11:43 "It isn't about the physical age of your protagonist, it's about their emotional age. A middle-grade protagonist is discovering how they fit into the world. A young adult protagonist is discovering how they can change and affect the world."

@gregoryaxton9723

3 жыл бұрын

Pro trick: you can watch movies at flixzone. Me and my gf have been using them for watching a lot of movies during the lockdown.

@seanmisael8769

3 жыл бұрын

@Gregory Axton definitely, have been watching on flixzone for since december myself =)

Thank you.

This is a great video! Thank you so much

This was great, thank you!

Thank you for this great session! I think I have wedged my first novel into the 'dead zone', with characters who are 14-15, an ending where the main character isn't sure whether to stay home or continue with her adventures, and themes that include working out where the characters fit into their world while also trying to change it. There is no sex or bad language, though there is some violence in one scene. Can I leave it like this, or would you suggest it needs a firm footing in one camp or the other? Thanks!

Thank you. Great insight, and a great presentation from Michelle.

Hi, MIchelle, great presentation! Specifically, how do you reach out to teachers to arrange school visits?

@MichelleSchustermanAuthor

4 жыл бұрын

Thanks so much, Sherrill! I started by going to the websites for the school districts in my area (Dallas) and looking for contact information for the library services coordinator. If I couldn't find one for a district, then I'd go to the individual school websites and contact the librarians directly. I emailed them individually with a brief explanation of the details of the presentation I was offering and the cost, along with my available dates. I found that once I set a few up, word spread - I scheduled six visits in one day because an administrator had been forwarded my email from another district's librarian!

I'm realizing I should probably just try to stay out of the MG and YA space =x This whole thing is too confusing. I wrote what I intended to be (or thought would be) a YA but, because most of my characters are 14 (and also possibly due to the tone), the publisher who full-requested thought the audience is younger than YA (which opens up potential content issues). While I'd planned on this being a long series (and wrote some of the sequels already), I'm thinking I might be better off just taking whatever deal I can get (or quickly self-publishing) to be done with it, and focus on writing for adults.

Hi @Michelle Schusterman thank you for the presentation, it was very helpful. Can you offer any advice about writing MG books for boys? Are there any common mistakes or things to consider before writing?

@MichelleSchustermanAuthor

4 жыл бұрын

Thanks so much for watching! :) I've written a few MG novels with boy protagonists - and I've also taught a lot of young writers. The thing I learned from working with young boys on their stories is that they're much more invested in the emotional journey of characters than I think adults give them credit for. Yes, lots of boys love action and adventure and even gross-out humor (as do girls!) but they also love seeing characters deal with challenges that are more internal. And of course, a great MG novel can have all the fight scenes and farts (haha) along with that deeper emotional stuff, too!

@manestreambeauty

4 жыл бұрын

@@MichelleSchustermanAuthor Thank you for taking the time to answer my question. I subscribed to your channel and look forward to checking out your content.

@MichelleSchustermanAuthor

4 жыл бұрын

@@manestreambeauty No problem - and thanks so much for subscribing! :)

Sorry. I do not understand what the age of my protagonist has to do with categorizing a book into YA or MG or Adult. I mean, isn't the content of the book the biggest influencer of how to categorize a book. For example, when the content of a book involves adult content - even though that young child is the protagonist - doesn't that determine whether it gets shelved in the adult section? I am sorry, please could you clarify because after watching this video, I am more confused.

@Reedsy

4 жыл бұрын

The way MG and YA are defined is often by the age of their protagonists. The perceived wisdom is that young readers like protagonists who are a few years above them. So, MG protagonists tend to be 10-13 (for readers who might be 9-12) and YA protagonists are 15-18 (and their readers might be 13). However, the argument isn't "all books with 12-year-old protagonists must be MG" but that if you're writing MG, your protagonists should ideally be in that age range (at least, emotionally).

I have an idea of story but it involves a lot of demonic activity is that to heavy

@MichelleSchustermanAuthor

4 жыл бұрын

Hi, and thanks for watching! I don't think that's too heavy - I really think it's all in how you handle it. The Percy Jackon series is just one example of MG books with demons!

Sorry. I Can't see any London landmarks in your background.

@kesabeth1

4 жыл бұрын

There's a red teapot...