Before Writing Part 5: Types of Readers

Before Writing Part 1: World Creating

Before Writing Part 2: Creating Races

Before Writing Part 3: Creating Characters

Before Writing Part 4: Who Is Your Character

Now before writing your story there is something that needs to be answered, who is this book for? Who will be reading this book? Can everyone read your book? The answer is, it depends on you and your story.

There are many types of readers out there from Children to Adults and then each age group has their preffered genre from Fiction to Non-Fiction.

Types of Readers:

— Age:

1. Children
2. Middlegrade
3. Young Adult
4. New Adult
5. Adult

Genre:

— Fiction:

1. Classic Fiction: Fiction that has become part of an accepted literary canon, widely taught in schools.
2. Comics/Graphic Novel: Comic magazine or book based on a sequence of pictures (often hand drawn) and few words.
3. Crime/Detective Fiction: Fiction about a crime, how the criminal gets caught, and the repercussions of the crime.
4. Fable: Legendary, supernatural tale demonstrating a useful truth.
5. Fairy Tale: Story about fairies or other magical creatures.
6. Fan Fiction: Fiction written by a fan of, and featuring characters from, a particular TV series, movie, or book.
7. Fantasy: Fiction with subplot(s), theme(s), major and minor characters, in which the narrative is presented in verse form (usually free verse).
8. Folklore: The songs, stories, myths, and proverbs of a people or “folk” as handed down by word of mouth.
9. Historical Fiction: Story with fictional characters and events in an historical setting.
10. Horror: Fiction in which events evoke a feeling of dread and sometimes fear in both the characters and the reader.
11. Humor: Usually a fiction full of fun, fancy, and excitement, meant to entertain and sometimes cause intended laughter; but can be contained in all genres.
12. Legend: Story, sometimes of a national or folk hero, that has a basis in fact but also includes imaginative material.
13. Magical Realism: Story where magical or unreal elements play a natural part in an otherwise realistic environment.
14. Meta Fiction/Romantic Irony: Uses self-reference to draw attention to itself as a work of art while exposing the “truth” of a story.
15. Mystery: Fiction dealing with the solution of a crime or the revealing of secrets.
16. Mythology: Legend or traditional narrative, often based in part on historical events, that reveals human behavior and natural phenomena by its symbolism; often pertaining to the actions of the gods.
17. Mythopoeia: Fiction in which characters from religious mythology, traditional myths, folklore and/or history are recast into a re-imagined realm created by the author.
18. Picture Book: Picture storybook is a book with very little words and a lot of pictures; picture stories are usually for children.
19. Realistic Fiction: Story that is true to life.
20. Science Fiction: Story based on the impact of actual, imagined, or potential science, often set in the future or on other planets.
21. Short Story: Fiction of great brevity, usually supports no subplots.
22. Suspense/Thriller: Fiction about harm about to befall a person or group and the attempts made to evade the harm.
23. Tall Tale: Humorous story with blatant exaggerations, such as swaggering heroes who do the impossible with nonchalance.
24. Western: Fiction set in the American Old West frontier and typically in the late eighteenth to late nineteenth century.

— Non-Fiction:

1. Biography: Narrative of a person’s life; when the author is also the subject, this is an autobiography.
2. Essay: A short literary composition that reflects the author’s outlook or point.
3. Owner’s Manual/Instructional Manual/User’s Guide: An instructional book or booklet that is supplied with consumer products such as vehicles, home appliances, firearms, toys and computer peripherals.
4. Journalism: Reporting on news and current events.
5. Lab Report: A report of an experiment.
6. Memoir: Factual story that focuses on a significant relationship between the writer and a person, place, or object; reads like a short novel.
7. Narrative Non-Fiction/Personal Narrative: Factual information about a significant event presented in a format that tells a story.
8. Reference Book: Such as a dictionary, thesaurus, encyclopedia, almanac, or atlas.
9. Self-Help Book: Information with the intention of instructing readers on solving personal problems.
10. Speech: Public address or discourse.
11. Textbook: Authoritative and detailed factual description of a topic.

— Fiction Subgenre:

1. Adventure
2. – Epic
3. – Imaginary Voyage
4. – Lost World
5. – Men’s Adventure
6. – Milesian Tale
7. – Picaresque Novel
8. – Robinsonade
9. – – Apocalyptic
10. – Sea Story
11. – Subterranean Fiction
12. Brit Lit
13. Children’s Literature
14. – Young Adult Fiction
15. – – Class S
16. – – Light Novel
17. Education Fiction
18. – Campus Novel
19. – – Campus Murder Mystery
20. – School Story
21. – Romance
22. – Varsity Novel
23. Erotic Fiction
24. – Erotic Romance
25. – Women’s Erotica
26. Experimental Fiction
27. – Antinovel
28. – Ergodic Literature
29. Graphic Novel
30. Historical Fiction
31. – Historical Romance
32. – – Metahistorical Romance
33. – Historical Whodunnit
34. – Holocaust Novel
35. – Plantation Tradition
36. – Prehistoric Fiction
37. – Regency Novel
38. – – Regency Romance
39. – Contradiction
40. Literary Fiction
41. Literary Nonsense
42. Mathematical Fiction
43. Metafiction
44. Non-Fiction Novel
45. – Bildungsroman
46. – Biographical Novel
47. – – Autobiographical Novel
48. – – – Semi-Autobiographical Novel
49. – – – – I Novel
50. – Slave Narrative
51. – – Contemporary Slave Narrative
52. – – Neo-Slave Narrative
53. Occupational Fiction
54. – Hollywood Novel
55. – Lab Lit
56. – Legal Thriller
57. – Medical Fiction
58. – – Medical Romance
59. – Musical Fiction
60. – Sports Fiction
61. Philosophical Fiction
62. – Existentialist Fiction
63. – Novel of Ideas
64. – Philosophical Horror
65. – Platonic Dialogue
66. Political Fiction
67. – Political Satire
68. Pulp Fiction
69. Quantum Fiction
70. Religous Fiction
71. – Christian Fiction
72. – – Christian Science Fiction
73. – – Contemporary Christian Fiction
74. – Islamic Fiction
75. – Jewish Fiction
76. Saga
77. – Family Saga
78. Speculative Fiction
79. – Fantasy
80. – – Epic/High Fantasy
81. – – Hard Fantasy
82. – – Historical Fantasy
83. – – – Prehistoric Fantasy
84. – – – Medieval Fantasy
85. – – – Wuxia
86. – – Low Fantasy
87. – – Urban Fantasy
88. – – – Paranormal Fantasy
89. – – Comic Fantasy
90. – – Contemporary Fantasy
91. – – Dark Fantasy
92. – – Fantasy of Manners
93. – – Heroic Fantasy
94. – – Magic Realism
95. – – Mythic
96. – – Paranormal Fantasy
97. – – Shenmo Fantasy
98. – – Superhero Fantasy
99. – – Sword and Sorcery
100. Horror
101. – – Body Horror
102. – – – Splatterpunk
103. – – Erotic
104. – – Gothic Fiction
105. – – – Southern Fiction
106. – – Psychological
107. – – Supernatural/Paranormal
108. – – – Cosmic(Lovecraftian)
109. – – – Ghost Story
110. – – – Monster Literature
111. – – – – Jiangshi Fiction
112. – – – – Vampire Fiction
113. – – – – Werewolf Fiction
114. – – – Occult Detective
115. Science Fiction
116. – – Alien Invasion
117. – – Post-Apocalyptic
118. – – Cyberpunk Derivatives(Punk)
119. – – – Cyberpunk
120. – – – – Biopunk
121. – – – – Nanopunk
122. – – – – Postcyberpunk
123. – – – Steampunk
124. – – – – Atompunk
125. – – – – Clockpunk
126. – – – – Dieselpunk
127. – – – Dystopian
128. – – – Hard Science Fiction
129. – – – Military Science Fiction
130. – – – Parallel Universe(Alternative Universe)
131. – – – – Alternative History
132. – – – Scientific Romance
133. – – – Soft Science Fiction
134. – – – Space Opera
135. Speculative Cross-Genre Fiction
136. – Bizarro Fiction
137. – Climate Fiction
138. – Dying Earth
139. – Science Fantasy
140. – – Planetary Romance
141. – – – Sword and Planet
142. – – Slipstream
143. – – Weird Fiction
144. – – – New Weird
145. Suspense Fiction
146. – Crime Fiction
147. – Detective Fiction
148. – Gong’an Fiction
149. – Mystery Fiction
150. Thriller
151. – Mystery Fiction
152. – Legal Thriller
153. – Medical Thriller
154. – Political Thriller
155. – – Spy Fiction
156. – Psychological Thriller
157. – Techno-Thriller
158. Tragedy
159. – Melodrama
160. Urban Fiction
161. Westerns
162. Women’s Fiction
163. – Class S
164. – Femslash
165. – Matron Literature
166. – Romance Novel
167. – Yaoi
168. – Yuri
169. Workplace Tell-All
170. General Cross-Genre
171. – Historical Romance
172. – Juvenile Fantasy
173. – LGBT Pulp Fiction
174. – – Gay Male Pulp Fiction
175. – – Lesbian Pulp Fiction
176. – – Lesbian Erotica Fiction
177. – Paranormal Romance
178. – Romantic Fantasy
179. – Tragicomedy

— Non-Fiction Subgenre:

1. Autograph
2. Biography
3. – Memoir
4. – – Autobiography
5. – – – Autobiographical Novel
6. – – – Spiritual Autobiography
7. – – Bildungsroman
8. – – Slave Narrative
9. – – – Contemporary Slave Narrative
10. – – – Neo-Slave Narrative
11. Commentary
12. Creative Nonfiction
13. Critique
14. – Cannonical Criticism
15. – Form Criticism
16. – Higher Criticism
17. – Historical Criticism
18. – Lower Criticism
19. – Narrative Criticism
20. – Postmodern Criticism
21. – Psychological Criticism
22. – Redaction Criticism
23. – Rhetorical Criticism
24. – Socio-Scientific Criticism
25. – Source Criticism
26. – Textual Criticism
27. Cult Literature
28. Diaries and Journals
29. Didactic
30. –  Dialectic
31. – Rabbinic
32. – Aporetic
33. – Elenctic
34. Erotic Literature
35. Essay/Treatise
36. History
37. – Academic History
38. – Genealogy
39. – Narrative
40. – People’s History
41. – Popular History
42. – Official History
43. – Narrative History
44. – Whig History
45. Lament
46. Law
47. – Ceremonial
48. – Family
49. – Levitical
50. – Moral
51. – Natural
52. – Royal Decree
53. – Social
54. Letter
55. Manuscript
56. Philosophy
57. – Metaphysics
58. Poetry
59. Religious Text
60. – Apocalyptic
61. – Apologetics
62. – Chant
63. – Confession
64. – Covenant
65. – Creed
66. – Epistle
67. – – Pauline Epistle
68. – – General Epistle
69. – – Encyclical
70. – Gospel
71. – Homily
72. – Koan
73. – Lectionary
74. – Liturgy
75. – Mystiscism
76. – Occult Literature
77. – Prayer
78. – Philosophy
79. – – Philosophical Theology
80. – – Philosophy of Religion
81. – – Religious Epistemology
82. – Prophecy
83. – – Blessing/Curse
84. – – Messianic Prophecy
85. – – Divination
86. – – Oracle
87. – – – Woe Oracle
88. – – Preditcions
89. – – Vision
90. – Revelation
91. – – Natural Revelation
92. – – Special Revelation
93. – Scripture
94. – – Buddhist Texts
95. – – – Lotus Sutra
96. – – – Tripitaka
97. – – Christian Literature
98. – – – Apocrypha
99. – – – Encyclical
100. – – – New Testament
101. – – – Old Testament
102. – – – Patristic
103. – – – – Anti-Nicene
104. – – – – Post Nicene
105. – – – Psalms
106. – – – – Imprecatory Psalm
107. – – – Pseudepigrapha
108. – – Hindu Literature
109. – – – Bhagavad Gita
110. – – – Vedas
111. – – Islamic literature
112. – – – Haddith
113. – – – Quran
114. – – Jewish Literature
115. – – – Hebrew Poetry
116. – Song
117. – – Dirge
118. – – Hymn
119. – Sutra
120. – Theology
121. – – Apologetics
122. – – Biblical Theology
123. – – Cosmology
124. – – Christology
125. – – Ecclesiology
126. – – Eschatology
127. – – Hamartiology
128. – – Pneumatology
129. – – Mariology
130. – – Natural Theology
131. – – Soteriology
132. – – Theology Proper
133. – Wisdom Literature
134. Scientific Writing
135. Testament
136. True Crime

Now as you can see their are A LOT of Genres and Subgenres for reading and writing. Think of your story carefully, look up what each of these genres mean and what they stand for and see if that is where your story fits. I believe a few more genres were created in the past couple of years such as Fae stories but I have not read one so I am not sure exactly what they contain.

To be honest you can’t just write a book and expect everyone to read it especially when there is a specific genre involved with your story. I have noticed that there are authors out there that purposely put the wrong genre on their books because they don’t like the genres their books belong to. For example you wrote a story that has Romance and Crime Fiction in the obvious forefront of your story but you refuse to see it and say it is Supernatural Fiction instead even though there is nothing supernatural related in your story. Not only are you stubborn in what your story actually belongs to but you are also lying to readers in what your story contains. Now you could say, well they could just read the synopsis of the book to see what it contains. There is another problem, it is surprisingly easy to make your synopsis sound like something else, not to mention your book is found in a section you think your story belongs to. Own up to what your story really is, if everyone is seeing it as a different genre then go back and look at your story again, read other books in the genre you want your story to be in and see what it is missing.

  Next is determining who is capable of reading your book. Now Children are very young and normally fall under 7 years of age. Simple or even small words should be enough for them along with a story they can understand. It can be a story to help teach them like simple education, life that is relatable to them and to help them understand and help them cope at such a young age, and the usual good versus evil stories or just fun little adventures.

  Middlegrade is for much older children that normally fall between 8 and 13 years of age. Small words are no longer necessary but you are free to continue using simple words but do not insult their intelligence, now it is time to use a bit of a wider range of words. Stories begin to be much more relatable and complex, stories that help encourage them to try new things and to never give up trying. You can continue writing stories of the good versus evil approach but as I said, it is time to go a bit more complex with the characters. Just because is not a good enough reason anymore, especially for Middlegrade stories, you can try and write one but some of them will get bored with the story if that will be your only approach to writing a Middlegrade story.

  Next up is Young Adult or YA readers, they normally fall between 14 and 18 years of age. Simple and small words are pretty much pointless, especially as some may only see these words as you insulting their intellience. Begin broadening the use of your words, characters, and story. Relatable and empowering stories is what these guys enjoy from what I have gathered so far but please becareful with how you tell your stories and characters as some may end up taking it as gospel for what the world could truly be. Don’t tell young girls to hate and distrust men, don’t tell young boys to beat and belittle people of another race nor gender unless it is to show those characters are in the wrong but if you won’t show that they will see it as maybe this is okay in society. Here in these stories you are also free to be a little racy if you want.

  New Adult is something I heard of recently and from what I have gathered they fall between the ages of 19 and 26 years of age. Now as I’m sure you know where I am going with this, you are free to increaese and broaden yourself even further, even be racy with your story if you want. You can begin to tell a story to mean something or just tell a story to tell a story, the choice of what will be up to you.

  Lastly we have Adult which are readers older then 27 years of age. Here you have much more freedom in characters, writing, and story telling. These readers should be capable of handling a lot more than younger readers but still treat certain topics with care as lately some people are becoming easily offended with certain topics but the way how I see it, there are small warnings and reviews on books and if they choose to ignore it then it is on them, not you, but that is of course my opinion.

You have plenty of references out there to see what can come from each genre and reader type, some authors even go a bit more with what can go in a book, especially Middlegrade and Young Adult books as the authors believe that younger readers have more intellect to handle certain topics than readers before. Go ahead and write your story but you must understand what your story falls under, IT WIL NOT be done for you.

If you guys have any questions about what I just went over please feel free to ask. I hope you liked my little insight on types of readers, I honestly can’t wait to hear your opinions on this. Please stay tune for next Wednesday for another post. Thank you all so much for reading and please have a wonderful day.

Adapting Your Story

NOTE: This topic is an opinion, you in no way have to agree with me or even consider the things I will suggest. This is to help understand the topic and in no way am I saying I am a professional in this topic. Please keep this in mind when reading, thank you.

No one knows a book better then the Author themselves.

Books vs other medias. Now I know many of you don’t care to watch movies that were adapted from books and you know what, that is okay. Movies have to turn your favorite book into an hour and a half to a two and half hour entertainment segment, meaning that many scenes may end up changing and story arcs and characters may end up being dropped from the film, and it will be terrible if one of those characters happen to be your favorite. Then you have the movies that thought it was a good idea to take several books and squish them into one movie or one book and stretch them out into several movies. Either way some will get confused and others will wonder why certain scenes even exist in the movie in the first place. I’m sure some of your responses, including the Authors, will tell those who’ve never read the books, read the books, it is explained a lot better there. NO! That is a terrible response to tell someone who has never read the books, in my opinion. If they go into a movie or a television show and are let down and disappointed from what they saw and you tell them well read the books, it isn’t going to get them to read the books, it will just keep them far from it. If the movie or show was not good in their opinion then what make you think they will even consider the original source?

Remember not everyone likes to read, not everyone likes to watch movies, and not everyone likes to play video games. There are universal fans that will try out every media out there from books to comic books and even mangas. When adapting your story you MUST consider that there are many types of fans out there, and telling them to just read the original source material will not get them to read your books. You must look at these other medias as another way to reach other fans respectfully. Yes some fans that enjoy movies will read your books but then there are those that are just content with just watching and not reading.

First, those who write and/or read Fantasy and Science Fiction novels MUST understand, Science Fiction and Fantasy is very, very, very, VERY expensive to make. Don’t believe me, look into how much some of your favorite Fantasy and Science Fiction movies cost to make from as early as the 60’s to now. Game of Thrones budget for television alone, “Between 2012 and 2015, the average budget per episode increased from $6 million to “at least” $8 million. The sixth-season budget was over $10 million per episode, for a season total of over $100 million and a series record.” That is a lot, Game of Thrones is literally the most expensive television show out there right now, followed by possibly Walking Dead. The budget to make the very first Lord of the Rings movie was $93 million and Ender’s Game budget was anywhere between $110 to $115 million to make. Gone Girl is only a mystery, thriller novel and it cost $61 million to make into a movie. Do you see the difference here? In order for a movie to be successful and continue, the movies in the box office have to try and meet the cost or exceed it. If they fall short, that movie is done. Television shows and video games are the same, if the companies don’t like the numbers well then that is pretty much it for them. You have to convince them that your story is worth something, it is its own story. Don’t let them make the next big thing because that is what they are looking for, the next big thing, and therefore try and make your story similar as the last big thing, and that will also destroy a movie and show.

Some of you out there are also like, CGI vs Practical Effects. Remember, CGI is not as expensive as Practical. Once an actual effect is used but the Director did not like the shot, everything needs to be reset, including all the explosions used for the shot that was just taken. Even animatronics have been known to break on set, setting filming back for a couple of weeks and sometimes months. Jaws wasn’t in most of the movie not because of suspense and thriller, it did help, but it was because the shark kept breaking on set. Yes, there is a thing called too much green screen and not enough of it. There needs to be a nice balance for the two without breaking budget. Costumes are great and all but they also need to function not only nicely and possibly comfortably, but also must be believable. Some actors have come forth hating costumes they wear, the make up they are stuck in for hours breathing in the fumes that coat their skin but aren’t bad for them but really hate the smells. Some Authors even think that maybe animation is just the way to go especially with creatures, magic, and settings that are in their books. Remember many people think animation is just for kids so you must be careful with how companies advertise the animated movies and shows. Don’t shy away from live action adaptation because you are worried about how creatures and magic will look in the movie, odds are it will look amazing regardless, you just need to focus on if the story and characters are adapted properly from how your book is. Don’t fret on the visual effects, don’t believe me watch The Hobbit movies, Game of Thrones, and the Warcraft movie, trust me when I say visually it will look amazing, the story is the real focus here.

I’m sure many of you would love to see your favorite book adapted and I know many of you don’t even want it to be touched and that is understandable but try and look at it from the Author’s point of view, more adaptations means that they will be able to reach more fans, more opportunities for their own books to be heard and possibly read.

If you don’t want to check your favorite story in other medias, that is fine, you don’t have to if you don’t want to, this is more to help reach a larger fan base, as I said more opportunities to allow people to know of Authors stories. Some adaptations are pretty good, great, and some are just, wow! What the hell did I just watch? I am asking that you don’t force fans of other medias to read original sources when in reality they just don’t have the time, patience, or even interest in the original source. Please keep this in mind.

After your novel has become a success, you’ve made it into the New York Times Bestseller lists for many weeks, even months now, there is a chance you may want to adapt your book into something, Movie? Television show? Mangas? Video games? Problem, don’t just jump head first into that opportunity, YOU need to make sure your story will be adapted properly. Don’t be scared down when these other entertainment medias tell you, well we know what we are doing. NO! This is your story and you need to be able to trust that they will do your story justice and not because they are looking for the next big Harry Potter movie or Hunger Games movie. As George R.R. Martin has said, no is the sexiest word in Hollywood. Say no enough times will only make them want you and your story more. You definitely need to be careful about this because not every Author can get away with having it their way, if you demand too much there is a chance they will not want to work with you and tell other production companies about how you are. There needs to be a two way understanding. One is THEY must understand not only you but how much you love your story and how passionate you are to make sure it is adapted as closely as it can be and YOU must understand production companies limits. Learn about what they can and can’t do for your story, if there is too much can’t, then perhaps they are not the company for you OR perhaps your story just can’t be adapted into certain medias and you know what that is okay, there is still plenty of time to try again in the future.

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Other medias

Now there are many other medias out there besides books, there are movies, television shows, mangas, anime’s, comics, video games, and theater plays. Before even accepting any of these other medias, please try and look into them, such as what has been made, ratings, genres, etc.

I can’t stress this enough, ratings for other medias. What I mean is who can actually watch, read, and play your story?

Movies only have 5 ratings:

G: General Audience – All ages admitted. Nothing that would offend parents for viewing by children.

PG: Parental Guidance Suggested – Some material may not be suitable for children. Parents urged to give “parental guidance”. May contain some material parents might not like for their young children.

PG-13: Parents Strongly Cautioned – Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13. Parents are urged to be cautious. Some material may be inappropriate for pre-teenagers.

R: Restricted – Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian. Contains some adult material. Parents are urged to learn more about the film before taking their young children with them.

NC-17: Adults Only – No One 17 and Under Admitted. Clearly adult. Children are not admitted.

In my opinion, there needs to be at least one more rating in between PG-13 and R. If any of you have ever read The Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini and The Summoner Trilogy by Taran Matharu, yes the stories are led by a teenager but they literally deal with fighting in war, there is blood, death, and gore about them. This can never be put into a PG-13 movie, to the point the blood in them is only about a coke can full which is in no way believable. Suggestive language is also brought down to a minimum. F-bombs are rarely dropped in these movies, S-bombs are about once or twice in a movie, and B-bombs and D-bombs are very prevalent. Trust me when I say that teenagers do cuss as much as you think. I will go into that extra rating in a bit.

There are 7 Television Ratings:

TV-Y: This program is designed to be appropriate for all children. Programs rated TV-Y are designed to be appropriate for all children. The thematic elements portrayed in programs with this rating are specifically designed for a very young audience, including children from ages 2–6. According to the FCC, programs rated TV-Y are “not expected to frighten younger children”.

TV-Y7: This program is designed for children age 7 and above. Programs rated TV-Y7 are designed for children aged 7 and above. The FCC implies that it “may be more appropriate for children who have acquired the developmental skills needed to distinguish between make-believe and reality.” The thematic elements portrayed in programs with this rating may include ‘comedic violence’, or may be frightening or confusing for children under the age of 7.

TV-Y7 FV: Some programs may be given the “FV” content descriptor if they exhibit more ‘fantasy violence’, and/or are generally more intense or combative than other programs rated TV-Y7.

TV-G: Most parents would find this program suitable for all ages. Programs rated TV-G are generally suitable for all ages. The FCC states that “this rating does not signify a program designed specifically for children, most parents may let younger children watch this program unattended.” The thematic elements portrayed in programs with this rating contain little or no violence, no strong language, and little or no sexual dialogue or situations.

TV-PG: This program contains material that parents may find unsuitable for younger children. Programs rated TV-PG contain material that parental guardians may find inappropriate for younger children.

TV-14: This program contains some material that many parents would find unsuitable for children under 14 years of age. Programs rated TV-14 may contain some material that parental guardians may find unsuitable for children under the age of 14. The FCC warns that “Parents are cautioned to exercise some care in monitoring this program and are cautioned against letting children under the age of 14 watch unattended.”

TV-MA: This program is specifically designed to be viewed by adults and therefore may be unsuitable for children under 17. Programs rated TV-MA are usually designed to be viewed by adults. Some content may be unsuitable for children under 17. This rating is seldom used by broadcast networks or local television stations due to FCC restrictions on program content, although it is commonly applied to television programs featured on certain cable channels and pay television networks for both mainstream and pornographic programs.

Additions:

D: Suggestive Dialogue

L: Coarse Language

S: Sexual Content

V: Violence

FV: Fantasy Violence

E/I: Educational & Informative

There are 7 Ratings for Video Games:

EC: Titles rated EC (Early Childhood) have content that may be suitable for ages 3 and older. Contains no material that parents would find inappropriate.

E: Titles rated E (Everyone) have content that may be suitable for general audiences. Titles in this category may contain minimal cartoon, fantasy or mild violence, and/or infrequent use of mild language. For children 6+.

E10+: Titles rated E10+ (Everyone 10 and older) have content that may be suitable for general audiences ages 10 and older. Titles in this category may contain more cartoon, fantasy or mild violence, mild language, and/or minimal suggestive themes.

T: Titles rated T (Teen) have content that may be suitable for persons ages 13 and older. Titles in this category may contain violence, suggestive themes, crude humor, minimal blood, simulated gambling and/or infrequent use of strong language.

M: Titles rated M (Mature) have content that may be suitable for persons ages 17 and older. Titles in this category may contain intense violence, blood and gore, sexual content and/or strong language.

AO: Titles rated AO (Adults Only) have content that should only be played by persons 18 years and older. Titles in this category may include prolonged scenes of intense violence and/or graphic sexual content and nudity.

RP: Titles listed as RP (Rating Pending) have been submitted to the ESRB and are awaiting final rating. (This symbol appears only in advertising prior to a game’s release.)

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Now that you know ratings from some of the other medias out there, do you know what your book falls under?

Earlier when I said that there needs to be at least one more movie rating between PG-13 and R is because the taste between a 13 year old and a 16 year old is vastly different. War and battle to the extent of Saving Private Ryan can actually be read in Young Adult books like The Inheritance Cycle by  Christopher Paolini, The Summoner Series by  Taran Matharu, The Falling Kingdom Series by  Morgan Rhodes, etc. A 16 year old is able to handle graphic violence a little or a lot better then a 13 year old and younger can yet they are stuck in the PG-13 Movie Ratings. The Hunger Games movies in a way suffered when they couldn’t properly portray the violence that was described in the books, therefore underwhelming the fans of the original source material. Video games have Ratings for teenagers of all ages, some games specifically for 13 to 14 year old’s and some for 15 – 17 year old’s. So why can’t we have Movies specifically for 16+? Television shows rated TV-14 get away with way more then a PG-13 movie, there is clearly a problem here and certain Young Adult books with stronger content will suffer immensely if left in movie ratings of PG-13. As I said in the beginning, no one knows a book better then the Author themselves.

If perhaps movies, television shows, and video games is just a bit too much for you at the moment you can try other reading medias such as comic books and mangas. Basically it is like reading your book but with pictures and no I don’t mean a children’s picture book. Detailed drawings with dialogues straight from your own novel, actual depictions of characters and scenes laid out for all to see, exactly as how you described them in your book. George R.R. Martin not only turned his A Game of Thrones Book Series into a show and a short video game but also as a comic book series. Some of the James Bond books also turned into a comic series and some of James Patterson books have been turned into manga series such as his Maximum Ride books and his Witch and Wizard books.

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See, you have many opportunities to turn your books into more then just your book and be able to reach an assortment of fans out there. It is all up to you, how respectful you are towards other medias and how respectful you are towards other types of fans out there will really help let your stories sore. Be open minded, be educated, and spread your wings as far as you can make them, your journey is literally just beginning.

If you guys have any questions about what I just went over please feel free to ask. I hope you liked my little insight on adapting your story, I honestly can’t wait to hear your opinion on this topic. Please stay tune for another post next Wednesday. Thank you all so much for reading and please have a wonderful day.