It's time once again for WRITERLY WISDOM where every Wednesday we sneak a peek into the world of writing and publication. I really love this series because I get a chance to learn from so many wonderful writers like my friend Craig Lew. You can find him on his websites (http://www.craiglew.com) and (http://www.brightpenny.com) or drop him an email at (craig.lew.writer@facebook.com). Take it away Craig...
What Exactly Is YA?
by Craig Lew
YA is not shorthand for “Yes” or an abbreviation for “Yet
Another.” YA is not “Yahoo
Answers” or the Japanese word for “Arrow.” Well, it is but that’s not what I’m talking about today.
Some say, YA or Young Adult Literature is a story of teen angst,
coming of age and first love generally written in first person, but to be
honest, I was not sure. So I asked
a bunch of much smarter than me authors, “What is YA?”
Gloria Skurzynski (Virtual War, Devastation, Afterwar, The
Clones)
“...young adult fiction is for 12 to
18-year-olds. Supposedly. But YA fiction has grown increasingly popular with
(mainly women) readers from the late teens to mid-30s. Examples: the Twilight
Saga, and my daughter Alane Ferguson’s forensic mystery series, perhaps because
in both these series the female protagonists have matured from high-school
girls into actual adults.”
Amy Allgeyer Cook (Smelvin and Goulash Boy, Iron Bodkin):
“I define YA as a book that is too
mature in theme, language or content for the average twelve year-old to
process. Disclaimer: kids vary.”
Sarah McGuire (Turbo Monkeys):
“YA is about thresholds- and
those events that define the adult a child is going to become.”
Kristin Elizabeth Clark (Freak
Boy):
“I would define YA as a genre of
fiction intended for an audience between the ages of twelve and eighteen or so
(though I think twelve is actually kind of on the young side). It’s marked by
protagonists who tend to be between those ages – and regardless of the outward
trappings of the story, whether it’s fantasy, paranormal, or contemporary,
there tends to be a thread of growth for the main character in terms of human
development. I’d say most leave off with the sense of life yet to be lived –
and if there’s no clear, happy ending we usually see the protagonist “on the
road to O.K.,” as my editor, Joy Peskin, says.”
Suzanne Morgan Williams (Bull
Rider)
"YA needs to be honest and
irreverant - to challenge the reader to see the world in new ways while
reflecting a teen reader's emotional experience.”
Terri Farley (Baby Teeth, Seven
Tears into the Sea, Phantom Stallion)
“I think the strongest YA novels
focus on that time when kids are separating from parents and peers to learn how
they can live within & without the dominant society.”
I think YA is the lumpy stuff in the lava lamp...sort of warm,
glowy and ever changing. It
mesmerizes you to no end and yet is impossible to define because it seems to
never stop changing.
Have I totally confused you? Yes? Then my work is done.
Biography: Craig Lew's storytelling career began even before he had learned to
write. As a child, he would steal his father's tape recorder and make different
voices for each character recording tales about strange planets or scary
creatures. His favorite story openings at that time were, "Once upon a
junk yard heap..." or "It was a dark and stormy night."
An
entertainment Industry consultant, Craig has worked with Dreamworks SKG, PBS,
KCET, Deluxe Labs, ITC, Nortel Networks and The New Getty Center.
Craig
recently produced the Sci Fi comedy movie, “Rock Jocks” about a group of
dysfunctional government employees responsible for shooting down asteroids that
would destroy Earth.
Official
Trailer
Founder
of Bright Penny Zapp LLC, a transmedia company, Craig wrote and illustrated the
graphic novel, “The Goths” which is enhanced with Augmented Reality - Available
at Amazon.com.
His
latest acquisition is a young Middle Grade book “Smelvin and Goulash Boy.”
Written by Amy Allgeyer Cook, Illustrated by Hazel Mitchell, edited by Lorin
Oberweger with augmented reality animations directed and produced by Craig Lew.
Personal
Anecdotes: I strive to spread good
karma. Artistically I enjoy pushing the envelop because I believe it makes more
room in the middle. I believe the keys to success are dreaming big, working
hard and being kind.
