I write paranormal romances for adults. I sometimes read YA books, but most of the time, I don't relate to the teen voices. I didn't relate to them even when I was a teen. I just have a different mindset. There have been YA books that I've loved. Yet there have also been adult books I've read that should have been YA with the immaturity of the protagonist.
It's vital to know your audience. YA books are geared toward 12 to 18 year olds, and the protagonists in the books are typically between 16 and 24. Just because you're writing about someone in their early twenties doesn't automatically make the book an adult one. Sometimes adult books have young protagonists too, but the difference between the two is important to recognize.
Both YA and adult paranormal romances:
Supernatural elements. (Obvious!)
A conflict that might require the protagonist to save the world or a piece of it.
Growth in character. (The protagonist has to learn from her mistakes and become better for it.)
A romance central to the plot.
YA paranormal romances:
They're typically written in first person. (Teen readers like to get inside the protagonist's head. The world of a teen is all-consuming for them. They are the central characters.)
Though the central conflict might be to save the world, the secondary conflicts revolve around school, popularity/fitting in, pop culture, friends, and family. (Typical teen day-to-day dramas.)
They usually involve the "coming of age" story. (The protagonist doesn't have a solid identity at the beginning of the book and learns who she is. Most of the conflicts are internal.)
Romance is most often awkward and embarrassing as they fumble through the motions, and just a kiss can be a major event. (YA romance does not need to end in sexual gratification and typically does not.)
Adult paranormal romances:
They're typically written in the third person. (Adult readers tend to like a wider view of the world.)
The secondary conflicts revolve around work, finances, politics, friends, relationships, and stuff from the past coming back to haunt them. (The protagonists have a better idea of who they are and thus their identities are more inflexible. More of the conflicts are external.)
Romance covers all types. (The protagonists can be inexperienced or very experienced. Yet usually her love interest is experienced. Adult romance does not have to end in sexual gratification, but it typically does.)
What other elements are key to YA paranormal romances? To adult paranormal romances?
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