Question about having a young main character

Southern_girl29 · Aug 21, 2006

Based on the advice I received from many of you on this board, I decided to restructure my novel. I have two main characters in my book, Blythe and Max. The story used to start with Max, but now, I've made the first chapter of the book Blythe's story. The second chapter goes back in time to Max's story. I'm going to have Blythe's chapters sprinkled throughout the book.

My worry is that Blythe is too young to appeal to older readers in the first few chapters of her section. She's 15 when the book starts and three or four of the chapters will be set while she's still in high school. Do you think it's ok to have a main character this young in an adult novel? I've read a few books where the main character is young, for example, Ellen Foster (which I loved), but not too many.

John61480 · Aug 21, 2006

Depending on how exciting the scenes are, it could be a possible turn off for a reader such as myself. The best stuff I have read with teenage characters would have to be from the works of Stephen King. He made it appealing because of the wild circumstances surrounding them. Neat stuff. Although, it certainly wouldn't be a deterence from finishing the whole novel just because of a 15 year old being featured for a few chapters.

Southern_girl29 · Aug 21, 2006

John61480 said:
Depending on how exciting the scenes are, it could be a possible turn off for a reader such as myself. The best stuff I have read with teenage characters would have to be from the works of Stephen King. He made it appealing because of the wild circumstances surrounding them. Neat stuff. Although, it certainly wouldn't be a deterence from finishing the whole novel just because of a 15 year old being featured for a few chapters.

Stephen King is great with this. I loved "The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon." I was afraid it would turn readers off, but I think it is better to start with her chapters.

gabbleandhiss · Aug 21, 2006

//

Books with young major characters:

The Catcher In The Rye
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
To Kill A Mockingbird
Lord of the Flies
A Clockwork Orange
The Outsiders
East of Eden
The Client

Southern_girl29 · Aug 21, 2006

gabbleandhiss said:
Books with young major characters:

The Catcher In The Rye
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
To Kill A Mockingbird
Lord of the Flies
A Clockwork Orange
The Outsiders
East of Eden
The Client

I've read six of those books, but in my opinion, the first four novels are of the YA genre. They may be well-liked by adults (Catcher in the Rye and To Kill a Mockingbird are two of my favorite books), but I still believe they are YA novels. The novel I'm writing can't be considered that at all.

Begbie · Aug 22, 2006

Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close is a recent novel with a 9 year old MC. I think it's more difficult to write using a child's limited vocabulary and life experience. But I don't think it necessarily turns off readers.

UrsusMinor · Aug 22, 2006

Southern_girl29 said:
I've read six of those books, but in my opinion, the first four novels are of the YA genre. They may be well-liked by adults (Catcher in the Rye and To Kill a Mockingbird are two of my favorite books), but I still believe they are YA novels.

I don't understand why you believe that. Perhaps I don't understand what you mean by YA. But when they came out, Catcher in the Rye and To Kill a Mockingbird were read almost exclusively by adults, and were often banned from high schools. (Popular in colleges at the time, however.)

Huckleberry Finn was likewise considered an adult book, and scandalous in many ways--not only for its treatment of race relations (which had it banned in many locations in the South), but also for the voice and tone, which were considered unsuitable for young people. Many critics (and Hemingway) list Huck Finn as their candidate for the Great American Novel.

Times change, and many of these books are now read in schools. But that certainly doesn't make them YA novels; they weren't written for teenagers.

I'm not sure what you think makes something a YA book--or, for that matter, what makes you think yours isn't. But only The Outsiders was aimed at a YA audience. Before the 1970s, when these books were written, the YA audience was hardly ever considered by serious writers; and the first place that Salinger sent Catcher in the Rye was "The New Yorker"--hardly a YA outlet.

Southern_girl29 · Aug 22, 2006

UrsusMinor said:
I don't understand why you believe that. Perhaps I don't understand what you mean by YA. But when they came out, Catcher in the Rye and To Kill a Mockingbird were read almost exclusively by adults, and were often banned from high schools. (Popular in colleges at the time, however.)

Huckleberry Finn was likewise considered an adult book, and scandalous in many ways--not only for its treatment of race relations (which had it banned in many locations in the South), but also for the voice and tone, which were considered unsuitable for young people. Many critics (and Hemingway) list Huck Finn as their candidate for the Great American Novel.

Times change, and many of these books are now read in schools. But that certainly doesn't make them YA novels; they weren't written for teenagers.

I'm not sure what you think makes something a YA book--or, for that matter, what makes you think yours isn't. But only The Outsiders was aimed at a YA audience. Before the 1970s, when these books were written, the YA audience was hardly ever considered by serious writers; and the first place that Salinger sent Catcher in the Rye was "The New Yorker"--hardly a YA outlet.

I guess I believe that because I read them when I was a young adult, as did many of my friends. I read Huck Finn in the sixth grade, and it was not required reading at that point. I read Lord of the Flies in the Eighth Grade. I read To Kill a Mockingbird in the sixth grade, too. I read just about anything I could get my hands on when I was that age.

It wasn't a derogatory comment on those books at all. Catcher in the Rye is probably one of my favorite books, as is To Kill a Mockingbird. I re-read those at least once a year. I also have read Huck Finn several times.

icerose · Aug 22, 2006

Lost Boys by Orsen Scott Card.

One of the main characters is 7.

ChaosTitan · Aug 22, 2006

All of the main characters in James Patterson's Maximum Ride are ages fourteen to seven.

Maryn · Aug 22, 2006

I have no trouble with young protagonists, but you're going to have to convince me that the voice and tone are that of a teenager and not a miniature adult. I suspect that's a part of the brilliance of the novels listed, the authors' skill at that aspect.

Maryn, who thinks Mockingbird is the Great American Novel

stupidmansuit · Aug 22, 2006

Write your book as what it is, don't matter about trying to place it into a genre or turning your readers off, that's what I'd say.

TrainofThought · Aug 23, 2006

If written well and a good story, it will appeal to an adult audience. I just read, The History of Love, consisting of a 15 year old’s POV, and I do not consider it a YA. I think it is good to know your audience, but the key is the story and words.

CaroGirl · Aug 23, 2006

Try reading A Complicated Kindness, by Miriam Toews. The protagonist is a young girl, but it's very much an adult novel in every way. It's Canadian, and a beautifully written, heartbreaking story.

maestrowork · Aug 23, 2006

gabbleandhiss said:
Books with young major characters:

The Catcher In The Rye
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
To Kill A Mockingbird
Lord of the Flies
A Clockwork Orange
The Outsiders
East of Eden
The Client

Great list. Not to mention Harry Potter...

The protagonist starts out very young in the Kite Runner...

In Grisham's A Painted House, the protagonist is 7 years old. Yet it's an adult fiction.

Don't sweat it... just tell a great story with great characters.

TwentyFour · Aug 23, 2006

Going back to the same ole same ole...The Outsiders, where Ponyboy is 14, hey and we loved him you know, stay gold!

Ok, well my personal favorite is 16, Johnny Cage! Now all these kids are between 14 and 21, so I say go for it!

My WIP is youngsters between 15 and 24 and my adult beta readers love it and have grown unusually attached to the 16 year old male (loosely based on Johnny Cage I might add).

mjlpsu · Aug 23, 2006

Just as long as your story is interesting and your characters true to their personalities and age, you'll do just fine.
Besides, marketing to high school-age readers could work quite well too. And that may lead to more adult readers.

UrsusMinor · Aug 23, 2006

Southern_girl29 said:
IIt wasn't a derogatory comment on those books at all. Catcher in the Rye is probably one of my favorite books, as is To Kill a Mockingbird. I re-read those at least once a year. I also have read Huck Finn several times.

My point is, they, like what you're writing, were intended for adults, and when they were first pulished, they were read mainly by adults. If you were a child and had read Catcher in the Rye when it first came out, they would have rinsed your eyes out with soap. Ditto Lord of the Flies.

Write the book you want.

Snowbird · Aug 23, 2006

A Christmas Memory by Truman Capote has a young MC, and that little book is stunning. I read it every year.

I feel if you write from your heart and the story is mature (even if the MC isn't) then you'll be just fine.

TwentyFour · Aug 23, 2006

I found it funny in the movie Capote, the book To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee was labeled a Childrens book when so many adults were bowled over by it. She just nods and goes on her way, as if she doesn't care how they like it or why, and gives Capote the limelight for In Cold Blood.

virtue_summer · Aug 24, 2006

Southern_girl29 said:
I guess I believe that because I read them when I was a young adult, as did many of my friends.

I read Jane Eyre, A Tale of Two Cities, and The Scarlet Letter as a teenager. Does that make them YA books? Seriously, I think that there's a big difference between a book written for children or teenagers and a book written about a child or a teenager. When writing for a young audience, the author has to comisserate about the struggles of being young. When writing for an adult audience, the author is instead utilizing the unique POV of the young person, for instance to illuminate and to dramatize the circumstances. To Kill a Mockingbird, if I remember correctly, would be a good example of this. The story has a different impact because it's told through a child's eyes.

nevada · Aug 24, 2006

I read Lady Chatterley's Lover when I was eleven. Hardly makes it a YA book.

Carry Me Home by Sandra Kring starts with a young main character. and because he's developmentally challenged he stays young. But it is a brilliant book nonetheless. Her second book, The Book Of Bright Ideas is about an 8 yr old I believe but it's hardly a YA book.

I would say, write the book you feel you need to write, polish it, perfect it, then let your agent worry about placing it. Don't borrow trouble before you have even finished it. Dont use this as an excuse not to write the best book you can.

Sidmyster · Aug 24, 2006

maestrowork said:
In Grisham's A Painted House, the protagonist is 7 years old. Yet it's an adult fiction.

Is he...I read it a few years ago (was just about 15) and cant for the life of me remember a 7 year old????

jbal · Aug 24, 2006

Many John Saul books feature teen protagonists and are aimed at adults. I am not a huge fan of his, but it has nothing to do with young MC's. Or busting a move.

Question about having a young main character

Southern_girl29

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ChaosTitan

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Maryn

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mjlpsu

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practical experience, FTW

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nevada

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