Today on the blog, we have a guest post from Ica, a junior in a small high school in Virginia. She says that she is very imaginative and that's why she loves reading. However, there are more things she'd like to see in novels...and she's happy to share them with us!What We Need More of in YA Novels
1. More Main Characters (or Multiple Points of View)
The main character is normally one specific person, but adding more than one would bring more depth to the story as well as characters.
2. Females Who Aren't Concerned About Cliques or Fitting In
Normally the female is biased about how she always has to be popular, whereas if she wasn't tied to any specific "clique," the plot to the story wouldn't be as predictable.
3. Highlighting the "Minority" Groups at School
Where are the stories about the band geeks? Students that volunteer? What about those that love computers? They deserve story-lines, too!
4. Geek is Chic
It's seen as uncool to be smart. Why is that? We need more "nerdy" protagonists! :)
5. No More Fickle Boys
There are so many times where I don't understand the choices that some of the guy characters make. It's like they have to be "bad" for the sake of being "bad." Make sure the reasons behind their actions make sense to the story--that way we can relate to them.
Whoa, great points, Ica! I'm glad to see that in my last YA novel, my main character was a "nerdy" boy who played in his school's jazz band. Looks like I'm doing something right. :) What are your thoughts about what Ica wants?
5 comments:
Love to see posts like this, thanks Ica and Pam! I agree with everything you have to say, Ica, especially about bad-boys. Sometimes they're just... bad. ;)
Great post, ladies :) I especially like the "No More Fickle Boys" segment. Hear hear! I too am sick of the 'rebel without a cause' issue in YA. There should be a legit reason for their actions, otherwise they're just bad and that ain't good, right?
I agree with Ica's comments on the fickle boys and also highlighting the minority groups in high schools. I think your novel is a great example of that, Pam! And I am a fan of having more than one MC, too. Great post!
Great suggestions! I think smart is very sexy, and who doesn't love a girl who rises about cliques?
Thanks for the comments, ladies! Ica is definitely wise beyond her years. And I agree with you E.R.--smart is VERY sexy. :)
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