steps in, hat in hands

Nakhlasmoke · Jul 19, 2007

Hi YA writers.

I think I'm a bit lost, might have wondered into the wrong room by mistake.

I've never set out to write a YA, but recently someone pointed out to me that my query sounds like it could be adult or YA, and the length (70 k) is right for the genre.

Now, my MC is 19, he has a relationship with a older man (maybe mid-30's) and he basically grows from being a spoiled brat to a young man who makes some terrible decisions that cost him his humanity (he's a werewolf, kinda, and he gives up his humanity for revenge). There is some smexing, but only maybe three scenes. Is this possibly a YA?

Or not at all?

I don't think my writing style is YA, then again I'm not sure. I can post a brief excerpt to show what I mean if that helps.

Please help.

scarletpeaches · Jul 19, 2007

Smexing.

Heh.

Nakhlasmoke · Jul 19, 2007

smexing is fun. more people must smex, then the world will be a better place.

scarletpeaches · Jul 19, 2007

I think I smexed once.

Nakhlasmoke · Jul 19, 2007

scarletpeaches said:
I think I smexed once.

me too. I wish i remembered more about it.

reenkam · Jul 19, 2007

*peers in* I hope I'm not interrupting any smexing going on. Talk about uber embarrassment...

To me, the story sounds like it could be YA, but at the same time I don't know what agents and editors would say about a semi-cross-generational homosexual relationship (yay for hyphens). I know there are some who rep it, but are there any that do anything other than coming-out/coming-out-age mainstream? There probably are, so those would be the agents you query. You could always try it both ways as in query agents that repped similar stiff for YA, and then query adult ones who are more leanient, I think.

You can both get back to your smexing now. Scuse me...

Soccer Mom · Jul 19, 2007

reenkam said:
*peers in* I hope I'm not interrupting any smexing going on. Talk about uber embarrassment...

You could always try it both ways as in query agents that repped similar stiff for YA, and then query adult ones who are more leanient, I think.

You can both get back to your smexing now. Scuse me...

Heh. You said stiff. hnnh. hnnh.

BTW: it might be YA. Yeah, look for agents who rep that sort of YA. They do exist.

Nakhlasmoke · Jul 19, 2007

See to me the relationship isn't unusual, but I guess just the idea that it's homosexual with uh.. cross-generational overtones may make it not suitable for YA. Don't know if I explained that very well. Basically it's not a coming-out novel by any means. I don't know if that makes a difference.

JLCwrites · Jul 19, 2007

Hahaha! Soccermom, love the "i can haz cheezburger" pic!

I think that the storyline can work in YA, but it seems versatile enough for adult too. You may want to tone down the smexing a bit for YA, and look for agents or publishers who are willing to "push the envelope." I personally like the idea of writing what you like, then see if someone is willing to put it in print, instead of trying to write to a particular audience. (Just my stubborn independent streak.)

Gobble!

Nakhlasmoke · Jul 19, 2007

Turkey Lurkey said:
I think that the storyline can work in YA, but it seems versatile enough for adult too. You may want to tone down the smexing a bit for YA, and look for agents or publishers who are willing to "push the envelope." I personally like the idea of writing what you like, then see if someone is willing to put it in print, instead of trying to write to a particular audience. (Just my stubborn independent streak.)

Gobble!

I think my real problem is that I haven't read enough of the modern YA stuff to know what's allowed. Are there very dark fantasy works in that age group? I'm thinking older teen, not stuff dealing with dating and school.

Could anyone name some books like this so I can hunt them down. (The books, the books, people!)

Pretty please.

RLB · Jul 19, 2007

Nakhlasmoke said:
Basically it's not a coming-out novel by any means. I don't know if that makes a difference.

Nah, just add it to your rapidly growing genre description: semi-cross-generational-established-homosexual-YA-werewolf-fantasy-with-brief-smexing.

I can already envision it as a Barnes and Noble aisle.

ETA: it's hard to get an idea without seeing the writing, but I'd imagine it could be adult or edgy YA

Nakhlasmoke · Jul 19, 2007

RLB said:
Nah, just add it to your rapidly growing genre description: semi-cross-generational-established-homosexual-YA-werewolf-fantasy-with-brief-smexing.

I can already envision it as a Barnes and Noble aisle.

ETA: it's hard to get an idea without seeing the writing, but I'd imagine it could be adult or edgy YA

Okay, you just made me spray my morning coffee over the keyboard...

I think I need more genre-descriptions now.

Edgy YA, that's actually quite a nice term. *steals*

Shady Lane · Jul 19, 2007

Okay, I'm basically the literary equivalent of a drug pusher when it comes to edgy YA but...this totally works for me. YA away.

reenkam · Jul 19, 2007

Soccer Mom said:
Heh. You said stiff. hnnh. hnnh.

BTW: it might be YA. Yeah, look for agents who rep that sort of YA. They do exist.

Oooo, I did....awkward....but in my defence, the u and i are next to each other. Well, not the you and me kind of u and i. The keys...on the keyboard....(awkward again)

Nakhlasmoke said:
See to me the relationship isn't unusual, but I guess just the idea that it's homosexual with uh.. cross-generational overtones may make it not suitable for YA. Don't know if I explained that very well. Basically it's not a coming-out novel by any means. I don't know if that makes a difference.

Don't get me wrong. I don't think it's not suitable for YA. I mean, I'd read it. Tons of teens would, I bet. But agents seem to be...I don't know, weird about stuff. So you'd have to search a little harder and know that a lot of nos you might get on queries would be solely because of that. At least, I think so. Maybe I'm totally wrong. Wouldn't be the first time.

*sigh*

Nakhlasmoke · Jul 19, 2007

I originally didn't mention the relationship in my query but if I target YA agents I wonder if I need to change that.

Hmm, much food for thought here.

Thanks everybody. I'm still not 100% sure that it's a YA, although it is the kind of book I'd have read as a teenager so who knows.

moondance · Jul 20, 2007

If the relationship is central to the plot, then I think you should mention it.

As an example of a very popular vampire love story YA at the moment, check out Twilight by Stephanie Meyer. The protagonist is younger than yours but it's a dark fantasy story and quite - er - 'meaty' LOL.

Nakhlasmoke · Jul 20, 2007

Hmm you're right of course.

Thanks for the book rec. I'll see if I can get hold of it.

greywaren · Jul 20, 2007

I think you could get away with it, but it's a question of where you WANT to be. Check out Wicked Lovely (climbing the bestseller charts), a YA urban fantasy where the love interest is piercing out the wazoo and an implied oral sex scene. Twilight, vampire shagging - no sex, but heavy petting. Holly Black's stuff - very dark, very edge, anything goes.

But YA does have a different "feel" to it than adult. The characters have to be deep, man. Read some of the ones that sell well. You'll get the idea.

reenkam · Jul 20, 2007

..........I didn't think Twilight was very...risque, if you will. Amazing book, but I don't think it could be used as a how-much-is-ok? reference.

Holly Black...there's an anything goes.

Wicked Lovely I haven't read, but I'm planning to.

greywaren · Jul 20, 2007

reenkam said:
..........I didn't think Twilight was very...risque, if you will.

That's true. Twilight was very tame in comparison to Holly Black's stuff and Wicked Lovely. But it has the definite YA feel to it -- I think that's just as important to where a novel gets put as any level of swearing, sex, etc.

CatMuse33 · Jul 20, 2007

greywaren said:
I think you could get away with it, but it's a question of where you WANT to be. Check out Wicked Lovely (climbing the bestseller charts), a YA urban fantasy where the love interest is piercing out the wazoo and an implied oral sex scene. Twilight, vampire shagging - no sex, but heavy petting. Holly Black's stuff - very dark, very edge, anything goes.

But YA does have a different "feel" to it than adult. The characters have to be deep, man. Read some of the ones that sell well. You'll get the idea.

I just jumped in because this conversation seemed so interesting. Y'all had me at "smexing." LOL

I don't read YA anymore, and I don't write it, although my 16-year-old niece is writing some stuff that may qualify.

Hearing descriptions of today's YA (and I'm not a prude, don't get me wrong!) I can't help but wonder... I guess no one's reading Sweet Valley High anymore, huh? Things have changed. I used to have to get all my literary smexing by sneaking my mom's Danielle Steele books. LOL

BTW, Naklahsmoke, your story sounds fascinating. I'd read it.

Dawn

Nakhlasmoke · Jul 20, 2007

Wow, you guys have given me some great book leads. Thanks a mill.

Greywaren, I know I was very deep as a teen, I had to carry around all my deep and literary books to prove it too.

Looks like a missed out on the coolness of what YA has to offer, hence my lack of knowledge now. (Although Tender is the Night is still my favourite book, so nah.)

Reenkam, since you're seconding a lot of these book choices I'm going to go pester my local library.

Hey CatMuse, Glad you think it sounds interesting.

Hillary · Jul 20, 2007

In the interest of "not being helpful at all" (one of my specialties) I'd like to state formally that I went and looked up "smex" on urbandictionary and got myself an education and a half, let me tell you. I WISH smex meant having sex while you're mashed off your face. (Ex: "Apparently we had some serious smex last night, but I don't remember any of it... Stupid drugs!)

But it doesn't.

It apparently means a billion things. Mostly having to do with internet fangirls, I gather.

My favorite definition by far has to be: SMEX is NASA's abbreviation for "Small Explorer." They use it in regards to missions using much smaller than normal shuttle-craft.

I'd google it to see if NASA really does say smex, but I don't want to ruin the illusion.

Nakhlasmoke · Jul 20, 2007

Hah, I just know it from chat, I didn't know it was supposed to be a cooler sounding version of sex. this is because I am not cool.

Hillary · Jul 20, 2007

Nakhlasmoke said:
this is because I am not cool.

I beg to differ. Incidentally, do people actually BEG to differ? I just differ whenever I damn well please.

*steps in, hat in hands*

yes

yes

yes

aka cupcake

Crypto-fascist

yes

yes

bundled

yes

my name is hannah

aka cupcake

yes

yes

aka cupcake

Just hitting send

yes

Neural Trailblazer

yes

Neural Trailblazer

steps in, hat in hands