Who the reader is
This reader is generally in Key Stage 4 and 5 in the British
school system. They are aged roughly
14-17. They are post-puberty and fully functioning sexually. They may or may not
be sexually active.
They do have problems with their brain and tend to reason
with their emotions as the frontal lobes, the area of reason and common sense,
are the last to develop fully.
They have more dopamine in the brain than the adult or the
child, so they tend to take bigger risks to get thrills – “joy riding” is such
an apt expression for those young people who steal killer machines and ride off
into the night.
They will have some involvement with the drug world –
curiosity, experimentation, addiction – escapism or risk-taking
Melatonin, the sleep-inducing chemical, arrives later so the
young adult goes to bed later.
There is a rapid growing and cutting back of synpases. If you don’t use it, lose it. This is perhaps represented in Philip Pullman’s
Dark Materials where the adolescents’
daemons change rapidly. They need as much sleep as a toddler in order to process
all of this. Because of the late arrival of the melatonin, and the late hour at
which they go to sleep, though their days still start at the same time as they do
for adults, they are deprived of dreams and sleep at a time when they need more
sleep
They suffer from mood swings, confidence
swings and unjustified depression. There is a lot going on so they become self-obsessed.
They still want to order their
universe, just like the younger teens, but this is more complicated than they
thought earlier. They are seeking their identity – the world has changed.
Nicola Morgan has written the
book Blame My Brain which discusses
all of this in more detail. She gives a student and teacher- friendly version
of the research conducted by Jay Giedd and Robert McGivern.
What the books look like
The protagonists and other characters look like their
readers, though possibly they are about two years older. So, more stable adults will act like young
adults. For this to seem believable we have to have very high stakes.
The books are often multi-genred
and multi-themed. We can call these genres
and themes “traits”. The average number of “traits” in a YA books is 8.9. This
would be a nightmare for publishers or book-sellers. But for YA it is simple: the
text is defined by its reader not by its genre or theme.
High emotions are involved. There is an emotional closeness
between the narrator and the reader. A first person immediate narrative is
often used. The voice is often one of a best mate telling a story that (s(he)
has yet to rationalise.
The pace is fast.
The reader has control of the story. S(he) often decides what
has actually happened at the end and how the future might pan out. The reader
is often also left to decide what is happening within the story itself.
The YA text frequently pushes
boundaries. Educationalist are pleased that young people are reading so they accept
edgier texts. This renders those texts less acceptable to the young adult. Writers
then have to produce even edgier texts. There are also some chicklet-lit texts
(like Chick-Lit but for a slightly younger readers and often a little more
serious). Some texts resemble adult or
children's novels. Books read for GCSE and A-Level are often labelled as “YA” by
book sellers.
The young adult is almost always
a Bildungsroman, often to do with identity and often following an epic voyage.
We see the growth of the young person.
There is a narrative dilemma.
Emotional closeness slows the pace. However, if the stakes are high, pace and
tension are achieved thought the emotional response to them.
We can even adapt the Campbell,
Propp, Vogler joint story theory to be a story of adolescence.
The Story of Adolescence
Joseph Campbell, Vladimir Propp and Christopher Vogler
·
Ordinary
World (V) Childhood
·
Call
to Adventure (P) Invitation to become adult through the onset of puberty.
·
Refusal
of the Call (P) The adolescent sometimes wishes to continue to behave like a
child.
·
Meeting
with the Mentor (V) Supernatural Aid (C) trusting other authorities from
childhood which had parents and school. The trappings of teenage life –
clothes, make-up, music, and possibly also drugs and alcohol give supernatural
help.
·
Crossing
the First Threshold (P) Going through
puberty.
·
The
Belly of the Whale (C) Trials, Allies, Enemies (V) The Road of Trials (C) The ups and downs of becoming an adult,
changes in the brain, hormones going mad, and could the belly of the whale be
the typical teenager’s bedroom?
·
The
Meeting with the Goddess (C ) The seduction by the opposite sex, or same sex
role models put upon a pedestal – idol worship / footballers / pop stars
·
Woman
as Temptress ( C ) Sexual experimentation
·
Approach
to the Inmost Cave (V) Going deep into oneself to find true identity.
·
Ordeal
(V) The struggle to find one’s own truth.
·
Atonement
with the Father (C) Reconciliation with the old way of life and the essence of
the personality.
·
Apotheosis
(C) Emergence of a beautiful new adult.
·
The
Ultimate Boon (C) Reward (V) Finding a role in life.
·
Refusal
of the Return (C) Denial of roots.
·
The
Magic Flight (C) Reaching out to those roots with the new adult knowledge.
·
Rescue
from without (C) Facing the realities of the world.
·
The
Road Back (V) Reconciliation between the new and old orders. (Parents who had
seemed incredibly stupid when one was fourteen, now that one is seventeen seem
not too bad after all.)
·
Master
of Two Worlds (C) Resurrection (V) The new adult takes up the new position in
the world but still appreciates what has come before.
·
Freedom
to Live (C) Return with the Elixir (V) Self-esteem and self-knowledge.
·
Looking at a Young Adult text
What are the characters like?
- Post-puberty
2. Fully
functioning sexually.
3. May
or may not be sexually active.
4. Problems
with brain:
5. Reasons
with emotions
a. Frontal
lobes – area of reason- last to develop
b. More
dopamine - so needs to take bigger risks
to get thrills – “joy riding”
c. Melatonin
arrives later so goes to bed later
d. Rapid
growing and cutting back – if you don’t use it, lose it – think of Pullman’s
daemons
6. Mood
swings / confidence swings / unjustified depression.
7. A
lot going on so they become self-obsessed
8. Want
to order their universe – but this is more complicated than they thought
earlier.
9. Seeking
identity – the world has changed.
10. Deprived
of dreams and sleep at a time when they need more sleep.
11. Have
some involvement with the drug world – curiosity, experimentation, addiction –
escapism or risk-taking
The text?
1.
Multi-genred and multi-themed (traits)
2.
High emotions are involved
3.
Fast-paced
4.
Leaves control to reader – within story and at
end.
5.
Pushes boundaries – though may be Chicklet-lit
or resemble adult or children's novel
Bildungsroman – often to do with identity and often
following epic voyage – Campbell, Propp, Vogler joint theory as “Story of
Adolescence”
Find a scene that includes emotional closeness. How is this achieved?
• Inner
monologue
• Real
time
• Physical
description of emotional reactions
• Show
a range of powerful emotions
• Voice
– one young adult talking to another – though take care not to use too many
trendy words
• Use
of appropriate narrative styles – maybe journal, letter or email
• Lack
of logic
How much is the text showing and not telling? Has the writer
followed these rules?
• Use
real time
• Write
with senses
• Be
specific
• Create
a film for the reader
• Avoid
exposition
• Take
short cuts with description
• Make
characters speak
• Take
care with backstory – tell it in scenes or careful inner monologue
How does the dialogue work? Does it follow these rules?
• Must
always have a function – show character, sub-text, move plot forward, create
atmosphere or some or all of these
• Must
not be too natural BUT
• Must
be in the voice of the speaker
• Must
be carefully assigned:
– Often
no ‘said’ needed if only two people speaking BUT
– Needs
more assignation for young people
– Use
action instead of assignation
– Occasionally
‘whispered’, ‘shouted’ or ‘asked’ is fine
• MAKE
SURE YOU KNOW HOW TO SET IT OUT CORRECTLY if you are going to write for this
reader.
How has the narrative dilemma been solved?
• Emotional
closeness is best shown, not told.
• Showing
and not telling slows the pace.
• A
lot of dialogue slows the pace.
• Young
adults want fast pace and risk-taking
• Suggestions:
– Balance
of narrative techniques
– High
stakes
– Write
with senses to create film
How to do it
Think of your characters and your story.
Now write a scene that:
·
Brings the writer and the reader close together
·
Shows and doesn’t tell
·
Has some dialogue in it
·
Resolves the young adult narrative dilemma
Is your text working? Show it to someone and see what they
“get”.
Some books to study
Bertagna,
Julie.(2004) The Opposite of Chocolate. London:
Young Picador
Brooks, Kevin. (2014) Lucas. Frome: Chicken House
Burgess, Melvin. (2016) Junk first published 1996. London: Andersen
Burchill, Julie (2004) Sugar Rush. London: Macmillan Children’s
Books
Cann, Kate.
(2001) Breaking Up. London: The
Women’s Press
Chbosky,
Stephen. (1999) The Perks of Being a
Wallflower. New York: Simon and Shuster
Landy,
Derek. (2015) Demon Road. London:
HarperCollins
Weatherly, Lee.
(2013) Angel Fever. London:
Usborne
