Hey everyone.
Sorry if this is a bit garbled. Still trying to figure out the best way to express this.
I'm writing a "domestic suspense" mystery told from two teen POVs. It's a big, sprawling mystery, and it will probably be very dark. I've always written YA but I knew immediately the protagonist would be maximum of 19 (more like 16). However, almost everyone else would be adults, and there would be very few school scenes (for plot reasons, not an artistic choice).
Still, I thought, "whoop! This is YA!" However, whenever I try to write it, it comes out...different. The protagonist is still in her teens, but the voice is older and more retrospective. Also, while the adult characters are not POV characters, there's even an argument to be made that they are the main characters.
Tried comps to try and clear this up. All adult. Not saying there is nothing like this in YA - there have certainly been a fair few awesome YA mysteries - but tonally AND plot-wise, nothing fits like adult. Yet...it has a teen protagonist. How much of an issue is this? Am I being short-sighted, or would it be better to stop sitting on the fence and pick a side? My instinct says it's a "crossover" novel due to its kind of hybrid shape. Is it better to pick a side, though, than label it "for everyone and no-one"?
Sorry if this is a bit garbled. Still trying to figure out the best way to express this.
I'm writing a "domestic suspense" mystery told from two teen POVs. It's a big, sprawling mystery, and it will probably be very dark. I've always written YA but I knew immediately the protagonist would be maximum of 19 (more like 16). However, almost everyone else would be adults, and there would be very few school scenes (for plot reasons, not an artistic choice).
Still, I thought, "whoop! This is YA!" However, whenever I try to write it, it comes out...different. The protagonist is still in her teens, but the voice is older and more retrospective. Also, while the adult characters are not POV characters, there's even an argument to be made that they are the main characters.
Tried comps to try and clear this up. All adult. Not saying there is nothing like this in YA - there have certainly been a fair few awesome YA mysteries - but tonally AND plot-wise, nothing fits like adult. Yet...it has a teen protagonist. How much of an issue is this? Am I being short-sighted, or would it be better to stop sitting on the fence and pick a side? My instinct says it's a "crossover" novel due to its kind of hybrid shape. Is it better to pick a side, though, than label it "for everyone and no-one"?