning author of young adult contemporary and adult historical fiction. She writes about tough issues but always ends her stories on a note of hope. Her novels are about common struggles and finding the faith to carry on through those battles.

The first book in Donna Jo’s young adult series is scheduled for publication in 2025.

Her short romance, A Wedding to Remember, released Feb 1st, and her adult 1960s inspy romance, JOANN: Apron Strings Books 5, releases May 15^th.

Stay in touch and receive the latest news by signing up for Donna Jo’s newsletter at donnajostone.com.

Tags Interview with YA author, writing for YA, Writing YA, YA, YA historical novel, YA Novel, YA Writing

Writing for YA

Is Your Historical Novel YA or Adult Coming of Age

Post author By Donna Jo Stone
Post date September 27, 2022
No Comments on 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?