Is it just me, or are the stakes going up in YA literature?
I have a fun new WIP. It’s a YA urban fantasy. It’s also the first thing I’ve ever written chronologically. But, here’s the thing…
I don’t write with an outline, so I generally don’t know where my novels are going until they get there. With this one, I’m 45k words into what will probably be a 75-80k word novel, and I can start to see where it’s headed. I love it. But I can’t help wondering if the stakes are high enough, because they're not the fate of the world.
Think of
Twilight. The only true stakes in that series were whether Edward would turn Bella.
Bella was the stakes.
Now, think of the next “big” series:
The Hunger Games. Though the story still revolves around one girl, the stakes are much higher than just the fate of Katniss. An entire society is at risk. It seems in many of the popular series these days, there is the fate of, at minimum, groups of people at stake, and sometimes the world. In my
Personal Demons series, Frannie’s decisions will impact the shape of Heaven and Hell, and therefore, Earth. High stakes.
I know this varies by sub-genre. Contemporary YA lit is obviously based in reality, where the stakes, realistically, are usually only one person or family. But in the fantasy, dystopian and science fiction sub-genres, is more expected?
So, my question to you: How big do the stakes need to be in YA books to keep teens interested? Is it a different standard for adult books?
Think of Twilight. The only true stakes in that series were whether Edward would turn Bella. Bella was the stakes.
I don't know if that's something that really matters, to be honest. Even when the stakes are relatively small (as in when only a couple of people or a family would really be effected), if we have enough of an emotional investment in those people, it will keep us reading. I trust that, no matter how high the stakes are in this WIP, you can build enough of a connection with the readers and characters to keep them coming back.
ReplyDeleteThat's interesting Lisa. I've never really thought about it. I guess for me it doesn't really matter how big the stakes are, what matters more is how invested I am in the characters and the story itself. If the author is able to make me care about the characters then of course I'm going to care about the outcome of the story no matter how big or small that outcome is.
ReplyDeleteSure it can be exciting or suspenseful if the fate of the entire world is hanging in the balance but I can still feel that same excitment or suspense if it's not the entire world being affected but just the individual world of a character that I've grow to love and appreciate.
LOL - you know I was just thinking the same thing! I notice it in my own work. I'm well into my new WIP and I'm actually a little tired of the whole save the world stakes. I still love it, but I'm thinking the next one I might ratchet it down a notch!
ReplyDeleteI've given this a lot of thought recently, because the one bit of feedback I keep getting from agents that request my manuscript is that, "there isn't enough at stake." It is contemp. YA, and as you mentioned above, the stakes are based around just a few people- and are more "realistic" stakes- no end of the world stuff. I have thought long and hard about upping the ante a bit, but honestly, as a reader- I enjoy just having good stories for the sake of them being good reads- rather than having to be on deaths doorstep, or the earth colliding with another planet or something in the mix. Not to say that I don't enjoy high-stakes books, but I like both, and I think that both have a place.
ReplyDeleteInteresting topic, I look forward to reading the responses that you get! :)
When I tried writing contemporary tha twas one of the big comments I got was, "What's at stake?" If it was someone's personal struggle it doesn't seem like that's enough anymore...readers I guess want the whole shebang. I still go ga-ga for Sarah Dessen's swoon worth novels, but I do enjoy novels such as Personal Demons that have more at stake. If someone fails it's going to affect a WHOLE lote of people.
ReplyDeleteAnd in Science Fiction I just want alien battles...that's all I need.
I think as long as you make the stakes matter to the reader, you'll be fine. I mean, that was why Twilight was so popular, right? People cared about the characters. Of course, I can't write contemporary YA because I don't think I can make the reader care about the story, when I probably wouldn't be very enthused writing it.
ReplyDeleteJust write with the same passion you had for Personal Demons, and you'll be fine. I have faith!
I think its all in execution. The stakes have to matter and whether or not they are as seemingly trivial as "does he like me" or as epic as "the fate of the world is in my hands" its all about whether or not I believe the stakes are real. I was just as invested in the stakes of Anna and the French Kiss as I was in Harry Potter. If its poorly done, the world can literally be ending and I won't care. Also I think it depends on the mood you're in--sometimes you want epic and sometimes you don't:-)
ReplyDeleteI agree at least for me, I never thought about whats at stake as to how well I can connect to the characters. If I feel what they are feeling and whatever their drama is then I can usually can connect to the story no matter what is happening.
ReplyDeleteThis is a really interesting question to raise and not one I had really thought of before. I think in contemporary novels, the stakes don't matter. What I mean by that is that it doesn't have to be the fate of the world, the stakes could be limited to the immediate family unit as long as we care about the characters.
ReplyDeleteThanks everyone! It's interesting that the common thread in comments is that readers have to care about the characters, which should mean character driven stories work if the characterization is good. There are some great character novels that haven't taken off, though, where more plot driven stories along the same lines have. So, secondary question: which is more important, plot or characters? Idealy, readers want both, but...
ReplyDeleteIn response to your question right above me: characters. If you have strong characters, they will create the plot themselves, such as your characters, Lisa. Frannie, Luc and Gabe are all very strong and when put together, can construct a story with a plot that is full of action. If you have a great plot, but weak characters, the novel will invariably suffer. Now, if you have both weak characters and a weak plot.... that's a different story.
ReplyDeleteIn response to your original post, I don't think stakes matter all that much. When I'm reading, I'm not focusing all that much on what's at stake, I'm focusing, as others have said, on the characters. If I hate the entire cast of a novel, I'm not giving two flyin' hoots what's at stake because I DON'T CARE. But, if I'm head over heels smitten with the characters, then of course I care what's at stake.
Here's my variation on what others have said: It's not just about whether the reader is invested in the characters (and, I'd add, their world -- especially in sci-fi/fantasy), but about how the character perceives the conflict. On the first level, then, the character has to believe that the stakes are high -- "If Joe Fontaine thinks badly of me, I will *die*!" (Lennie, of course, says it more eloquently); "If Panem triumphs, so will injustice"; etc. Even when the Absolute Total End of the World, according to our teen MC, is not what an adult would necessarily consider apocalypse material, we need to have reason to understand why the MC sees it as such. On the second level, the reader must be convinced that the stakes are high as well: Joe Fontaine - mega swoon, and good with Lennie; Panem, obviously evil. A successful book manages to move back and forth seamlessly between these two levels of engagement with the stakes.
ReplyDeleteGosh, I didn't mean that to come across as so programmatic!
As for your plot vs. characters question, Lisa, I think it is largely a question of genre. Also, Hannah had an interesting take on this question a while back, in terms of differences in the scope of conflict in YA and MG.
Thanks for the comments!
ReplyDeleteSarah--Leave it to my fab agent sister to answer my question before I even knew I wanted to ask it =)
All I can say is, Suzie knows how to pick them. :)
ReplyDeleteIt's not the stakes - it's how much we care about the people involved.
ReplyDelete