A teen in a dystopian world rebels against the tyrannical government. An average high schooler falls for the mysterious new girl at school. A group of friends take the road trip of a lifetime. Sound familiar? That’s because the successful world of YA fiction is full of these kinds of characters and stories. In reality, it’s all a bit different.

John Hansen noticed this after comparing his typical day to that of a YA protagonist.

Sometimes I spend all day doing homework and then look at YA characters who save worlds and I’m just like, HOW DO THEY FIND THE TIME???

— John Hansen (@ABoredAuthor) Twitter | Instagram | Tumblr | Pheed |