I was having a chat with my critique partner the other day and we talked briefly about how it's hard to find books to read that are similar to our own stories because our stories are definitely not in the mainstream YA paranormal realm. Well, mine is just left of center when it comes to YA paranormal stories.
I said that this "left of center"-ness was a good thing, because the standards for the mainstream YA paranormal romance stories are horrendously low.
It seems to me that some people dress themselves up as authors, investigate the current trends, watch crappy ABC Family dramas and then write a book with the intent of selling. No passion, no creativity, just money.
As a blogger, I see a lot of books. I watch them much like a little kid watches people pass by a store window while she's stuck on the inside listening to her grandfather rant about rude customers. I watch, and take note of how some people have a very similar look to them. Even with a kid's naive eyes, I can see how a lot of people bought the same boots from the same store and they're toting them around thinking, I'm all that. They grin at each other because they're sticking out by being the same.
This really annoys me. Walking into a bookstore has become filled with feelings of euphoria and trepidation, because there is always that section where the books are ALL ABOUT VAMPIRES. Or ALL ABOUT ANGELS. Or WEREWOLVES. And you read the summaries only to discover THEY ARE ALL THE SAME.
Something I see a lot as a blogger is "forbidden romance". This concept has been done so many times, like the story of Robin Hood. Ever been on Netflix and looked up "Robin Hood"? There's probably a dozen or so different versions--from movies, to TV shows (BBC Robin Hood FTW), to animated kid's films. Robin Hood is a concept that is everlasting. People love the story, so filmmakers know that there can be money in it. Same thing with "forbidden romance" except it bears the same curse as Robin Hood. It's been done so many times...and horribly. It's come to the point where people are like, "Oh great, another Robin Hood movie. Let's go see how bad it is."
When I see a subtitle on a book that goes along the lines of "a romance that was cursed before it began" or "a deadly romance" etc., etc., I don't pick it up. I frankly don't want to know. I can only see so many different versions of Robin Hood before the allure starts to really wear off.
I want to see guy protagonists. Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl had a good idea and they did a great job even with a male protagonists. It's not that hard, but females are dominating. It's annoying. Because girls = dramadramadrama. Guys = charming stupidity. Think of all the successful stories told in a guy's point of view: Ethan from Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl, Sam from Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater, Han from The Demon King by Cinda Williams Chima, Eragon from Eragon by Christopher Paolini AND let us not forget the all-time wonder, Harry Potter from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by the ever-lovely J.K. Rowling.
It can be done, people.
I want to see hardships. I don't want to read a story where the main character gets rescued every time they get in a tough spot. I don't want to read about overdone plot devices, character arcs, and extra baggage. I want emotional turmoil. I want a character to be sent to hell and come out of it barely alive. Does this mean I want a gritty, depressing story? No, because depressing stories are not my thing. Think of The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater, Exile by Anne Osterlund, The DUFF by Kody Keplinger and Uncommon Criminals by Ally Carter. All of those are fun stories--fantastic stories: well written, excellently crafted, and have characters that get the short end of the stick.
I want to see reality. With a hint of surreal. Sure, we girls will turn to complete goo when a good-looking guy comes by. Do we instantly fall in love with him? No. Calm down. It's natural to be attracted, but fall in love? Focus the surreal aspect on something different, not the otherworldly-ness of the guy.
I want to see depth. THINK about your story. It's like doing a research paper--you want to take a LOT of notes because you never know how much you're going to need. AKA: You want to be prepared to add in tiny little details, because gosh darn it, that's where the devil is. The world of Harry Potter works so well because we have hundreds of little details given to us that make it come alive. So even if your story doesn't take place in a castle divided into four houses with Quidditch matches every few weeks, make us believe it.
If your story is set in Plainsville, Nowhere, make us see it. You don't have to craft the bakery in agonizing detail, but talking about how the staff at the bakery have a poker match every Friday after work. The details don't have to be relevant for you to put it in. We didn't have to know that Dumbledore set the curtains around his bed on fire in his fourth year but hey, it's funny.
I said that this "left of center"-ness was a good thing, because the standards for the mainstream YA paranormal romance stories are horrendously low.
It seems to me that some people dress themselves up as authors, investigate the current trends, watch crappy ABC Family dramas and then write a book with the intent of selling. No passion, no creativity, just money.
As a blogger, I see a lot of books. I watch them much like a little kid watches people pass by a store window while she's stuck on the inside listening to her grandfather rant about rude customers. I watch, and take note of how some people have a very similar look to them. Even with a kid's naive eyes, I can see how a lot of people bought the same boots from the same store and they're toting them around thinking, I'm all that. They grin at each other because they're sticking out by being the same.
This really annoys me. Walking into a bookstore has become filled with feelings of euphoria and trepidation, because there is always that section where the books are ALL ABOUT VAMPIRES. Or ALL ABOUT ANGELS. Or WEREWOLVES. And you read the summaries only to discover THEY ARE ALL THE SAME.
When I see a subtitle on a book that goes along the lines of "a romance that was cursed before it began" or "a deadly romance" etc., etc., I don't pick it up. I frankly don't want to know. I can only see so many different versions of Robin Hood before the allure starts to really wear off.
I want to see guy protagonists. Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl had a good idea and they did a great job even with a male protagonists. It's not that hard, but females are dominating. It's annoying. Because girls = dramadramadrama. Guys = charming stupidity. Think of all the successful stories told in a guy's point of view: Ethan from Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl, Sam from Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater, Han from The Demon King by Cinda Williams Chima, Eragon from Eragon by Christopher Paolini AND let us not forget the all-time wonder, Harry Potter from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by the ever-lovely J.K. Rowling.
It can be done, people.
I want to see hardships. I don't want to read a story where the main character gets rescued every time they get in a tough spot. I don't want to read about overdone plot devices, character arcs, and extra baggage. I want emotional turmoil. I want a character to be sent to hell and come out of it barely alive. Does this mean I want a gritty, depressing story? No, because depressing stories are not my thing. Think of The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater, Exile by Anne Osterlund, The DUFF by Kody Keplinger and Uncommon Criminals by Ally Carter. All of those are fun stories--fantastic stories: well written, excellently crafted, and have characters that get the short end of the stick.
I want to see reality. With a hint of surreal. Sure, we girls will turn to complete goo when a good-looking guy comes by. Do we instantly fall in love with him? No. Calm down. It's natural to be attracted, but fall in love? Focus the surreal aspect on something different, not the otherworldly-ness of the guy.
If your story is set in Plainsville, Nowhere, make us see it. You don't have to craft the bakery in agonizing detail, but talking about how the staff at the bakery have a poker match every Friday after work. The details don't have to be relevant for you to put it in. We didn't have to know that Dumbledore set the curtains around his bed on fire in his fourth year but hey, it's funny.
