Junior Varsity

[bi_janus]

A nice piece on how, with the help of David Levithan, a novelist became a Young Adult novelist.

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/10/28/junior-varsity-is-where-the-work-gets-done/

[Merkin]

A very insightful piece, with lots of important advice. An example:

...if there is one truism of successful Y.A., it’s that the book’s unrelenting emphasis must be on character and event, and not the brilliance of the author’s viewpoint. ... what Y.A. novels value above all else is storytelling. It took me even longer to realize that that needn’t lessen a book’s complexity — it just prioritizes the reader’s experience.

[Cole Parker]

These were the quotes that rung true to me:

Under the current rules, Y.A. literature doesn’t have official limits as far as appropriateness and tone. Instead, if there is one truism of successful Y.A., it’s that the book’s unrelenting emphasis must be on character and event, and not the brilliance of the author’s viewpoint.

It’s not that the Y.A. books are any simpler (than adult books). They’re just more pleasurable.

[The Pecman]

Very good piece, and I agree with much of what the author says.