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| Photo credit? Emma @ vanillasplash on Flickr |
This is by no means an exhaustive list of all the similarities and differences between the two categories, but I like to think it's a start. . And we hope useful for those who have difficulty in differentiating between the two
Both YA & NA:
- Young characters [ YA tends to introduce the main characters aged 14-17 while NA tends to have older players in 18 mi twentiesish. These are not set in stone of course, but the point is, both feature relatively young characters.
- Voice is king. This is one of the main reasons why I so love YA NA and voice that you find in these categories are fantastic. For real, really and honestly, the voice is so incredibly important and YA NA, and some of the best voices I've ever met came from YA lit and NA
And because I sense as recommending some wonderful voice, I recommend YA Shatter me series by Tahereh Mafi for NA and I highly recommend super Only the Good Die Young by KK Hendin. Both have incredibly impressive voice that I love. - rapid pace. explanation, and yet another reason why I love YA NA and novels.
- Language. Guess what? Some teens swear and swear some new adults. Cursing is also acceptable YA NA and, although I've noticed sometimes tends to be more common in the NA curse if it is the voice of the character POV. Anyway, the curse is allowed.
- Sex. Yes, both YA novels and NA are allowed to have sex. The main differentiating factor is how graphic sex scenes are said to be authorized, which is explained below
YA :.
- Still dependent. characters in YA novels are minors, so almost always still dependent on someone. It could be their parents, a guardian of some sort, the government, etc., but they are usually not at a stage in life when they have full independence.
- Coming of Age. YA novels coming of age novels. They are on the terrifying survivors, confused years of being a teenager and begin to learn who they are.
- Reflecting on this. I think I saw Agent Sarah LaPolla say this on Twitter there a while, and I must say that I agree completely. YA protagonists are very focused on how they feel today now , how their lives are now , what their relationships are like now , etc. They 're not usually think about the future, they just want to get through this.
- teenage audience. it is true that many many many adults read YA, ultimately the target audience for YA is indeed adolescents.
- emotional stress in intimate scenes. As I said above, sex is completely accepted in YA-difference, rather than focusing on the graphic physical details of intimacy, YA tends to blur and focus on the emotional aspect. How this is handled varies greatly in Cruel Beauty , for example, kissing and sex is mentioned very briefly and barely described at all. In Unravel Me and Ignite Me , on the other hand, there is much more physical description which then moves to more introspection that the scenes become more heated.
NA :.
- independent Characters in the novels of NA often finally independent. Or trying to be independent at least. They are off to college, leaving home for the first time or something, these characters try to embrace independence while juggling all these other new-ish adult experiences.
- adult responsibilities. New adults face adult responsibilities for the first time, either to pay bills, take care of children entering adult roles like or simply trying to understand how to deal with be treated as an adult when they do not but feel like adults, responsibilities are there and they can not depend on someone else to take care of them anymore.
- physical and emotional stress in intimate scenes. Unlike yA, the characters in the novels of NA are very aware of how certain situations or characters they feel physically. They know when they are excited, for example, and they are not afraid to say it, but the focus is not 100% natural, because there are emotional aspects to consider as well.
When writing fiction NA, you can remove the hide so to speak you often see in YA it is perfectly acceptable for the sex scenes in NA be explicit. This link back to this example for awareness when making scenes are not fully focused on the emotional aspect, but how they feel physically as well, the scenes naturally become more graphic.
That said, this does not mean that there must be sexual intercourse. Sex is not and never will be a requirement for the novels of NA, and fade to black if that's what you're comfortable with, is just as acceptable as in YA NA and adults. You just have the opportunity to write the explicit sex if that's what you want, unlike YA. :) - Looking ahead NA protagonists have their eyes on the future, either by trying to find a lasting relationship, consider installing, trying to understanding career. management or something else, the new adults are realizing that this is important, but they need to understand how to survive in the future too.
- adult audience. Although I'm sure there are teenagers who will inevitably pick NA novels, the main target audience for NA are adults.
- What it means to be an adult? This is the great issue in NA. NA-aged protagonists are now officially adults, the world sees them as adults and everyone says they are an adult, but they do not really feel like that. They are trying to manage everyone throws at them all at the same time trying to understand what being an adult means, more precisely, what role they enter the adult world.
What similarities and differences do you think between NA and YA novels?
Twitter sized bites:
Confused about the difference between NA and YA novels? Writer @Ava_Jae down here. (Click for tweeter)
Unsure how NA & YA novels differ? Writer @Ava_Jae shares some similarities and differences (hint: it is not enough for sex). (Click for tweeter)
