I need advice on a MG story

coffeehunter

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I'm working on a new MG title. A busy eleven-year-old boy deals with the recent death of his mother, and embarks on an adventure that leads to closure and visit her in the past. My concern is my last MG title was really funny and serious at the same time. In this new one, it feels depressing and sad. His dad's solution is to work, and the MC has a tough time being in that mindset. I think this book might be good for kids who may have lost a parent. I lost one myself. It just doesn't have the same goofy feel I have in every other page when writing MG. There are moments like that, but I know he's dealing with work, sports, and a bully at school who don't understand him. There's a happy ending though. Did I just miss these sad-but-hopeful books as a kid? Would this fit MG? Thoughts are welcomed.
 
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s_nov

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That would definitely fit! I haven't read it personally, but I've heard great things about a book called Jumping the Scratch, which also is MG about grieving if that's something you'd like to read to see the tone. But yeah, I think dealing with hard situations will always be welcome in the MG market.
 

Debbie V

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I hope it works because you've described my MG, except I show the illness that leads up to he death. The key in MG is to keep hope alive. (I also do have a friend character who is a little on the goofy side and a fantasy element to provide balance, though it too is serious in tone. My MC just isn't the type to joke around.)
 

Pat Waldron

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Forgive me for noticing this but this maybe more than a writing problem, mental health is something everybody works on. Work out these feelings in the first draft and remove them as necessary in editing.

When I write, I want my characters to have real problems, terrible flaws, and ironic circumstances. I don't want to sugar coat anything.

So the writing problem of, I want to write an exciting, fun, adventure for kids and have the main character go through the loss of a parent, is a writing problem, not a personal one.

Writers have written and readers have clamored for stories like that forever. Cinderella? Mother died and replaced with a wicked stepmother. Harry Potter? Both parents died and his aunt and uncle mistreated him. Luke Skywalker? Mother was killed by father. Then, uncle and aunt were killed at the end of the first quarter. His mentor was killed at the end of the 3rd quarter. Star Wars was a fun movie.

See? Writers kill off the parents all of the time. Write the story as you need to.

In my WIP I have been editing for the last three months, I made a daily habit of finding things that were personal that crept into the story and hacked them out. But this story would have never come to light unless the personal things were there in the beginning.
 
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Penguin_Factory

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There are a metric ton of MG books about death, and even specifically the death of a parent (I'm editing one right now!), so I don't think that's a problem.

If your story is a relentless downer from page one until that happy ending, that might be an issue. If you look at a lot of famously sad kids' books, they either don't start out that way (eg Bridge to Terebithia) or focus heavily on lighter elements like an adventure story (this is the approach I went with). You've stated you have an adventure plot in there, which is good, so the only question is how much weight is given to it, versus the protagonist's mourning.

Let us know how it turns out! Our stories sound somewhat similar, I'd be curious to read it if it ever makes it to print.
 

soulrodeo

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I mean, you can't get any sadder in MG than A Monster Calls, and that book was a massive hit. I've never cried like I did with that book, except perhaps with Goodnight Mister Tom, another sad MG. Apparently I like reading about sad kids lol. :Shrug:
 

The Second Moon

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You know the author who wrote the silly Junie B. Jones series? Well she wrote a book about a girl who lost her brother in a car wreak. I cried reading that book, but I enjoyed it more than her Junie B. Jones books. It was real. It made me grow up a teeny tiny bit. It made me appreciate my sister's more. And you know what? I still remember some lines from that book even though I read it in middle school.

I think you shouldn't be afraid to write your story. Go for it.