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Young Adult Books Writing a Book for Young Adults: How to Create one and win over your Audience Blog

May 19, 2022

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The books for young adults, which include books written by and for teens, have been in circulation for a long while - at least in some way. But it wasn't until the middle of the '90s that the YA category was a force to be reckoned with in the world of publishing.

It's up to you what you think about Twilight, but Stephenie Meyer's bestselling series, which features the broody teenager vampire as well as the human girl who adores him, filled the genre of YA with much-needed adrenaline. Then came The Hunger Games, The Fault in Our Stars, The Hate U Give--and numerous other titles that have captivated the hearts and minds of readers who are young.

Trends in YA come and come and go, from vampires dystopia to romcoms But one thing's guaranteed: There are always more teenagers and they'll always need more books.

How Is Young Adult Fiction?

The first thing to know is that fiction for young adults is about, and for teens. The phrase "young adult" can be a little confusing, because some believe that books featuring protagonists in their early 20s to be youth-oriented fiction. Although teens can certainly read books about adults, or books about middle-schoolers, that does not make the books considered YA. Young adult is strictly a teens-only grouping.

Similarly, a book can be written by teenagers however it's not necessary for them.

For a book to be YA, the characters themselves must be in their teens. Additionally, the novel must have been created with a teenage audience in the mind.

Age range

YA Novels

How to Write Young Adult Novels

YA novels tend to be faster-paced and shorter than adult books and include aspects that are appealing to teenagers, from common tropes to relatable characters to experiences that teens have recently or may soon experience.

Now, let's go more deep into the aspects that you could add to your young adult novel.

Young Adult Tropes

The YA genre is brimming with common genres. Here are just some of them:

Romance

  • Love triangles are situations in which the main character must decide between two lovers
  • Friends to Lovers, which the main character discovers that they've been in love with one of their good friends throughout the entire time.
  • From enemies to lovers, where the main character discovers that they've fallen in love with someone they've fought all along
  • Fake dating is a scenario in which the protagonist is thrown into a situation where they have to pretend to be dating, but then fall in love with them in the real world

A point to be noted is it is that it is important to note that in YA the romance genre can be found in many stories explicit sexual scenes, they aren't typical for the category (and instead are either omitted completely or included).

The Chosen One

It's a common trope frequently seen in the world of YA fantasy A protagonist is told because of an unidentified origin story, unknown power or something else that is completely new to their world, that they're exceptional in some way. In the end, more often than likely, they are forced to make use of the special status they have acquired to accomplish something noble, like protecting their nation, their family, or love interest.

The most watched Chosen One, of course the most well-known is Harry Potter, However, the same trope everywhere you look in Fantasy for teens including the Mortal Instruments Series and the Ember within The Ashes series and on to Shadow and Bone as well as many more.

The Outsider

Young Adult Book Themes

Again, YA novels tend to have one central motif that is common to all YA novels: growing up, or maturing into one's personal. However, in addition to this, there are a lot of different themes to use in a young adult book, including:

  • In the process of growing out of one's childhood
  • Finding strength inside oneself
  • Loss at first
  • Falling in love for the first time
  • Realizing the people or institutions one trusted to protect themselves are, in actual corruption
  • Being brave and overcoming adversity the first time

It doesn't always help to go into writing a book having a particular theme in mind. Sometimes the writer is so focused on a theme they forget to do the most important part that is telling a good story. Our best suggestion we could provide is to start writing the narrative you wish to create, and then as you write subsequent drafts, go in and see what themes are more strongly in the action and words of your characters.

One of the most crucial things to keep in mind when writing the publication of a YA book and the theme you want to get across is not to be too preachy with the readers. The teen readers do not read to be taught a lesson. They read for the same reasons like the rest of us: to be entertained.

How to Structure a YA Book

The primary difference between a book aimed at young readers and an adult novel in terms of structure is length. Young adult books are typically on the shorter side--between 60,000 and 80,000 words--while adult books typically have 70,000 to 110,000. There is always a way to circumvent the word count guidelines but lengths can depend on what genre you are reading (for example, fantasy tends to be more lengthy than contemporary). This is however a great general rule of thumb.

YA books also tend to be written with a quicker rate of action with a focus on speed. The inciting incident happens soon after the beginning of the tale, and the first plot twist doesn't occur long after that. A fast-paced story ensures that young readers will not want to stop reading.

The final aspect you should consider is how it ends. It's not that everything has to be happy all often, but young adult books tend toward the hopeful in the end, even if there is an issue that is difficult to tackle in the novel. The nihilistic and pessimistic conclusion should be reserved for adult literature novels.

Young Adult Characters

That's not to say it's impossible to have secondary characters with different age. Actually, it could seem odd if you didn't. However, your principal character as well as some of your secondary character, are likely to be teens themselves.

Among this cast of teen characters, aside from the main character, you will typically find:

  • The love interest or two, should you would like to incorporate romance into the pages of your novel
  • The most trusted friend or allies is often many
  • The antagonist--this could be a bully or another type of antagonist
  • They are the authority figure, whether it is parents or any other mentor
  • The younger sibling--someone who the protagonist can be alternately annoyed by and also protective of

You don't need all these characters, of course. Use what serves your story.

How to Be Aware of YA Readers

The people who should always be on your mind while you write YA are your readers.

Yes, plenty of adults buy and read YA novels However, one thing authors of YA need to remember is that YA is first and foremost a book for teens.

This doesn't mean that you need to "dumb down" your work by any means; it's simply to keep them in mind while you write. Teens are incredibly smart and sophisticated readers. They they'll be able to spot flaws within your work from a distance away. We've said it before: the best way to know what teens are into today is to study the latest YA.

How Do You Write Your YA Novel?

Writing an YA novel can seem overwhelming, but it can also be incredibly rewarding to write books that are loved by children. Create your theme, story and characters. Pay attentively to trends in the YA market, and read all you can. Then you'll be on the way to your first YA novel in no time.

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