By Daniel P. Warner
The tone of the story has more of a YA feel than a book marketed to adults. I stared at the words in the rejection email, trying to make sense of them. Even at that early stage in my writing journey, I recognized how valuable it was to get feedback deeper than a form letter. But it stung. And more importantly, what to do with it?
Well, here it is, almost two years later, and the novel still isn’t published. Sure, it has advanced from a Genesis semi-finalist to a GetPubbed winner, but clearly something had been lacking. Another critique mentioned a need for more emotional depth. Emotional depth and layering? That sounded similar to the YA comments. I finally broke down and hired a developmental editor. Among the items in his feedback was this nugget – Your romance reads like a YA romance. This provided another level of specificity to work with.
As I dug into this with the editor and with my own research, I more fully grasped what this meant. These concepts feel obvious when they’re spelled out. For example:
- The YA romance becomes the center of everything, bigger than the world around it. My character’s focus became centered on his love interest rather than his primary motivations. It was distracting him from the goals that drove him in early chapters, making his character arc less powerful.
- Too much too fast. An adult romance will be more of a slow burn instead of an instant fascination. This is necessary even more in the historical context of my first-century Judea setting, where relationships were more cautious and often arranged.
- An adult romance will provide more depth to the relationship. There’s that word from the critique again. In YA, the attraction factor is emphasized over everything. Attraction charges conversations and emotions, as opposed to admiration of character, personality, and capabilities.
There are other differences, but these were the primary issues with my novel. Now, over the course of the story, my hero comes to admire the woman’s heart, sympathize with her difficult past, share dreams with her for a better future, and delight in her abilities to treat the sick and the wounded. These changes have made the romance more powerful while enhancing both character arcs.
Contemplating this, I find interesting parallels to my own spiritual journey. Hebrews 5:11-14 talks about living on milk versus meat, referring to the depth of our understanding of Scripture. The analogy isn’t perfect because Hebrews is comparing an infant to an adult, and a young adult is obviously more mature than an infant. But how deep is a young adult’s relationship with God? Does he admire the qualities of God? Does she share her dreams with God and converse with him regularly? Are we driven by what God can do for us or by how he can use us?
I was stuck at the YA level for a long time. I’ve always treasured my relationship with the Lord. But I hadn’t learned to delight in his Word – to meditate on his holiness and his love and his sovereignty. Several years ago, I encountered a simple 4-step method for studying Scripture that has made a huge difference. Now I teach an adult Bible class and write Bible studies that model this method on my website.
Do you desire a more mature relationship with Christ? If so, let me leave you with this thought. I’ve found a love for Scripture that has deepened my relationship with him. Learn to treasure his Word.
Daniel P. Warner is an award-winning biblical fiction author. His mission statement is bringing the Bible to life through story and Scripture. He is a husband of 18 years who teaches adult Sunday School, leads a team of deacons, and posts engaging Bible studies on his author website at https://www.danielpwarner.com.