tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7382427031631027145.post1988758257645440811..comments2023-07-10T05:40:25.044-04:00Comments on Donna L Martin's THE STORY CATCHER: WRITERLY WISDOM: Craig LewThink Positive, Be Positivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03981805086599633473noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7382427031631027145.post-79208069830945566672013-04-21T22:40:26.917-04:002013-04-21T22:40:26.917-04:00Hi Amy and welcome to my blog! My son and I read ...Hi Amy and welcome to my blog! My son and I read together a lot when he was growing up and even when he started reading on his own, I was aware of the subject matter. I encouraged the classics as well as expanding reading choices to try ALL genres...now he is a well rounded reader and can appreciate great writing no matter the genre...<br /><br />Thanks for stopping by and come back any time!Donna L Martinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17553676457762998807noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7382427031631027145.post-30062640262833587632013-04-21T12:45:47.995-04:002013-04-21T12:45:47.995-04:00Suzy, you're so right. The best person to deci...Suzy, you're so right. The best person to decide whether a particular book is appropriate for a particular kid is the parent. That's why it's so important for us to actually READ our kid's book...and not make decisions based on the cover art or the blurb.Amy Allgeyer Cookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02918884239971760853noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7382427031631027145.post-3318023402863662932013-04-18T21:34:03.601-04:002013-04-18T21:34:03.601-04:00Hi Suzanne and welcome to my blog! You make a very...Hi Suzanne and welcome to my blog! You make a very fine point...I don't think it used to be as difficult to figure out a particular audience for one's writing in the past as it is now. Thank goodness there are people out there like Craig to help us distinguish between all of them...;~)<br /><br />Thanks for stopping by and come back any time!Donna L Martinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17553676457762998807noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7382427031631027145.post-79556293814236135602013-04-18T18:39:56.318-04:002013-04-18T18:39:56.318-04:00Interesting comments on Craig's post. My write...Interesting comments on Craig's post. My writer friends and I distinguish between "young" YA which is perfectly appropriate for middle schoolers and up, and "older YA" which, especially because of subject matter, might be best for high schoolers. But since bookstores don't make that distinction it's up to adult gate keepers to steer the younger kids toward good reads for them, and up to authors to get the word out as best they can about who they see as the appropriate audiences for their books. Suzanne Morgan Williamshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02877924278547537035noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7382427031631027145.post-81807616594325884502013-04-18T07:41:14.851-04:002013-04-18T07:41:14.851-04:00Hi Erik! Imagine that...YOU are pretty to the targ...Hi Erik! Imagine that...YOU are pretty to the target audience...;~)<br /><br />Thanks for stopping by and come back any time!Donna L Martinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17553676457762998807noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7382427031631027145.post-9050451126524157592013-04-18T07:11:59.665-04:002013-04-18T07:11:59.665-04:00What an interesting post! I read some YA books. Bu...What an interesting post! I read some YA books. But I AM 11... :)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7382427031631027145.post-33798551554822923732013-04-17T21:13:23.914-04:002013-04-17T21:13:23.914-04:00Hi Beth! I agree...and I think YA is probably the...Hi Beth! I agree...and I think YA is probably the hardest genre to maybe identify or to write for...and yet I try...;:~)<br /><br />Thanks for stopping by and come back any time!Donna L Martinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17553676457762998807noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7382427031631027145.post-57405263590859105962013-04-17T19:20:07.313-04:002013-04-17T19:20:07.313-04:00This is great -- Craig and his cohorts are such fu...This is great -- Craig and his cohorts are such fun, and have such helpful perspectives.<br /><br />For me, YA is 13ish to 18, with the realization that kids like to read "up" -- that is, they like to read about kids older than themselves, so 12 year olds, and potentially 11 year olds who cannot WAIT to be teens are going to be reading or wanting to read. YA tends to be edgier and more graphic than Middle Grade, and some 12 year olds are okay for that, some are not yet ready. Beth Stilbornhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10599767764125204077noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7382427031631027145.post-7992525770448382852013-04-17T07:48:16.463-04:002013-04-17T07:48:16.463-04:00Hi JP! I agree that the age range of YA can be a l...Hi JP! I agree that the age range of YA can be a little misleading sometimes. I think my slight confusion comes from the fact society sees YA as around the 16-25 age group pretty much like you do but as far as reading goes, the 12 to 15 year olds want to be treated more like young adults rather than children and this might be why they step up their reading to a higher level than reading something like middle grade novels?<br /><br />In my own YA fantasy novel I'm working on right now I had to lower the age of my MC because I was told at 20 she was too old to be relatable to the YA audience. Basically, if she wasn't a teenager, no matter the story matter, it was considered straight Adult instead of Young Adult. Oh well, I learn something new every day...;~)<br /><br />And yes, JP, I would not consider your story YA either for publishing purposes due to subject matter, even though I COMPLETELY AGREE that it is the younger teens who would benefit the most from the reading of it!<br /><br />Thanks for stopping by and come back any time!<br />Donna L Martinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17553676457762998807noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7382427031631027145.post-71081003097311743572013-04-17T07:07:09.875-04:002013-04-17T07:07:09.875-04:00I really should read over what I write before hitt...I really should read over what I write before hitting the 'send' button :/ 'prafanity' should obviously read 'profanity'.jphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14366756099517322071noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7382427031631027145.post-50032373092266371252013-04-17T07:05:29.617-04:002013-04-17T07:05:29.617-04:00I would have classified my book as YA appropriate ...I would have classified my book as YA appropriate but reading the age group as 12-18 is somewhat disturbing. 'Young Adult' IMO would be more the 15-21 age group. Of course a lot depends on the individual but the use of prafanity is a concern. Initially I censored or substituted the profanity but the publishers advised against it and I found myself revising the manuscript back to how it was before my attempt to make it more 'age appropriate'.<br /><br />The problem is the sensitive nature of some of the subject matter. The book I feel would be of most benefit to mid-teens as that is the age of the central character and to whom the issues addressed are most likely to apply.jphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14366756099517322071noreply@blogger.com