One of the most popular age ranges for books has to be the young adult (YA) range. YA has been growing for quite some time and some of the biggest and best-selling books to come out recently have been written for young adult audiences. Although I’m well past the YA range at this point, I still find myself reading YA books too because I find the plots compelling and the writing easy to read through. I sometimes need breaks from my insane timelines too, you know? Either way, creating a YA novel requires an understanding of the YA group and what is appropriate/not appropriate to write for this range. So, for today, I’ll be giving you tips and advice on how to write books for the young adult (YA) audience and how to make sure to do it right.
Although I don’t write for YA audiences, and my debut series, The Fallen Age Saga, is actually an adult fantasy series, I still find that I read YA and I see that there are differences that are identifiable between the adult and YA spheres. Of course, there are similarities and there are even some YA books that crossover into adult and vice versa, but for the most part, there are some things that exist in YA books that may or may not work in older or younger group-catered stories.
What is YA? Who Reads it?
What Age Group is YA?
The young adult age group is typically between 13 and 18, but the exact range isn’t really known. A lot of people have differing ideas of what it means to be YA, and some tend to write for the older end of the YA spectrum. Still, the YA age group is quite large and has a lot of interests, so some like fantasy, others like romance, and some like dystopian. There isn’t one exact genre for the young adult group, and there are a lot of interests.
What do YA Readers Tend to Want?
Young adult readers tend to enjoy stories that are written about people in a similar age group as them going through stories that grow and change them. YA readers enjoy character-driven stories that have real experiences, but they also enjoy escapism, adventure stories, romance, and social issues such as mental health and justice to be covered in books they read.
What Makes Up YA Fiction?
Relatable, Realistic Characters
Most of the YA age group enjoys stories with character-driven plotlines and protagonists that tend to be young adults as well. The characters are often complex, relatable, and well-rounded. They should be developed well.
Young adult readers love it when characters are also memorable, which is something that I’ve talked about on my blog before, so check out that post. For the most part though, it’s about giving the protagonist realistic behaviors like strengths and weaknesses, goals, motivations and aspirations, and more.
You also want to work on making dialogue realistic when you write for YA, so if you want to learn how to do that, check out this post. Realistically though, you should try to make all dialogue as realistic as possible no matter what age group you’re writing for (unless we’re talking about children, then you have leeway).
For a lot of readers, they want to be able to see themselves in the characters in some way, even if the character is completely different.
An Exciting, Engaging Plotline
YA readers tend to love stories that have very engaging, high-action, fast-paced plots and want to read stories that keep them hooked and interested in the overall narrative. The genre itself of your story doesn’t matter, as there’s YA readers that want fantasy and others that want thrillers, but the story is typically character-driven. The protagonist is the central character and their journey through the story is what matters the most. The themes and the setting of your story can be completely different from another YA novel, but at the end of the day, you want to create an engaging and interesting story.
Creating an interesting plot is something that I’ve talked about before, but for the most part, you want to balance action with character development, create tension through the conflicts and plot points, and have a strong first page to draw your readers in.
YA Needs Great Themes
In a YA novel, many readers want to see themes displayed that reflect their lives and their ideals. Many young adult stories include ideas of finding one’s identity, making friends, finding love, connecting with others, and fighting for independence and self-sufficiently.
A lot of YA novels also talk about more complex issues like mental health, racism, sexism and misogyny, and struggling against oppression. When you write books for a YA audience, you should keep these sorts of themes in mind, as they can be helpful.
Romance or No Romance?
YA novels are often filled with romance or at least a romantic subplot. Romance, in general, adds another layer to the story and adds a level of intriguing depth to the characters. However, in YA novels, romance tends to be lighter and doesn’t get into “spice” as many adult-focused romance novels do, so keep this in mind.
While writing for the YA audience, you have to remember that most of your readers are going to be in high school or even middle school, so going too far is not really something that works in YA.
If you want to learn how to develop a great romance novel, check out this post. If you’re more interested in including a romantic subplot, then check out this post instead.
Diversity is Great!
The YA audience is a very diverse one, with people that come from all backgrounds and walks of life. Keeping this in mind, creating diverse characters and including characters who also come from different walks of life is a great way to reach out to the expanding audience of readers in the YA group.
You want to avoid creating token characters/forced representation. What this means is that you’re just including a character for the sake of checking off a box without actually authentically giving that character time in the story or a real personality.
Conducting proper research on diverse groups that you may not be a part of is a great way to do this, and I’ve talked about how to conduct research as an author before, so go check that post out for more tips!
Find Beta Readers
Beta readers are an important part of the editing process and it’s definitely something that you as a writer should look into. Beta readers are people that are willing to give your manuscript a read before you head into the final editing and proofreading stages. Getting beta readers is something I’ve talked about in-depth before, so go check that post out for more info!
Stay Up-to-Date With Trends
The YA market is one that changes with time and with each new generation of YA readers, you get new trends and things that work and things that don’t work. Staying up-to-date with the literary trends can help you reach out to the YA audience, but bear in mind that just because something isn’t trending now doesn’t mean that there isn’t a market for it. There will always be a market for your stories, you just have to tap into it correctly.
The young adult or YA age group may seem like it’s hard to break into with new stories, but there will always be a massive market that exists out there that craves new stories. The YA audience is a vast range of different tastes and preferences, but writing YA doesn’t need to be complicated. It’s not super different from adult fantasy or adult fiction, but you just pretty much have to tone some things down and focus more on the idea of the characters and the character’s journey through the story.
Before you head on out, check out my series, The Fallen Age Saga and don’t forget to sign up for my newsletter so you can get updates on my latest posts, WIPs, book releases and more!