What Would You Like to See More/Less of in YA?

[Casey]

True, all good comments. I dislike it if, as Stacia said you miss an important plot point if you don't read it. Sometimes i dont' find out about them until I've already read past that point.
Also, I dislike them if they are bad. For example , the writing was not the same style as the rest of the series at all. And I found the novella very unenjoyable. Yet I feel like i'm missing out by not reading them.

[Sammy]

I don't like it when the female protagonist, having proved she is capable and decent, suddenly falls into love-sick little girl mode whenever the 'hot male' appears. It's worse than just a weak character, because in other situations not involving this male character the author clearly shows they are capable of writing a decent character but they then throw it all away for the sake of author-self-indulgence in romance.

[Lynn Blackmar]

Sadly, there are authors writing much of these, but publishers just aren't picking them up. I've read a bunch of great unpublished stuff on some of the writers' sites I am on.

I would like:
-more diverse main characters
-smart, mouthy main characters
-less uber anti-Sues (super tragic back stories)
-more male POVs
-techy sci fi

[Stacia (the 2010 club), groupaholic, YA-MA founder]

I am always for more male PoV's.

There are still an ample amount of male PoV's in sci-fi and high fantasy at least.

UF/paranormal and realistic don't get as many, although there are some. We have a male PoV topic in our other books folder which people are welcome to add more books to, in order to keep us up to date on what's new.

[Jenny]

Male POVs don't require male writers, though the abundance of female POV is probably relative to the fact that most YA writers are female. There are plenty of books written by women with great male POVs and vice versa.

[Kelley]

Despite the higher number of female authors than ever before, high fantasy is still concerned primarily with the doings of male characters. Urban fantasy, on the other hand, skews female.

This is frustrating for me, because I vastly prefer high and/or historical fantasy to urban fantasy. Urban fantasy in general is too cookie-cutter gritty and noirish for my taste. The situations seem awfully similar. Even the covers all tend to look the same.

Male POVs are all well and good, as long as it doesn't mean that female characters are sidelined. I gravitate towards books in which male AND female characters are given important roles to play and things to do. If characters of one gender or the other are left undeveloped -- either ignored or idealized -- that's a turn-off for me.

I'd like to see more YA books with cross-gender appeal.
I'd like to see more classic fantasy settings; more adventure, less high-school angst.
I'd like to see more focus on non-sexual relationships between male and female characters (comrades-in-arms, or brother-sister), and female characters involved in more plots that are NOT driven exclusively or primarily by romance. (I know I've made the latter point before, but I'm going to keep making it in order to be heard by as many people as possible.)

[Sammy]

Kelley wrote: "Despite the higher number of female authors than ever before, high fantasy is still concerned primarily with the doings of male characters. Urban fantasy, on the other hand, skews female.

This is ..."

You might like Alison Croggon's Books of Pellinor (The Gift/ The Naming, The Riddle, The Crow, The Singing); this is epic fantasy with a female protagonist and it has a great deal to offer.

[Kelley]

Those books are exactly the kind of thing I'm interested in seeing more of, Sam. It's a wonderful series.

[Sammy]

Kelley wrote: "Those books are exactly the kind of thing I'm interested in seeing more of, Sam. It's a wonderful series."

It is. A shame there's nothing really similar out there...

[[deleted user]]

More ya books :-)

[Amber]

I'd like to see more unconventional contemporary romances, like books with tragic twists, like The Fault in Our Stars.

[Amber]

Diane wrote: "I would like to see a more even mix of male protagonists. It seems mostly female dominated to me and most males serve the purpose of "love interest". I would also like fewer love triangles - it is ..."

The love triangle thing drives me nuts. It's too predictable. She's either going to end up with this guy or this guy. And it doesn't matter to me what happens to lead up to that moment of choice.

[Amber]

Nick wrote: "MORE SCIENCE FICTION!

LESS DYSTOPIA!

Sorry. I'll stop screaming and get off the soapbox. ;)"

They're really isn't enough YA science fiction. But I did find one YA sci-fi I liked. It's this book: Matter of Resistance by Raymond Vogel

[William]

Really like this topic I am writing YA novel myself set in a science fiction universe. Have gotten an idea of what people like and what they want see more of.

Seems like everyone wants to see more sci fi, male protagonists (thankfully my protagonist is male lol) and less romance (which my character does have a strong friendship with a female alien who look out for one and another).

But yes this topic has helped me decipher what people want to see and what they dont want to see :).

Finally keep up the good work in this group!

[Kalena]

I am getting really tired of the paranormal books that are coming out they all seem to have about the same plot as Twilight. Girl/boy meets supernatural boy/girl and they are soooo awesome. There is always another supernatural character who is also in love with the main character and at some point they are conflicted on who to be with. someone is always trying to kill the main character. You catch my drift. I used to always love a good supernatural book especially vampires but I did not like Twilight much and I feel that its pretty much ruined the genre because everyone is trying to reach Stephanie Meyers success. I would like to see more YA dystopian novels I can't get enough of them :)

[Tammie]

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