Structure doesn’t sit in a bubble all by itself. Many factors make a story outstanding: emotion, character, voice, premise, the writing.
And they’re all interconnected.
Last summer, I broke down and analyzed ten different middle grade books – because that’s what I was writing at the time. More recently, I analyzed a movie and another mg, Princess For Hire. All this time, I’ve been reading YA, looking for a book that fits the bill when it comes to structure.
And so far I’ve come an interesting conclusion. One I didn’t expect.
But first let’s talk about middle grade.
Almost every single MG book followed the three-act structure perfectly. Some better than others, but it was definitely there. And the books I loved followed it absolutely perfectly. The authors used structure to their advantage to bring out the emotion and inner conflict. Maybe I got lucky with the books I picked?
Why?
Younger kids have a shorter attention span and need tight structure. What do you think?
Here’s what I realized so far about YA books: (because I’m still researching.)
- The books follow structure but it can sometimes be looser, less defined.
- What a book might lack in structure it makes up for in other areas like voice, premise, humor, or dialogue.
- Many YA writers follow structure naturally – but they don’t all use it to the full advantage.
- The structure is there but the midpoint, the climax, or plot points could be stronger.
- I could careless about the structure I loved the story and voice that much.
- I loved the character so much I didn’t care if there was a scene with her shampooing her dog.
But some things definitely happen in the YA books I love:
- Hook
- Voice
- Great character
- Inciting incident
- As the story continues more is revealed and the tension increases.
- There may or may not be a midpoint.
- Second half of the book – the tension is doubled with bigger reveals.
- Something devastating happens but there isn’t always a true dark moment
- Climax (And even that depends on if the book is part of a sequel.)
I’m sure there are YA books out there I like that also have exemplary structure. I’m just starting on the journey to find them. (I don’t analyze all the books I read.)
Were you surprised that a lot of YA has less defined structure? Do you think it’s because teens have a longer attention span? How important is structure to you in your writing? I wonder if these YA books I already loved would have been even stronger with great structure. (Who cares other than me?)
I’m always so impressed that you do this–such great information. I should, but I’m not sure I have the stamina or patience!
This is such an interesting point! You know, I often get very frustrated with YA. Even if I love the voice and the premise, I finish reading and rarely feel totally satisfied. I think it’s because of the lack of structure you mentioned. I can still have a great reading experience, but I rarely have that “ah” feeling (like I do with MG) when I’m done reading. Great post!
OH! I was looking forward to this post! Here’s my conjecture: I think publishers, when they think of MG books, have a more “traditional” take on them: what they are, who the audience is, what they want. The publishers are less adventurous on what they will take. Also, there are less MG books published (the market isn’t as strong, apparently), and so the bar is higher (and tolerance for deviation smaller). Hence, the more structure.
For YA, it is absolutely booming. Everyone wants to publish it, and there’s a sense that it’s more wide open – and experimental. More can happen in YA than could in MG (both in story content and form) and I think that translates into looser structure requirements.
Of course, this is all completely my conjecture, based on not much more than my observations.
You described how I write YA books. Yay, I’m with the norm. I’ll probably be very surprised once I finished reading SAVE THE CAT at how loose I am from structure.
I don’t think I’m that structured, but that’s why I like YA. I love reading it, too. I really enjoy reading your analysis. I don’t have the patience to do it, but I should.
Christine – I love a great story regardless of genre or age group!
Stina – Or you might be surprised how you naturally follow good structure.
Susan – I loved your conjectures. I bet that plays into it.
anna – Yes! I agree. I’ll still love the book but sometimes I think it could’ve been stronger with better structure.
Kris – Breaking down the books is becoming more of a habit for me now. Esp. if I start reading and realize the structure is good.
I’ve definitely noticed some YA books have a looser structure but I think it depends on the type of YA as well. I find character driven novels will really bring us in the the mc so that we experience their emotional ups and downs. Sometimes there will be very little happening plot wise, but we’ll still be hanging on every word, kwim? In adventure YA- urban fantasy, distopian, paranormal, etc…I find the pacing picks up quite a bit- the stories focusing much more on plot than on internalization or with a great mix of both.
Can I just say, I’ve been a little stressed about the midpoint of my book, wondering if it was really there, and then I read this. It makes sense to me. Things are so complicated that the three act structure sometimes has to sway a little, you know?
I definitely agree about how great voice and characters can make up for some deficiencies (though not big ones) in structure.
It’s interesting that YA books are much looser structure-wise. I do find that reading like a writer, I often see climax problems in YA–the climax comes abruptly after mediocre tension-building or the tension is too uniformly high through the whole book, so the climax doesn’t stand out. Pacing is also a problem in stories that are too voice driven. The writer lets the narrator spout off her opinions on everything from mom’s cooking to lipgloss to religion, leaving little space for a story in which the character acts, interacts and grows. It seems like it’s becoming more rare in the genre to balance character development with plot. Many books have one or the other but not both.
This is really interesting! I don’t have much to add because I’ve never looked at books to break them down into structure this way, but now I totally will be 🙂
Sara – Thanks for stopping by!
Laurel – I have to agree with you. It doesn’t stop me from really liking the book, but a book that has good plot and is character driven really stands out!
Lydia – Yes, thankfully, all the rules aren’t cut and dry and we can play with structure to fit our story. I think it’s figuring out when we’re being too flexible at the risk of hurting our character’s emotional arc.
Katie – Good observations!
I care!!! 🙂 I’m trying to figure it all out too. Reading Like Mandarin right now (I caved to all the wonderful pressure out there this week!) but I’m so sucked into it right now I’m not keeping track of structure elements very well.
Very interesting post, and I think you’re right. YA is less structured…or maybe the points you listed above that you do often see in YA is the “YA Structure.”
I think the importance of character voice is important but also the sense of a character journey. YA is more likely to be character driven, making traditional structure less important.
Okay I feel vindicated now! Woohoo! 😀 Kidding. But I do get a little tense about structure. But as you know, I write mainly YA. So maybe that’s it? I tend to be a pantser and I go for voice, character, hook, and so on before I even think about structure. Though it does seem to flow naturally with the story, at least in general…
and I think writers can get away without focusing on structure if they make up for it in other areas but I still think using structure to emphasize the emotional arc of your character can only be a good thing.
After reading PLOT & STRUCTURE, I also look for this in the books I read. Sometimes the structure is obvious, and sometimes not so much. I don’t really read MG books, so I can’t compare. But I will say that I’ve noticed the same three act structure in YA, although yes, it’s sometimes loose. Great stuff, Laura.
I agree with you about the difference between MG and YA.
When I first starting writing, I wrote exclusively MG and I stuck to the structure because of the lower word count and I believe this age group is reading more for the story — the adventure and action.
Now that I’m writing YA, I find that I have more room because of higher word count and although I still stick to structure, I believe these readers are reading more for character and empathy. Still need a good story but character has more focus.
Very intriguing questions, Laura. I like was Susan Kaye said above. YA seems to experimental, and so booming right now, and the experimentation tends to fit the teen experience anyway. I know a lot of the teens I’ve worked with in my writing groups are all about voice and concept.
You’re right. YA gives us an opportunity for some thoughtful observation. MG just runs past and onto the next plot point. Never looked at it this way – thanks!
I think that’s why I’m so drawn to YA. I like the way it bends the rules of fiction, in part because I don’t always like the rules of fiction. 😉 BTW, I think you should gather all your wonderful posts and market them. You have some great tips here.
Thanks for this! Good stuff! 🙂
Having just completed my first MG and using the Blake Snyder beat sheet to guide me, I think your assessment is right on. MG is shorter and tighter and you have to keep the attention of a younger audience. Structure really helps to accomplish this. YA does seem to hang more loosely, I see that in my own writing. Even though I try to follow structure, it’s harder to pinpoint all the beats.
I agree. The 3 ACT structure isn’t always followed as strictly in YA (or even adult fiction). I think it’s something that works well for movies, since they don’t delve as deeply into characterization, so I can see how it might work for middle grade too. But the emphasis on YA isn’t always on plot, so a solid plot structure isn’t quite as necessary, especially not as strict. That isn’t to say there shouldn’t be structure. There should be a clear inciting incident (as you pointed out), rising action, climax and resolution. It just doesn’t always happen with three or even 2 obvious acts. My focus is always on characterization first, but I think a plot-focused writer (especially if they have a screenwriting background) will invariably have more solid structure in their stories.
Hi, Laura,
I am all about the balance in my novels. Of course there must be structure, but the other elements are equally important.
I found it very interesting that books are more structured in M/G… I certainly understand the reason for it.
Younger readers DO have a shorter attention span.
I’m impressed! I don’t analyze enough – I tend to go with the gut in most circumstances in life (definitely not a linear thinker here!). I think your analysis is spot on though – in MG a lot of the time, it’s so much about the voice!
I know for certain that a lot of adult books do not do so well in the structure department, and the same is true for YA. But the books that I love, the ones that I want to keep and read again, all have tightly woven plots. They may not follow the structure as closely as the books you’ve analyzed, but it’s there. It’s what makes a good book become great, in my humble opinion 🙂
Fascinating post. I think this is why I much prefer MG to YA (and a lot of adult novels, come to think of it) – the structure is much better, ie the plot is far more important. It just makes the book more gripping, imho. I need a book to have an AMAZING voice if the structure/plot is only so-so.
Fascinating points, Laura! I never thought about this before, but having read so many YA and MG books, I can totally see it. I think that’s what’s so much fun about MG, they do follow that structure and the story feels much stronger and more complete, if a little less risky.
I love how you analyze the books and share what you learned from us. I’m writing mg so very interested that most followed the three act. Will make sure mine does too!
How interesting! I find it refreshing to see that you approach this question through analysis (there’s not enough of that generally). I tend to do text-level analyses but it makes sense to approach this question on the larger structural level. Thanks for the post!
I love your enthusiasm for analysis. Though there’ve been other discussions about the contrasts between MG and YA (and sometimes there seems to be a lot of overlap), this offers something different. Thanks!
I’m taking a page from your book and trying to learn a bit more about the 3 act structure. And by thinking about it a bit more, I’m finding that maybe outlining isn’t such a terrible thing. #pantserblasphemy
Angela @ The Bookshelf Muse
I write MG, and I do think when you write MG it’s easier to stick to a structure like this–I’d even say it happens naturally, much of the time. My YA, when I write it, usually ends up with a little more give to it, which I put down to the higher number of plots I’ve got running.
Laura, will you list the books you analyzed for us, or point us to the blog post (if there was one)?
Very interesting observation! YA readers are at a time of life when they are getting more introspective, and the stories they like get a little more “mumblecore”. So the plot is often just a McGuffin for carrying what really interests them, which is the exploration of relationships.
I actually don’t think this is an excuse for writers to get sloppy about the structure. Sure, the tone and the voice and liking the lead character can carry us through. But I want to see that *and* a strong, well-structured story with cleanly executed plot points.
I write for YA myself (a comic book, not prose fiction) and I agree with Anna that YA books can often be unsatisfying because the plot itself seems like it’s thrown away. I put the character beats in the foreground, they’re the highest priority, but I make sure that every nuts-n-bolts part of the plot works too. That’s our job as writers, after all.
Very interesting observation! YA readers are at a time of life when they are getting more introspective, and the stories they like get a little more “mumblecore”. So the plot is often just a McGuffin for carrying what really interests them, which is the exploration of relationships.
I actually don’t think this is an excuse for writers to get sloppy about the structure. Sure, the tone and the voice and liking the lead character can carry us through. But I want to see that *and* a strong, well-structured story with cleanly executed plot points.
I write for YA myself (a comic book, not prose fiction) and I agree with Anna that YA books can often be unsatisfying because the plot itself seems like it’s thrown away. I put the character beats in the foreground, they’re the highest priority, but I make sure that every nuts-n-bolts part of the plot works too. That’s our job as writers, after all.