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Post by r.elena.t on Mar 27, 2014 10:03:53 GMT -5
Hayley mentioned a novel that fizzled because she couldn't figure out the right age for it.
I wrote what became the first of a series for lower middle grade, but Book II was 1) better, 2) more complicated, 3) upper middle grade. Book II is ready to get ready to publish (I've written it to stand alone). I want to rework Book I as a prequel to match the age, but...
What are your struggles with writing to age level?
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Post by Hayley on Mar 30, 2014 10:07:32 GMT -5
Sounds like we've had a few of the same problems  Is there much of a gap between upper and lower middle grade? Here in Aus we just have Junior fiction which includes everything from picture books to large chapter books. The line between junior fiction and young adult also seems to vary from library to library and bookstore to bookstore. I read mostly junior fiction as it's what I hope to write but I've picked up quite a few books that don't suit my idea of the category at all. All that makes it even more difficult to know what to write! Anyway, looking back onto that fizzled novel I think my problem was that I'm a children's writer, and I was trying very hard not to be. My writing voice just seems to flow better when I write junior fiction. Generally I don't even like to read adult or YA books, that was a pretty huge clue for me. Write what you love, read what you love  |
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Post by r.elena.t on Mar 30, 2014 11:28:30 GMT -5
Is there much of a gap between upper and lower middle grade? Here in Aus we just have Junior fiction which includes everything from picture books to large chapter books. The line between junior fiction and young adult also seems to vary from library to library and bookstore to bookstore. I read mostly junior fiction as it's what I hope to write but I've picked up quite a few books that don't suit my idea of the category at all. All that makes it even more difficult to know what to write! Anyway, looking back onto that fizzled novel I think my problem was that I'm a children's writer, and I was trying very hard not to be. My writing voice just seems to flow better when I write junior fiction. Generally I don't even like to read adult or YA books, that was a pretty huge clue for me. Write what you love, read what you love Yes, the US has had rather strict guidelines not only separating age categories, but specifying language limits, word limits, format, etc.. Crazy, because many classics would not have been accepted for publication in their designated age category (the Raggedy Ann books, for one). BUT that is all gate-kept by the big publishing houses. As independent publishing takes off, writers get to blur lines & break rules. Our categories more or less are (or were  ): board books - pictures, no words - and picture books - primarily pictures, some words (age 0-3), picture story books - pictures balanced by blocks of text (age 3-8), early readers and first chapter books are written for similar ages, but have different formats (5 to 9), middle grade (8-12), YA (12 up). Early readers and first chapter books were probably the most strictly regulated. So my Book I above was slanted towards 7 to 9 or lower middle grade/first chapter book. But Book II is more 10-13. |
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Post by r.elena.t on Mar 30, 2014 11:39:32 GMT -5
Anyway, looking back onto that fizzled novel I think my problem was that I'm a children's writer, and I was trying very hard not to be. My writing voice just seems to flow better when I write junior fiction. Generally I don't even like to read adult or YA books, that was a pretty huge clue for me. Write what you love, read what you love Yup, definitely works best to write & read what we love. Now that those of us in the USA are out from under the heavy, silencing weight of the big pub houses, I think we should use whatever voice & language flows best for the story & then worry about how to market it. So many kids can read & understand above their supposed grade level. Why did you want to try a non-kid voice? Did the story seem to want it or were you trying to write outside your comfort zone for some other reason? I don't read adult fiction any more. I used to read adult SF&F, as well as middle grade & YA, but now generally stick to middle grade and under. I do still read a little YA, but most of the plots no longer interest me - too much angsty romance set in one genre or another. I also read & write adult creative non-fiction. Mostly memoir or personal/spiritual journey lit. |
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Post by Hayley on Apr 2, 2014 9:33:12 GMT -5
This is what turns me away from YA, that and I can't seem to relate to teenage stories even though I have no trouble with children's.
I can't really say any one reason why I tried to write for a different age. I guess a part of me thought I'd be more respected for writing an adult fiction rather than a children's fiction but that crazy notion is more from my lack of confidence than a reflection of what writing is actually like. Now I just write with the flow.. when it comes.
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Post by r.elena.t on Apr 2, 2014 11:23:29 GMT -5
part of me thought I'd be more respected for writing an adult fiction rather than a children's fiction but that crazy notion is more from my lack of confidence than a reflection of what writing is actually like. Now I just write with the flow.. when it comes. I've struggled with that imagined respect thing, too... mostly in whether my plots are, I don't know, "enough," somehow. I read Sharon Creech's "Pleasing the Ghost" last night. It was very freeing & reassuring. Definitely lower middle grade/first chapter book level. Simple plot with simple problems simply solved (much more simple than her famous books). The book I'm writing now may seem YA. The MC is 13, but two, major secondary characters are 18-19. Still, I think it's more of a middle grade plot & definitely middle grade voice. Kids do tend to like reading about characters a little older than themselves. I just realized that I write either adult or children's and have taught only adults or children for the last 20+ years. No high school. No traditional age college students. My new job is training traditional undergrads, so I'm a little anxious to be working with that age group again. |
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): board books - pictures, no words - and picture books - primarily pictures, some words (age 0-3), picture story books - pictures balanced by blocks of text (age 3-8), early readers and first chapter books are written for similar ages, but have different formats (5 to 9), middle grade (8-12), YA (12 up). Early readers and first chapter books were probably the most strictly regulated.
Now, where did I leave off at?
My latest edition of Straight From Thecliff Chamber