Subtlety vs NOT so Subtle for YA audiences especially

I know what you are talking about, but an example will be able to let us give a better answer for you.

You're right that if multiple people are having trouble, then the subtle clues, however subtle, just aren't clear.

I peeked at your sample in SYW. Part of the issue, I think, judging by that sample, is that it's your opening. It's harder to be clear when you're introducing a whole new world to readers, subtle or not. How many different things are you trying to introduce at once? Do one or two things at a time, let your readers absorb that, and then introduce more things about that world. Focus less on being "subtle" and more on how your character feels about it -- that will automatically help clue your readers in to what's going on, or at least give them something to grasp while they figure it out.

Just a quick thought.

Many of the YA SYW critters are actually adults. So if you're thinking younger readers are less good at picking up subtlety (and that's why this issue is arising in your crits), but the crits are actually by adult readers not picking up subtlety ... that's suggesting to me that younger readers may not be the whole problem.

Being un-subtle and unclear are two different things. I have experience with writing something that seemed abundantly clear to me, but somehow confused betareaders (and I'm assuming your betas aren't in your audience age bracket). You can clarify unclear points and still be subtle.

watercayman said:

I’ve come across an interesting conflict and was wondering if anyone else had an opinion. Seems most of the advice editors or books or good writers give regarding ‘spelling things out’ is not to. IE - give your readers the benefit of the doubt - they are smart people. Less is more, let them figure it out, etc.

However, I find that when I go through a critique for my work in the YA genre, some readers are confused over points where I have followed this rule. I go back in the text and, sure enough, the answer to their confusion IS written in the text, but it is sometimes not spelled out directly.

Certainly the fault is mine as a writer, if more than one person is having a problem, I’ve not explained it well enough.

But - my question is, do you think it’s necessary to give a little less weight to the advice above when writing for younger audiences? In other words, spell things out more clearly than you would for an adult novel? If so, to what degree?

Any opinions?

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I don't think, from the vast amount of reading YA books that I do, that there is a need to be less subtle for YA than you would for a target adult audience. If it is truly YA, then your target audience is capable of and probably often reads adult books. So, there is no need to be more obvious for them. If you were writing MG, especially mid to lower MG, I might feel differently on this topic. But not YA.

So I would not think of your need to balance clarity with information (ie allowing your reader to become invested by intuiting and figuring some parts out) as any different for YA than adult.

There is a need for balance in both genres. You want to leave the reader room to play, to figure things out and become actively engaged in the book. But if the reader is just frustrated or confused, then you are not being clear enough.

But, and this is the hard part, you can't really know in the abstract what is clear enough. You need to learn through writing and reading in your genre. And through critique and revision.

So, if you are unclear of where the proper balance is, go read a whole lot of comparable YA to see the balance between subtlety and explanation, and how the writers build tension and engagement through forcing the reader to become invested in what is happening.

The Knife of Never Letting Go is a YA book that uses a terrific balance of information and subtle nuance to really engage the reader. And the concepts of manipulation and trust and group psychosis and ethics, etc., are not dumbed down one bit for the YA audience.

~suki

Not regarding SYW I've noticed the YA I've read is more blunt, repetitious, etc. It's no fault of the writing, it's just part of the genre, I think.

I don't know about your writing personally but I prefer subtlety--but the right kind of subtlety. It has to follow that the subtle action is appropriate and backed by other surrounding events, so that the reader's inference tool can be utilized properly.

So as an adult, yes, I prefer subtext and context to do their jobs. I don't want to be bashed over the head. But I'm not a YA writer or much of a fan as a reader, no offense to anyone who writes it, so maybe I'm not the best to listen to.

EDIT: and, I forgot to mention, one should never confuse subtlety with vagueness and ambiguity. Very different things.