Sarcastic Voice in Young Adult Fiction
by Mary Kole | Former literary agent, now a freelance editor, writing teacher, and IP/story developer for major publishers and creators.
Is there more to young adult fiction than sarcastic voice? Some manuscript submissions would make it seem otherwise. Many writers think that snark is the end-all be-all of writing young adult fiction. But that’s not all there is. When a Good Story Learning member asked about sarcastic voice in young adult fiction, we decided to address the topic.
There’s More to Young Adult Than Sarcastic Voice
There’s a lot more to young adult fiction than sarcastic voice, but if you use sarcastic voice in a measured and intentional way, you can actually add a lot of layers to your characterization. What is sarcasm? Well, that’s a great question. Sarcasm is an approach to the world, a viewpoint, and a coping mechanism. It’s also a defense mechanism, as well as some genuine humor.
Our favorite part about sarcastic voice? It’s often used to mask a tender heart underneath—vulnerability and authenticity that the person using sarcastic voice usually tries to hide or reject about themselves. Sarcastic voice is great for adding layers to a character, which is necessary for writing contemporary young adult fiction.
Sarcastic voice is popular, as long as writers use it wisely. And as long as there’s more to a teenage character than just sarcasm—that’s an extremely limited and one-dimensional view of writing teenage characters and of sarcastic voice in general. Adding a bit of extra sarcastic voice to a character or manuscript isn't enough to create an instant teen—far from it. To truly capture the essence of sarcastic voice and character, a lot more is required than a few quippy remarks and caustic comments.
Sarcastic Voice Done Poorly
One of our young adult pet peeves is sarcastic voice that’s used at inappropriate times, or is presented in an inauthentic manner. Consistent, well-rounded voice is crucial to publishing a young adult manuscript (or an adult manuscript that features teen characters).
Even though sarcastic voice can be layered and nuanced, not all scenarios lend themselves well to sarcasm or humor. Scenes that are tense, frightening, or especially meaningful can become muddled when rendered in sarcastic voice. (Even dark humor has its place.)
Remember, a lot of tweens and teens use sarcasm to protect themselves from feeling challenged or vulnerable. In more energetic moments, it can become a way to get attention and be the life of the party.
When it comes to key points in your plot, avoid sarcastic voice, as it can drive a wedge into high stakes and flatten story tension. When deep access to character is important, sarcasm can create a barrier between your character and the readers. Sometimes, you want your character to be open and vulnerable, so that your readers will find the event genuinely significant. If your character cracks jokes or doesn't take something important seriously, your readers won't be as tempted to pay attention to it, either.
Peeling Back Layers on Sarcastic Voice
If you’re using sarcastic voice in your young adult fiction, consider the arc of your character’s journey. A character can start out using a lot of sarcasm, but don’t let your teen protagonist get stuck in this mode. Let’s say a character is scared, so he is using sarcasm to mask their lack of regulation. Readers can't really grasp his fear, as the sarcasm is obstructing us from seeing his real emotions. This is fine for the beginning of a story, but you might want to push the character beyond this behavior toward the midpoint, and especially at the end.
When a character finds himself in a tension-filled moment, readers are going to be inclined to care. But when that character resorts to sarcasm and humor—an instinctive self-defense mechanism used to shield against emotion—it can send the message that he’s apathetic.
When it comes to writing young adult fiction, sarcastic voice can be beneficial and timely. But don’t get stuck in one mode. Sarcastic voice should be in the service of the story, and it can’t be the only layer you give to your teenage character. Your use of sarcastic voice needs to be true to the character and story, not a platform for you to display your flair for snark and banter.
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