Why YA?

A few weeks ago, I wrote this post about the Dark Side of YA. Since then, I’ve been asked why I write YA if the community is so toxic. I’ll address that now. The Short answer to this issue is: The community isn’t really toxic, it’s a very vocal minority of its members that give us that reputation. For the most part, the readers and writers of YA fiction are wonderful people, and I’m happy to be among them.

The explanation for my choice of genre and intended audience goes much deeper than this, though, so here’s the three big reasons why I write speculative YA fiction.

1. I like speculative YA.

This is probably the most important reason. I’ve always enjoyed reading YA sci-fi and YA fantasy. Characters who are put into extreme circumstances just as they are coming into adulthood are interesting to me. At this point, most people ask, “But Sal, aren’t you a little old for YA?” Well, yes and no. I’m not in the intended audience of most YA stories, but I still enjoy reading and writing them, so I do.

Insider writer tip: Even though I read YA sci-fi and fantasy, it’s important to read other things too. You can’t just read in the genre that you write if you want to grow your own unique voice.

2. Some of the most talented writers I know of write YA.

I’d like to be among the best writers. I know that determining who’s the best and who isn’t is largely a matter of opinion, and can be a like comparing apples to oranges because of the difference in writing style, but I’ll at least say that there are extremely good writers writing YA right now. We can agree on that, right? I’ve heard some people argue that it only seems that way because the writing style is easier, but that’s not necessarily true. Yes, YA is often written in a simple style, but so is a lot of adult fiction. I’ve found that many YA authors have become quite good at keeping things simple, and sprinkling in little tidbits of fantastic creativity. That’s a hard balance to master if you don’t want your creative sentences to stick out like a sore thumb.

3. It’s important to encourage young adults to read.

I think this is more important now than it has ever been before. In today’s world, there are so many new forms of entertainment, but nothing engages a developing mind like reading does. While video games, TV, and movies have their place, reading is still one of the most effective ways to expand imagination. When I consider which audiences I really want to reach the most, teens and young adults always top that list. I want to provide creative stories to those who need them most.

It’s not a complicated list, but it really all boils down to those three reasons. What do you think? Is speculative YA an important genre? Chime in in the comments!