ideal age for my protagonist?

RKen1 said:

As I've embarked recently on new YA WIP, I'm just wondering if I've placed the protagonist's age too low, which is currently 16.

In a dystopian and satirical vein, the themes explored touch on the madness of contemporary politics, conspiracy theories and those of that persuasion. Plus, there are references - although not key aspects - to darker subjects, such as sexual predators.

Anyhow, given the above - and I appreciate there are a few variables here and it's hard to be precise without a deeper knowledge of the material - what do people think re the protagonist's age?

Thanks in advance for any feedback.

Best

R.

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I think you need to read more current YA.

I've always had slight issues with the low age of a lot of protagonists in a lot of books. Harry Potter took the whole wizarding world by storm before he was even one years old, and then defeated the most powerful dark wizard of all time at the age of 17. To think a 17 year old bested a 71 year old with zero conscience just bothers me a little. Granted, being of school age, going through school, adolescent problems etc... are part of the story. If you don't see adolescence playing a big part in your book, I'd suggest raising the age to perhaps 18 or 19.

Sixteen is a fine age for a YA protagonist as long as sixteen is the age she needs to be for the story.

I recommend avoiding 17 cause many authors seem to prefer that age to make their YA's as bordering on adult as possible. I once read an article somewhere that said "does every life-changing experience happens when people are 17?"

To write YA, you probably want to be familiar with the genre. Pick up a few books that fit your genre and give them a go. As for the age of your MC, I think the type of personal growth they’re going to go through in the story is most relevant. For example, if he’s experiencing becoming a man and the trials of talking to girls for the first time, he’d probably make most sense as 13-14. Someone else mentioned Harry Potter and while, yes, he was dealing with a very heavy situation beyond his age that might not have been realistic...he also dealt with very age appropriate issues each book like his first crush on Cho Chang at 13.

A common theme in fantasy--even before there was a separate space on the shelves for YA SFF and talk about a special voice or style for YA and MG--is a young person thrust into a situation that "should" be well beyond them in years. Come to think of it, does anyone ever feel like a "real" grownup deep down inside? Most adults I know confess to feeling a like imposters at lease sometimes.

So I think the young protagonist angle appeals to that sense of being in over one's head and being an underdog--prevailing in spite of having the odds stacked against them. Coming of age themes will often interweave with the main plot, which is something that also appeals to teen readers and to adults. There are other ways to make a protagonist an underdog, of course, but people do seem to be suckers for children or teens who have to step in and do what the adults in their lives won't or can't.

As with any speculative fiction premise, it requires a certain suspension of disbelief at the outset. Some readers have more trouble with doing this for a given premise than others. However, there are some examples in history of kids and teens who did remarkable things that were well beyond what would usually be expected of someone their age.

With contemporary YA, there is often a reason the writer picks a given age., because the issues faced by a high school freshman won't be the same as those faced by a high school sophomore, junior or senior. With speculative genres, the expectations and responsibilities faced by kids may differ at a given age.

In a dystopian society, there may not be any established rules about when someone is old enough to do something at all. It will be a matter of what a person can do and how well they can do it and whether or not they survive.

Roxxsmom said:

With contemporary YA, there is often a reason the writer picks a given age., because the issues faced by a high school freshman won't be the same as those faced by a high school sophomore, junior or senior. With speculative genres, the expectations and responsibilities faced by kids may differ at a given age.

In a dystopian society, there may not be any established rules about when someone is old enough to do something at all. It will be a matter of what a person can do and how well they can do it and whether or not they survive.

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I agree with Roxxmom on this one. When I choose the age of my protagonist, it's for a specific reason. For example, the MC in one of my novels has to be a high school senior because her college aspirations are central to the plot. If I made her a sophomore, the college issue wouldn't seem as immediate or relevant to her life.

It also depends on the plot and world setting of your story. If your back story has 16 year olds doing adult things, then 16 is perfect. If your back story has 16 year olds still living at home, needing adult supervision, then maybe it's not the age that needs a fix, it's the back story? Just a thought.