The Coming of Age Genre
Everyone has a Coming of Age story. Whether you are a child, adolescent, or adult, you can relate to the Coming of Age genre because growing up is something we all have to face. The Coming of Age story is about self-discovery and progression. With this built-in momentum of the story and the main character's evolution, the reader is engaged with a relatable protagonist that will take them places both foreign and familiar. The Coming of Age story is also known as a Bildungsroman, a German term with Bildung meaning education and Roman meaning novel. It is a fitting description of the arc of development and growth found in a Coming of Age story. Now that we know what a Coming of Age story is let's take a look at how to write one.
Why Write In This Genre?
Coming of Age readers are seeking stories about growth, transition, change. This gives you, as a writer, a lot of room to move. You can connect deeply with the reader when you create a protagonist struggling with their identity, kicked from childhood's safety net, and embarks on both an internal and external journey. These relatable characters and plot lines push the reader to reflect on their own development. Making Coming of Age stories the kind of stories that stick with a reader.
Elements Of Coming Of Age Stories
The critical elements of growth for the protagonist include: Gaining Knowledge, Self-Discovery, and Exploration of the outside world. These elements challenge the protagonist's established views and perspective. When the world they've known is thrown into conflict, the protagonist must adapt. The climax of the Coming of Age story is the crossroads of this inner and outer conflict. The protagonist is forced to write a new narrative. While a Coming of Age story can follow a linear direction, a flashback creates more in-depth revelations of the protagonist. As the writer, you can use the flashback to weave the past and present to ratchet up the tension and suspense.
Common Themes
There are many types of Coming of Age stories. I have written in a variety of Coming of Age themes. To get started, consider these themes and samples, which can be found at my website www.leaholbrooksackett.com.
A Physical transformation
Maul It Over
A Spiritual transformation
Raising St. Elisabeth
The Lord's Table, Reservations Required
May include early or delayed maturation of character and sexual identity.
Spit on It
Score
Dismantle parent-child relationship. May be left broken or be reassembled:
How To Make Waffles Like Mom
A Point of Departure
A Bird Cage Nests Within
Man in Black
Developing Sexual Identity/Mystified Sexual Maturation:
Period. Pizza. Poltergeist Eargasm
Disillusionment:
My Rock N Roll Sex Story
First Kiss
Power struggle:
Peanut Butter Incubus
In a Narrow Place
The Family Blend
In the end, the Coming of Age story is an awakening to a reality that had henceforth been unseen and out of reach. The protagonist teaches the reader how and how not to move forward. The writer has a wealth of structure and themes to apply to a dynamic story of growth. Take a look at your favorite Coming of Age stories again. What inspires you? What is your Coming of Age story?
Leah Holbrook Sackett’s published books include Swimming Middle River, White Knight Escort Service, and Raising St. Elisabeth. Additionally, her fourth short story collection, Catawampus in Sweetgum County, is scheduled for publication in spring 2022. She was nominated for a Pushcart Prize and over 75 of her stories have appeared in literary journals. Her stories explore journeys toward autonomy and the boundaries placed on the individual by society, family, and self.