Today, I might have come to the conclusion that I should focus my writing efforts toward younger readers, at least for the moment. I feel like my plots and characters better suit YA and MG fiction. I'm still a lover of fantasy and science fiction, and I don't think that will ever change. I'll also continue reading adult fantasy and science fiction because they can always supply me with ideas. Now I need to do a bit more reading of YA and MG books. I'll probably have to explain to the people at the library that I'm trying to write fiction for younger readers so that I don't get weird looks.
Ironically enough, I came to this conclusion while reading an adult fantasy novel (though one that I'm sure has some YA crossover appeal): the final book in The Wheel of Time. The beginning of the series definitely had a YA feel, as does a fair amount of fantasy with quest elements. Most notably, The Lord of the Rings definitely has crossover appeal for a YA audience, as do works by Terry Brooks, R.A. Salvatore, and Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickmann..
I feel like this brings me back to the series that got me into writing (and reading) in the first place: Harry Potter. I've never read anything I've enjoyed quite as much as Harry Potter, and I would like nothing more than to do for some kid out there what J.K. Rowling did for me. No matter what flaws there might be in her writing, Harry Potter will always hold a special place in my heart.
And that has me thinking I should play to that special place in my heart and focus on writing stories for younger readers. I do have an upper MG fantasy series that I've been working on, and now I'm thinking about changing a few things about it to give it the excitement and adventure of something like Harry Potter.
So maybe I have solved my question from a few posts ago. Maybe I'm a MG and YA fantasy and science fiction writer.
