This week: Young Adult Romance Edited by: StephBee  
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“The hope of a secure and livable world lies with disciplined nonconformists who are dedicated to justice, peace, and brotherhood.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
“Hope is like peace. It is not a gift from God. It is a gift only we can give one another.” – Elie Wiesel
August is Romance Awareness Month. Why August? Because our feelings of romance and love might have waned since February and since August is six months away from February, what better time than to give yourself a romantic checkup? Taking a walk together and going out to your favorite restaurant are just a couple of ways to show you care.
How do you show your partner you care? That love is still in the air? I’d love to hear what you do!
FOOD TRUCKS
Why not? I just wanted to write about food trucks! Haha. I  Food Trucks! One of the town’s local chefs decided to go out on his own and got himself a Sushi food truck. The first night in town he had over an hour wait! I enjoy a good Mexican food truck, but there are all kinds. One time at work, we coordinated a delivery from the Grilled Cheese truck. (Link to Grilled Cheese Truck if you want to take a look: https://www.thegrilledcheesetruck.com/) Food trucks are a lot of fun, especially if the food is delicious. I’d love to hear about your favorite food trucks! Write in and give them a shout out!
August seems like the of summer. It’s hot, hot, hot still. While COVID-19 limits our activities, visiting a beach or a lake might be an option. In some places, recreational camping is available. For me, August is the start of school. My oldest is going to college which starts 24 AUG and my youngest is starting high school 11 AUG. School supplies are bought and we’re turning the dining room into a makeshift school room. So with thoughts of school on my mind, I thought I’d take a look at more recent subgenre of romance, “Young Adult.”
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Aren’t we all young at heart? Even if we’re 30, 40, 50, 60 plus? Ultimately, I think that’s the appeal of the “Young Adult” story. Veronica Roth, the author of “Divergent” said, “Everyone has a little teenager in them,” and I think that’s true. I’m 50 plus but from time to time, I feel my inner teenager guiding my sense of discovery.
What was it like for me when I was teenager aka young adult discovering books? Well that was about 1980-1985. I remember as a pre-teen I loved “Are you there God, it’s me, Margaret.” What really struck me was Margaret’s struggles and confusion at the onset of puberty. She was just a girl a like me, having the same struggles. It was nice to know I wasn’t alone. I read a lot of comic books like “X-Men” and “Teen Titans” for the escapism, but one of the big appealing aspects was that these were young adults having the same emotional challenges that I had. Another book I enjoyed was “The Outsiders” by SE Hinton. Lastly, I discovered Victoria Holt & Gothic Fiction as well as VC Andrews and her “Flowers in the Attic” series. (Can you see a gothic theme here?) VC Andrews was known for writing gothic fiction and family saga. Flowers in the Attic involves young kids and teenagers growing of age and compelled into doing unspeakable things. What I loved about these stories was the emotional core of the characters. While in a gothic setting, the main characters were young, experiencing situations for the first time, and trying to emotionally work them out. I was doing the same.
Over time, other young adult stories were written. Some well-known stories include the Harry Potter series, Hunger Games, Divergent, Twilight, and The Fault in Our Stars. Some you might consider Young Adult Romance and some are just Young Adult Fiction (happy ending vs realistic ending being the defining factor).
Young Adult Romance as defined by the Romance Writers of America is a story with a central love theme, a teenage protagonist, and an emotionally satisfying ending. Here are some “core” building blocks when writing “young adult:”
THINK LIKE A TEENAGER.
Good characterization is a must. Our characters must have a believable emotional connection. In the Hunger Games, it’s not enough Katniss wins her games, but what makes us connect with her is that she wins on her terms. She’s true to her emotional core, and that’s what appeals to a lot of us, and for teenagers just discovering that emotional core, it resonates even more.
INNER DEMONS
We all have insecurities. Are we good looking enough? Thin enough? Do we have a nice smile? Am I likable? Teenagers feel these insecurities a lot more deeply than us old folk. Finding a character like Margaret helps us to shore up our inner courage and strength to overcome our insecurities.
KERNAL OF HOPE
We all need a hope to believe things are going to be better. Young Adult stories offer that. For Tris in “Divergent” the hope of a future together with Four was one of the driving forces behind her actions.
The best tip I can give you when you’re writing your Young Adult Romance is to tap into your teenager and let them guide you.
Question for you: What’s your favorite Young Adult story/romance? Harry Potter? Twilight? Hunger Games? I’d love to hear your replies. How have these stories resonated with you and connected with your inner teenager?
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Feedback from my last Romance/Love Newsletter DTD: 15 JUL 2020
jim1184 
Thanks for this letter. It is an interesting topic and timely for where I am in my current project. After Reading this newsletter I can see that I don't stray past sensual. That is so far in the first two books in the series. It does raise the question, should I, not being a Romance writer, I check this news letter for all kinds of tips and Ideas. This one has really got me thinking.
Monty 
Points are well made. A fine News Letter.
Bikerider 
Your July 15th newsletter is very interesting. I have written a number of erotica stories, but I prefer to write a combination of sensual and spicy. There is a fine line between erotica and pornography, and I think the couple's emotions are what makes a lot of difference. I don't find a story that is nothing more than a sex scene interesting. It's the heat caused by the couple's emotions that make a story hot. Of course, that's only my opinion.
Quick-Quill 
Steph nice picture. In the critique of my novel I was told I used the words warm feeling or warmth to describe what my MC is feeling about her guy way to many times. Luckily I have great people who question me about things like this. I found I had written the word Really? (Do you know how often I say that? Ha ha) About 10 times in the first 15 chapters. As their relationship heats up I better use different words than WARM!
StephBee is a 911 Dispatcher for LAPD. Her story, "Journey of the Heart" is a heartwarming summer romance. Can James help Rachel save her winery? |
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Romance/Love: August 12, 2020 Issue [#10315]
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