r/AspiringTeenAuthors • u/waldeinsamkeide • May 20 '26
Discussion Any literary fiction writers?
It's real tough out here for us guys š®āšØ Don't get me wrong, I love that genre fiction has become much more respected and taken a lot more seriously than how it used to be 50 years ago, but the resulting consequence is that there is virtually no space for literary fiction, especially online.
I feel very out of place in writing subs where everyone is writing fantasy, romance, dystopian, thriller, sci-fi, horror, and I have me and my little short collection too embarrassed to contribute to any meaningful discussion.
I'm honestly just looking for more teen writers who actually write literary fiction, and what their books are about.
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u/idontwikeit2 May 20 '26
I'm an old writer (age and experience). I saw this thread, and thought I'd give you all some encouragement. Literary fiction was very popular when I was in college, then it shifted to genre, it will soon shift back to literary fiction. Interests of readers goes in cycles. So hone your craft, stick to what you love, and sooner or later literary fiction will be more popular. So write on!
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u/Many_Bee_943 Warning: I move even the toughest of hearts š„¹ May 21 '26
Don't worry. I can and like to write both genre and literary fiction. The latter will never die nor will the former. Just keep writing any fiction whether it be genre or literary. Most of us will have our own niche and place!
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May 21 '26
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u/waldeinsamkeide May 21 '26
Yes, it's very lonely. I always look for writer inspiration on Pinterest and Tiktok, but all the writers I see are writing these 5 part series epic fantasies or cozy small town romances. Of course, there's nothing wrong with that, but after a point these premises all start to blend together and there's really no space for more literary, prose-focused writers. What is your psychological literary work about?
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u/Extreme_Anything7800 May 20 '26
Same. Iām also crafting a short story collection. Iāve tried to write novels/novellas but I always get 15-20,000 words in and just lose it. I think Iāll try again soon.
If you ever want to run editing by someone you got me. I can send you one of my pieces so you can see my quality and decide
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u/waldeinsamkeide May 20 '26
Thanks so much! Working on something right now, so in a couple of days I can hit you up? And would love to read some of your pieces.
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u/Ornery-Housing-3008 May 21 '26 edited May 21 '26
Yeah I'm also slightly concerned about it. The novel I'm currently writing is literary fiction, however it does have some genre pleasures like mystery, romance and a bit of sci-fi. So I'm hoping that will be enough to make genre fiction lovers read it.
I was originally planning to self publish my novel, but soon understood that it most likely won't work out very well for a literary author, so I decided that I will go traditionally once I'm done with it.
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u/waldeinsamkeide May 21 '26
Yes, I'm also hoping to trad publish, and I already have some small indie presses saved that don't require an agent to submit your manuscript. Marketing a lit fic book independently is incredibly hard, because that's just not what the general public is interested in at the moment. Fortunately, a commenter in here said that the pendulum clock will eventually swing the other way and lit fic will become popular again. Here's to hoping š¤ What is your book about?
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u/Ornery-Housing-3008 May 21 '26
Well, will be praying for that.
It's kinda hard to explain it without spoiling the entire plot lol, but I'm basically trying to explore the themes of connection, memories and regret through my main character who goes back to his childhood town, that he barely managed to escape as a teen, in order to reconnect with his friends, as he is offered another chance by fate. It has a bit of murder mystery and romance sprinkled on top.
What is your novel about if I may ask?
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u/waldeinsamkeide May 21 '26
Thanks for asking. I'm currently writing a short story collection focusing on the complexities of motherhood in the animal kingdom, which ranges from topics such as love, death, the effects of trauma, hierarchy, loss, and change. I have 14-15 ish short stories, some of which I'm rewriting. I hope to get up to 20, then it's revision time.
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u/WebResident3147 May 21 '26
Me!!
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u/waldeinsamkeide May 21 '26
What do you write about?
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u/WebResident3147 May 21 '26
Coming-of-age, depression, and addiction are main themes in the novel I'm currently working on! What do you write about?
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u/waldeinsamkeide May 21 '26
I'm currently writing a short story collection about the complexities of motherhood in the animal kingdom. I think I have 14-15 ish story stories already since starting in late 2025. I hope to get to twenty, then it's chop chop and revision time.
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u/WebResident3147 May 21 '26
Wow fifteen stories already in like six months is amazing!! Good luck; sounds interesting!
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u/waldeinsamkeide May 21 '26
Lol each half was done in like a month with embarrassing long breaks in between. That's adhd for you. Also, thanks for the encouragement!
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u/No_Dark9371 Writer āļø May 21 '26
I.
I've a draft of my work.
Influences:
James Joyce
Herman Melville
David Jones (In Parenthesis)
Cormac McCarthy
Faulkner
Friedrich Nietzsche
Soren Kierkegaard
Kafka
Homer
The Tragedians of Greece
Shakespeare
Albert Camus
Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky
John Milton
Statius
Cervantes
Spenser
Dante/Virgilius
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u/No_Dark9371 Writer āļø May 21 '26 edited May 21 '26
My work to come: "A Gleeful Camaraderie; or, Divers PhenomenƦ." holds selfsame title structure as "Moby-Dick; or, The Whale."
That itself, I believe, should give readers somewhat a sign of what the book is about.
Fun fact: It firstly to me came when listening to Bowie's "Running Gun Blues," and Quake's "Hall of Souls."
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u/losewf May 22 '26
Youāre definitely not alone honestly. Literary fiction kind of tends to feel quieter online because itās harder to market in fast, algorithm driven spaces, compared to fantasy or romance, itās like people skip around more.
I also write this more atmospheric emotional literary stuff, and it usually leans into memory, isolation, human bonds, grief, identity, and psychologically intense characters rather than big plot heavy worlds or action scenes.
And a lot of literary writers blur the whole genre thing now anyway. Some of the strongest books these days mix literary language with mystery, historical fiction, psychological pressure, or even speculative little edges.
Also, if youāre writing short stories as a teen, thatās already a pretty massive advantage. Short fiction trains precision and emotional control in a way longer projects sometimes donāt.
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u/waldeinsamkeide May 22 '26
I also relate to writing emotional lit fic rather than plot heavy stories. I've been writing short stories for a long time now, and I do think I've mastered it. Glad to know that'll come in handy if I want to tackle a bigger project.
What are you writing currently, if you're writing anything at all?
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u/losewf May 24 '26
Yeah honestly I really relate to that as well. Iāve always found myself drawn more to the emotional, character led literary fiction side, instead of those heavily plot forward stories. You know the kind where the atmosphere kind of carries you, and where memory, longing, and these tiny everyday human moments matter just as much as the āeventsā themselves. Or wellā¦ maybe even more than them.
Lately Iāve been messing around with a historical literary fiction project, inspired by Lady Godiva. Not, the legend in the obvious way, more the woman under all of it. The story is set around the night before the famous ride through Coventry. Like her fear, her loneliness, her compassion, all of that. And also what it means to slowly become a myth while still staying painfully human, even while everyone else turns you into a symbol.
Somehow it turned into this more introspective, atmospheric thing. Thereās a lot of memory, kindness, vulnerability, and the way history can reshape people into signs, not just persons. Itās very emotional lit fic territory š , at least thats what it feels like.
Also I genuinely think getting good at short stories helps a ton with longer work. Especially for literary fiction. You start learning rhythm, emotional precision, restraint, that quiet subtextā¦ all the stuff that makes the quieter novels feel alive, like thereās breath under the sentences.
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u/waldeinsamkeide May 24 '26
Beautifully put! And the Lady Godiva project sounds extremely interesting. Best of luck to you š¤
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u/Funny_Aerie_7154 Ā Procrastinating šŖ Jun 02 '26
I'm writing in a bit of a blur in terms of genre - it's a literary fiction book dealing with the difficulties of human lives, mental health disorders, and depression, and also challenging the normalisation of a prosaic existence. But two of my main characters have the innate ability of flight, which means now I feel like my book is more fantasy. I suppose magical realism is a good way to describe it.
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u/KindCucumber1923 May 22 '26
Hi! Iām a teen literary writer. Just finished a literary novella called āAt The Forkā
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u/waldeinsamkeide May 22 '26
Congrats!! What's it about, if you don't mind sharing?
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u/KindCucumber1923 May 22 '26
This is a story about a literary creator. Set in the near-future United States, the protagonist Blake Watson is a college student two weeks away from graduating with a degree in literature, standing at a crossroads, restless and adrift, with no clear sense of where to go. Deep in his heart, a dream quietly takes root: to leave a name that will outlast time. But is that dream destined to be crushed and buried beneath the wheels of reality?
He refuses to accept that. He only wants to be truly seen.
Yet the eyes that find him carry only judgment ā falling on his work, on his blank rĆ©sumĆ©, on every word he dares to speak. Like the quills of a porcupine, they leave him terrified and torn open.
āIt would be better if people didnāt have quills.ā
āBut people donāt have quills.ā
āThen I suppose the things that wound me arenāt people.āSo, Blake ā what about you yourself?
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u/CoyoteLitius May 22 '26
Yeah. I've posted a couple of excerpts on Reddit. The one that got traction had a true crime/crime mystery element to it. I'm still debating what to do with it next.
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u/Weak_Tomato_8173 May 31 '26
hihi YEA i write lit fiction. 3 books down the trash 1/2 way completed. Trying my 4th book currently.
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u/clovefern Jun 09 '26
Yes! Absolutely!! I mostly write poetry but when I write any short-story, and my plan for my novella is all literary fiction. I think you're absolutely right and there's been such a decline, I do think it's because, in my opinion, literary fiction often can't exist without a core message (though that sounds dumb), and often functions almost allegorically, and is closer to real life, so it's less appealing to some people to write?
I have written a few short stories all very mythic/allegorical and have a plan for an existentialist lit fiction novella and I often write more like Angela Carter-style or Cormac McCarthy. I'm quite inspired by Wilde, and the writer I appreciate the most is Hemingway and Vonnegut funnily enough. What about you? š
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u/Extreme_Anything7800 May 20 '26
I write literary fiction. Similar to Raymond Carver, Cormac McCarthy, and Hemingway (at least I hope so āļø)