This week: Urban YA: Not Always in First Person Edited by: NaNoNette  
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Will looked as they approached, and his face softened when he saw Tessa, and behind her, Cordelia. In him, Cordelia could see a bit of what James would become when he was grown.
His shoes were black and shiny.
Both sentences above are from: Chain of Gold by Cassandra Clare. |
| ASIN: B083RZJVJ8 |
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Urban YA: Not Always in First Person
In a recent discussion on the Newsfeed, I read that a fellow writer here was told by a publisher that the suggested YA novel was not suitable for the American market. Without giving too much detail, the list of objectionable topics appeared strangely narrow-minded for a YA fantasy publisher.
Another member said that what the publisher says goes. If the publisher doesn't like it, then the novel needs to change. I can think of better solutions to this kind of issue. Either the publisher has to change their submission guidelines or the author has to find a different publisher.
According to many reviewers here on the site, there are a host of things that are absolutely forbidden in fiction writing. Among them are:
 Third person omniscient point of view
Author filtering
Adjectives and adverbs
Simple sentences
There are more, but these are the ones that show up the most often in reviews. I am not going to discuss why these blanket bits of critique are wrong, but instead show that all points of view, seeing through a character's eyes, embellishing text with plenty of descriptive adjectives, and all of it presented in simple sentences is not only "okay" but outright embraced by the adoring masses.
Will looked as they approached, and his face softened when he saw Tessa, and behind her, Cordelia. In him, Cordelia could see a bit of what James would become when he was grown.
His shoes were black and shiny.
Both sentences above are from: Cassandra Clare. Chain of Gold. 2020.
Young Adult Urban Fantasy author Cassandra Clare is a New York Times bestselling author with over 50 million books in print. Simon and Schuster, one of the few big publishing houses, has been selling her books since March 2007. Open up any of her many books on just about any page, and even a cursory glance over half a page will show that her writing would score about 2-3 stars on Writing.Com. On the other hand, those who paid good money for her books usually rank her books at about 4.7 stars across tens of thousands of reviews.
Similar to Stephen King, who called himself a "prole" compared to literary authors, Cassandra Clare writes the stories she wants to tell in the exact way that she wants to tell them. (Stephen King. On Writing. 2020. Page 11.)
Fantasy authors: The things you should be worried about are whether your magic systems hold up. Whether you're keeping the character names straight (and pronounceable). Most of all if your plot and storyline are roping the readers in.
Fantasy readers and reviewers: Review the story. Trust that an author who puts writing here on the site for review has found their voice. It's not your job to read like a literary agent (or what you think a literary agent is). If you're going to review, read the story for itself. Enjoy the journey that is presented.
In truth, the only mistake a writer can make is to not write.
Which point of view is your favorite to write and read in fantasy? |
| | | Listening (E)
Rose learns how others can hear, but often don't know how to listen.
#2299481 by Dragonfly  |
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#2299368 by Not Available. |
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#2298559 by Not Available. |
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Replies to my last Fantasy newsletter "The Barbarian" that asked Who is your favorite barbarian? Have you created one?
Beholden  wrote: I guess the answer has to be the Gabbler. He has a whole book to himself but there are a couple of short stories about him that I have in my portfolio. Here's one of them: "The Box"
Neat! I listed it in my Editor's Picks. I hope you get some good reviews.
BIG BAD WOLF is Howling  wrote: Depending upon their background, a Barbarian might actually be highly Charismatic, Intelligent, and Wise. They might also be the one keeping the Bard from seducing everyone else, stopping the Wizard from throwing fireballs, and preventing the Rogue from stealing everything.
Ha! I love that list of characters who try and thwart the Barbarian. |
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Fantasy: July 19, 2023 Issue [#12069]
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