So. I l-o-v-e-d reading the feedback on my strong female protagonist in YA post! I loved it so much, I figured it would be cool to talk about another hot topic: dudes.
*fans self*
Along with wanting to see strong female protagonists, some agents/editors are eager for more male protagonists, especially in YA. Of course, there are great books out there with boy protags (John Green, anyone?), but it seems as if girls are EVERYWHERE.
On the other hand, there are some agents/editors who say publishers have limited space for male protags on their lists. One of the main concerns for pub houses relates to the following debate: why aren't more boys reading YA? Apparently, once boys hit their teen years, they ignore the YA shelves and head straight for adult fiction. It seems girl protagonists scare them off... or something... *shrugs*
Once again, I'm leaving this one up to OA's lovely followers. What makes a YA male protagonist appealing to you? Bonus points if you tell me which YA dudes are your favorites :)
And since I gave a shout-out to Bella Swan in my original post, here's the dude a bazillion people can't wait to take center stage in a certain YA book called Midnight Sun:
"Bella, you are my everything. Seriously. I am nothing without you. Oh, hang on... WHO IS THAT SHIRTLESS GUY BEHIND YOU?"--Edward Cullen, Twilight.
Reminder: There's still time to enter the Invincible Summer contest!! You can win a copy of Hannah Moskowitz's latest book, as well as one of three signed bookmarks!
9 comments:
I missed the news about the giveaway. Too late. I bought the book last week (after the poor sales clerk searched the store because the books weren't on the shelf yet). :D
I haven't written any books from a male POV, but I am hoping to do so with an upcoming book. However, it'll be like in Perfect Chemisty--from the POV of both the guy and the girl. I'm not interested in writing for the male teenage market.
Can't wait to read the comments.
This is FRESH on my mind. I just finished The Replacement which is solely a male pov. And it was refreshing to read from a guys view! I don't know that there should be a focus on trying to sell to the boyz by writing from this pov, but for the girls who just want a damn change in perspective. For one thing, and especially for the YA crowd, I think there's less of a chance of ending up with that over the top sap that most of these YA's have. "Ohmygod, I'm soooooo in love with him." *sigh* Yeah. I got that. Thanks. Anyway, just my thoughts:)
Great post! I have written a male MC myself, and it was both tough and fun. I've recently read several books with male protags, and I really enjoy reading the slightly different perspective. I like getting into the head of a guy, and seeing what makes him tick. I think if a male protag is done well, he's a complete character that I can both understand and fall in love with. :)
I love male protagonists. LOVE them. I wrote one myself (see my blog for details).
I think my favorite male MC so far is Tyler Miller in Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson. Don't get me wrong, I'd love to see SM finish Midnight Sun from Edward's POV; in fact, I think she should have written the books that way from the beginning. He's so much more compelling than Bella. But it's old now.
I'm with Shallee; I love getting into a guy's head.
I love male protagonists! In fact, I actually prefer writing male narrators. Oh, and anyone written by John Green pretty much rocks in my book. :)
I am all about male protags! All of my manuscripts are written from the male POV (except my revised historical which is now male and female POVs). My fave male protags are from Blake Nelson books- he captures the voice of the male teen really well.
I'm excited about more YA authors taking up the male POV. I've only tried writing it from the MG boy's perspective so far, but it's definitely an interesting practice to get inside a boy's head. :) I'm happy there are writers out there who excel at this, and the male POV read I'm most looking forward to right now is I Am Number Four.
I would say Midnight Sun, but I totally understand why S.M. lost her Midnight Sun mojo when her work was posted illegally. Take your time, Ms. Meyer! You deserve it.
AWESOME answers, everyone! Glad to see there's some love for the dudes :)
I love anything by John Green, but am DYING to get my hands on Blake Nelson's books! And yes, Stephenie Meyer is on one long ride to Pissyface Town. Hope her fans can hang on till the Edward POV comes out. :)
I just read Ship Breaker, which was pretty fantastic! Definitely recommend.
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