Young adult novels —bringing characters to life

Writing realistic characters in young adult novels can be challenging to do when you’re no longer between the ages of 12 and 17.  It’s important for those awkward adolescent years to be brought to life in an authentic way if you want your book to be a success. 

Source: media.knoxnews.com

Whether you’re writing end of the world books or paranormal romance novels, there are a few key traits that your protagonists and other characters should possess—one of the most important is attitude. While characters may be extremely different from each other, especially when their story is based in settings as different as what you’d find in dystopian literature or a contemporary love story, some themes and issues will be common and recurring. They will evoke certain attitudes that will be similar across the board, such as rebelliousness, anger, frustration and insecurity. 

When writing these characters, you want to let the audience see them evolve and make mistakes from time to time. For an extreme example, the protagonist in a series of end of the world books may be focused on developing her combat skills so she can survive an apocalypse, but during the process may decide on whether she believes that others are potential enemies or allies. She may make a life-changing decision that goes against everything she ever believed in as a child.

A common behavior among protagonists in young adult novels is a struggle for self-awareness and identity. Young adults are coming-of-age and trying to learn who they are, what they like and dislike, what’s important to them and how they want to be perceived. As a result, they may try on different identities, looks and friends in a desire to experiment—they may be a red meat lover one day and the next decide they want to become a vegetarian. They may practice with a band for a year and then decide they don’t want to do anything with music anymore. They may think they know their stance on drugs and alcohol, and then may succumb to peer pressure in an unexpected situation.

While protagonists in dystopian literature may experiment with different personas just like any teenager would, they may also try on different political and spiritual attitudes that may not even be in the minds of real world teens. The possibilities are literally endless and offer an opportunity to really have your protagonist experience a significant and dramatic arc throughout the novel.