Isn’t it marvelous the way writers connect across long geographic distances? I first “met” Ronel in 2017 and am delighted she’s here today to share her newest YA fantasy story as well as thoughts on that popular genre.

Award-winning author Ronel Janse van Vuuren mainly writes for teens and tweens, though she is known to write mythology-filled short stories for anthologies aimed at older readers. Her dark fantasy works, usually full of folklore, can be viewed on her website and on Goodreads.

Ronel can be found tweeting about writing and other things that interest her, arguing with her characters, researching folklore for her newest story or playing with her Rottweilers when she’s not actually writing.

All of her books are available for purchase from major online retailers.

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Iron and fae aren’t friends. But Tasha has no choice but to be in the human realm: her very life is at stake.

High School isn’t much safer than Faerie, though. Cliques, falling in love and navigating day-to-day activities are dangerous enough without the added dread of being unmasked as being otherworldly.

But when something happens and everyone reveals their true selves, Tasha has a choice to make: will she save them from the curse upon them and reveal her true nature, or will she let them die and stay safe?

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The Place of Violence, Romance and Gore in YA Fiction by Ronel Janse van Vuuren

There is this pervasive idea that young adult (YA) fiction is somehow “less” than other age-groups. For example: if a woman writes a fantasy novel, it is more often than not placed under YA than having to compete with other fantasy novels, like “Game of Thrones”. All the reasons for that is a post for another day, but for the most part it has to do with the levels of violence, romance and gore in the book.

YA fiction has certain expectations concerning these three elements. And for good reason: the target demographic is teenagers. Children. And we have a responsibility towards them.

I’m not denying that teenagers have romantic relationships and that some – not all! – engage in sex. Which means our teenaged characters are allowed to explore romance. But if they are to engage in a physical relationship, it should happen off the page. Fade to black like an old movie.

Imagination is a powerful tool. Teenagers are smart: they can fill in the blanks. As an author, you don’t have to contribute to the corruption of minors. There are enough books out there for them to read if they wish to corrupt themselves.

Gore. It makes darker fiction a lot more fun. Images of blood and guts make a scene vivid. But how much is too much? That can easily be determined by age-range: are you writing a lower-YA novel (13-15), an upper-YA novel (16-18) or a college-YA AKA New Adult novel (18-24)?

Over 18, most things are permissible. Upper-YA a severed body-part might be crossing the line a bit, depending on how you present it. Lower-YA the allusion to blood and gore ought to be enough. Think of the “youngest” thirteen-year-old/sixteen-year-old/eighteen-year-old you know and write the scene suitable for them.

As for violence… That might be more a question of culture than age. I know ten-year-olds who have seen more violence than your average eighteen-year-old. Again, though, I’ll write for the “youngest” in the age-group I’m writing for.

For all age-groups, a big magical battle can take place, but it is the elements of that battle you focus on that makes it age-appropriate. For lower-YA: good vs evil, losses on both sides, what the character does and experiences. For upper-YA: shades of grey in opposing sides, losses on both side, vivid descriptions of the battle e.g. bodies turning to ash from the inside from spells gone awry, what the character experiences with all senses and emotionally and what the character does.

Writing is, of course, personal and subjective. But when writing for children, you have to appeal not only to them, but to their gatekeepers, too (parents, teachers, librarians, etc.). It’s much easier to gain approval when writing about difficult and sensitive subjects if you keep your story age-appropriate.

For example: on the surface, “Dark Desires” is about a teen fae girl hiding from bad fae in a human High School. She has to use her otherworldly abilities to save her classmates from a nasty spell and reveal herself. Or do nothing and stay safe while letting the humans die.

BUT if you look closely, you’ll see the feelings experienced by typical teenagers: romance, social alienation, fear, insecurity, selfishness and selflessness, angst, etc.

And beyond that, you find social commentary about what people hide, lies people tell themselves and others – especially in the big reveal at the end – and how choices form the future.

Yes, there is romance (PG13 kissing). Yes, there is gore (Tasha tasting blood). Yes, there is violence (the magical show-down). But it all moves the story along, it is necessary to the story and the character’s growth, and none of it is just there for shock-value.

The point? In moderation, within set age-limits and in accordance to the needs of the story, violence, romance and gore has a place in YA fiction.

Connect with Ronel online

Twitter: https://twitter.com/@miladyronel/

Pinterest: https://za.pinterest.com/miladyronel/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17528826.Ronel_Janse_van_Vuuren

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/miladyronel/?hl=en

Amazon author page: https://amazon.com/author/roneljansevanvuurenmythmaker 

Ronel the Mythmaker, Website of Dark Fantasy Author Ronel Janse van Vuuren: http://www.ronelthemythmaker.com/