Rated YA-MA discussion
Group Business
>
Genre Definitions, Commonly Used Terms & Abbreviations, Site Resources, etc.
date
newest »
newest »
message 2:
by
Stacia (the 2010 club), groupaholic, YA-MA founder
(last edited Apr 26, 2013 06:00PM)
(new)
Science Fiction : Includes Dystopia/Utopia, Post-Apocalyptic, Space, & Technology. May sometime include Steampunk, Alternate Worlds (i.e alternate universes), and Super-Powers (i.e superheroes).
Fantasy : Also known as high fantasy, epic fantasy and traditional fantasy. Generally takes place in an alternate world (i.e. Lord of the Rings) or alternate history of our modern day world. Magic and mythical races (i.e. dragons or elves) are the key building blocks for the genre, although it is not a requirement to have to use both together. While Steampunk is generally classified under science fiction, it is in some cases classified as fantasy, depending on the world definition. Fantasy rarely takes place in today's modern world, but there are a few exceptions made when the magical system leans more toward fantasy & ancient lore than paranormal (i.e. Percy Jackson).
UF & Paranormal Romance : A more difficult folder to define, based on constant changes within the genres.
Urban Fantasy (UF), Adult style - UF was originally created as "fantasy for the modern-day world." The term Urban reflected a city setting, as most original UF series were set in cities. As the times have changed, UF has broadened into a genre which includes multiple settings, urban or otherwise.
There are three things which generally line up with Adult Urban Fantasy :
1. It is told in first person perspective.
2. It takes place in today's world (even if other worlds are brought into play).
3. It will display either a magic based system or include alternate races (fae, shifters, vamps, etc.), although it can feature both options.
4. Romance is not mandatory, although if there is a romance, it will generally feature one couple's (or a love triangle) journey over several books. There is no guarantee of a happy ending, although rarely do UF series end without some sort of resolution.
Urban Fantasy (UF), YA style - Urban Fantasy in YA does not follow the same rules as it does for mainstream adult UF. Location, perspective, one vs. multiple couples, etc. can all be altered. The only thing which makes a YA book UF instead of Parnormal Romance is the importance of action/adventure and the bigger picture in general playing an equal role to romance. The Vampire Academy series is an example of a YA UF series.
Paranormal Romance (PNR), Adult style - PNR is similar to UF, with a much stronger focus on romance. Instead of one couple having a series to themselves, each book in a series will feature a separate couple. PNR is almost always told in third person perspective, instead of UF's leaning toward first person. A happy-ever-after (HEA) is a requirement.
Paranormal Romance (PNR), YA style - Most YA (non-horror) paranormal books fall into this category. Similar to YA UF, it does not have to follow a pattern for location, perspective, etc.
The three elements which make a YA book paranormal romance are :
1. Most of the story takes place in our modern day world.
2. There are paranormal elements.
3. Romance has a strong presence.
Historical Fiction : There are multiple definitions for historical fiction, but for this group, we classify it as anything which takes place more than a few decades ago (pre-1970). Books featuring an element of magic or paranormal that are set in the past will often be placed in this category, since the setting and time often stand out as more of a major detail than the paranormal element itself.
Contemporary Fiction : These are books set in recent or modern times not featuring a fantastical element. This folder will be shared by regular contemporary fiction and contemporary romance. Magical realism (contemporary books featuring a very slight magical addition or side details) will also be filed under this category.
Other Books & Magazines : This is the folder for non-fiction, manga & graphic novels, adult books which appeal to YA readers, extra book categories & lists we want to discuss, and single books & series which members want to discuss but are not well-known enough to carry a presence in the other folders. This is the catch-all folder for anything that won't fit into the main folder.
message 3:
by
Stacia (the 2010 club), groupaholic, YA-MA founder
(last edited Apr 26, 2013 02:49PM)
(new)
A variation of genres, sub-genres, categories and classifications which will be consolidated together and filed under our main genre folders.
Dystopia/Utopia :
Post-Apocalyptic :
Steampunk :
Space Sci-Fi, Space Opera, and Extra-Terrestrial :
Technology, Virtual Reality, & Artificial Intelligence :
Alternate Universe :
Alternate History :
Mystery/Thriller :
Horror :
Non-Fiction :
Magic Realism :
Chick Lit :
Humor :
message 4:
by
Stacia (the 2010 club), groupaholic, YA-MA founder
(last edited Apr 26, 2013 03:16PM)
(new)
MG/YA/NA are often called genres, but are not (an example of a genre would be science fiction, historical, paranormal, etc.).
MG/YA/NA are actually age classifications used to determine reading level and content. Common age classifications would be childrens, middle grade, young adult, new adult and adult.
Middle Grade (MG) : Often thought of as books for "pre-teens" or "tweens," middle grade is more accurately the range of books marketed to younger YA readers, i.e. middle school/jr. high. This range of books bridges the gap between the simplicity of children's books and the often more mature theme of Young Adult/High School books. Popular MG book examples might include Percy Jackson, or even the earliest Harry Potter books. Content has no graphic sex and very little to no swearing.
Young Adult (YA) : High school age range. This is the majority of the books shelved at YA-MA. Content level is varied. One book might have no sex/violence/swearing, while the next book might feature any or all of these things.
New Adult (NA) : Also classified as Mature YA. These are books featuring characters who are fresh out of high school and facing the dilemmas of life as a new adult (think college or new career), the most common age range being between 18 and 22. Some people will classify NA up to age 24, but the age of 23/24 is generally shelved as adult in many bookstores. As of right now, most NA books are contemporary romance (with more graphic content than YA), although other genres are starting to creep in with a few books here and there.
message 5:
by
Stacia (the 2010 club), groupaholic, YA-MA founder
(last edited Jun 09, 2013 10:52PM)
(new)
Abbreviations and terms that you might run across on GR.
BOTM : Book of the Month.
Cliffy/Cliffhanger : A book is ended at a place where it leaves you hanging, giving you the urge to want to know what is going to happen next.
DNF : Did Not Finish.
Facepalm : A motion you make when you're frustrated with character idiocy.
The next two are swearing, so I'll hide them for those who are not fans.
(view spoiler)
HEA : Happily Ever After.
Headdesk : To want to bang your head on the desk, generally because a book character is acting like an idiot.
HFN : Happy For Now. i.e. people are currently in a good place with no real detail of the greater future implied.
SMH : Shaking My Head.
TSTL : Too Stupid to Live (often refers to heroines who forget to think while in the presence of hot guys).
message 6:
by
Stacia (the 2010 club), groupaholic, YA-MA founder
(last edited Jan 14, 2014 11:35AM)
(new)
Thanks to our members who have let us know about these great sites!
Did you happen to forget what the last book in the series you're reading was about and want to get caught up before you read the next book? Check out Recaptains.
Want to be kept up-to-date with the latest books coming to the big or small screen? Check out Page to Premiere.
Looking for ebook deals & freebies? Check out our eBook deals & Freebies topic. (the first post has links to sites where you can go and do your own searches)
message 7:
by
Stacia (the 2010 club), groupaholic, YA-MA founder
(last edited Apr 26, 2013 03:10PM)
(new)
*reserved*Genre folder definitions are up. Other categories in progress.
If anyone has a commonly used book term or abbreviation that they think I should add to the list, go ahead and post it.
DNF- Did not finishBOTM- Book of the month
Good ones, I'll add them. :)
It took me a little while to figure out DNF, I kept seeing it randomly and couldn't figure it out until someone spelled it out for me. I felt like a bit of a ditz.
Cliffy or cliffhanger and HFN (Happy For Now)? If I understand correctly, the latter is meant to describe the ending of a book that's part of a series (not the last book) but instead of a cliffhanger (suspenseful), it ends in a good stopping point - one where the reader does not feel the need to hurl the book out of frustration.
HFN can also be a series ender as well, if a happy for the moment ending is implied without knowing if there will be a long-term happy ending (i.e. couple starts dating at the end of a book).I'll go ahead and add those. Thanks.
message 14:
by
Stacia (the 2010 club), groupaholic, YA-MA founder
(last edited Oct 14, 2013 10:02AM)
(new)
I'm not going to delete the post at this time, but any further questions need to be asked in the author promotions topic if they are going to be directly related to your specific book or movie's research. Thank you.*edit* deleted Peter's post after seeing that he made no further posts in group, so it was most likely self-promotion.
Do Indie and the Big Six Publishers count?Indie: Independently/Self Publishing
Big Six: The most popular publishers- Simon and Schuster, HarperCollins, Random House, Macmillan, The Penguin Group, and Hachette
Post 2 : Main Genres
Post 3 : Sub-Categories/Genres
Post 4 : MG/YA/NA Distinctions
Post 5 : Commonly Used Abbreviations/Terms
Post 6 : Extras and Sites of Interest