TECH: YA Characters?

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Original posting 12 March 2009

Main Characters for Young Adults

Writer's Digest, June 2006, pages 54 to 57, the Writing Clinic looks at a young adult novel and talks about a relatable main character. The critique has four main points:

1. Set the hook. Young adults want a fast beginning that catches their attention. "A writer must capture their attention without delay, on line 1 of page 1, if at all possible. The faster a young adult is able to sympathize with, root for or worry about the hero of a tale, the better." So throw the protagonist into a mess and grab their attention fast.
2. Maintain momentum. Every paragraph needs to keep the reader going. They have lots of distractions, so keep a rapid pace with events unfolding one after another. Watch out for unnecessary interruptions that slow down the forward motion.
3. Think like a kid. Young adult protagonists let kids vicariously experience adventures. "They want to compare a fictional teen's actions and emotions with their own and speculate what they would do in a similar situation." Check your memories, but also talk with kids and watch some of the movies and TV shows. And make sure that the reader knows what the protagonist is thinking and feeling.
4. No lecture zone. "If there's one thing every teen in the world has in common, it's the intense dislike of being harangued by adults." And they don't like it. So if they smell a lecture or a lesson, your book goes in the trash. Teen rebellion needs to be part of your story, along with mistakes. Life lessons are okay, but not overdone -- let the protagonist struggle. "In any good novel, whether written for kids or for adults, a well-rounded characters one who constantly changes, develops and overcomes obstacles between the first page and the last."

"Writing for kids can be the most rewarding work a writer ever accomplishes. Make the story exciting, keep it real and engage emotions."

I have to admit, most of this sounds like good advice for any novel. Make number three think like your reader, and I think it's good advice for any writer. Start with something interesting, keep things moving, think like your readers, and avoid lecturing. Remember, you're entertaining -- so make sure it's fun.

Write?

TECH: Details, Details

[mbarker.livejournal.com]

Original posting 13 March 2009

Details, details

Writers Digest, June 2006, Pages 18 and 19, in the Fiction Essentials column by James Scott Bell, talks about "Weaving Your Research." The point is to add details about setting so that they enrich the story but don't overload the reader. No info dumps here.

Bell starts with a little story about Dean Koontz, writing as Leigh Nichols, and the novel The Key to Midnight. It's set in Kyoto Japan, and people familiar with Kyoto have congratulated Koontz on how well he portrays things, asking when he visited. His reply? "I've never even been in the Pacific Ocean up to my neck."

How did he do it? Research. Books, maps, memoirs, other books. And then he boiled it down to details seamlessly woven into the narrative. So how can you do that? Two steps.

Step one -- do the research. Find sources and resources, and work with them. One author starts with his own research reading, writes first drafts, and then talks to experts about specific questions. You also want to give them a chance to talk to you, to tell you what they think is important.

Step two -- weave the details in. We all have a tendency to overdo settings and descriptions -- we got all that stuff, let me dump it on the reader. Frankly, readers don't care. They're interested in the characters. Setting and details are important as far as they help make the characters richer and more believable. So you need to integrate details into the story.

1. Place your details inside action. These details make the character's actions feel real.
2. Place details inside character's thoughts. Now the observations serve two purposes -- they show us the setting, and we learn little more about the character.

Balance detail and action. Bell doesn't mention it here, but the sandwich approach works pretty well. Give us a little taste of action -- a hook. Then spend some time on setting and detail. And cap it with more action. We're more happy with that sandwich than just a plain slab of details and description.

"Pay attention to the writing styles of your favorite authors and follow the tips above to interlace research into your characters' respective thoughts and journeys. Do it well and your readers will be swept away by your writing without even realizing it's the colorful details you've sewn in that make the story so good."

Sounds like fun! Here's an assignment. Go over to Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page , and poke around a little. Maybe try out the random article link. Collect your research, then put it in a scene. Make sure you wrap those details in action or in character viewpoint.

Okay? Write!