Your Story CAN Go ANYWHERE. Really.

Yesterday I had the following conversation on Twitter that really got me thinking about what makes a book "work":


He did WHAT?!

AUTHOR (Who shall remain nameless): If someone chewed a fetus from its mother in one of *my* books, people would say I was just being gross. But this is OK in YA, apparently.

@AimeeLSalter to AUTHOR: I think it's an example that you can do ANYTHING in fiction if you establish the characters / motivations strong enough.

AUTHOR to @AimeeLSalter: or just an example of something really silly :)

@AimeeLSalter to AUTHOR: That too. Like I said, you can do ANYTHING...

And the more I thought about it, the more I realized that the age old 'plausibility' factor isn't dependent on your plotpoints. At all.

Bestselling Examples (10 points if you can name all the books without use of anything but your grey matter):

- Children killing each other for televised sport.
- "Demonbabies" bitten out of human mother's tummy by vampire father.
- An entire magical realm hidden accessed via a London train platform.
- Greek mythological Gods alive and well in modern-day America and hiding their children behind 'stinky' stepfathers.

The list goes on - fallen angels who fall in love with humans, reincarnated lovers, a world where everyone dies before they reach the ripe old age of 25...

See what I mean? I write fantasy, so believe me, I hit this a lot.

If you describe plot-points out of context you'll get everything from blank looks to revulsion. But that's because taken in isolation, most fiction is purely unbelievable.

The skill is in weaving a world so tangible, characters so relatable and (the element lacking in many maiden manuscripts, I think) the motivations so solid that the reader can't doubt them.

The technical term is 'suspension of disbelief' and it means that you've captured the imagination of the reader so completely, they stop asking questions.

The problem is, suspension of disbelief, that magical moment in which anything is possible, requires engagement of the logical brain. (Reader says, "Say what?").

Bear with me:

Element #1 - World Building. Set the rules, then stick to them. Readers are fine with a different kind of law, just as long as the author is an adherent. Problems only arise when you change the game - when the author springs something unestablished into the mix to save the day.

Element #2 - Relatable Characters. Your protagonist can be human, creature, past, present or future, or a conglomerate of everything. But whoever they are, they must experience real emotion. (And you should define 'real' as: What the reader believes someone would feel if they were in the Protag's shoes). The thing a reader resonates with isn't the world. It's the character whose eyes they're watching the story behind. If that character doesn't feel in realistic ways, no manner of world-building or plotting will save your story.

To hammer the point home: Feeling realistically doesn't mean author-telling-reader how to feel. It means letting them see the events unfold, see the body language of the other characters, and giving them enough information about the people to measure the emotional journey for themselves.

Element #3 - Established Motive. Let's take the currently abhorrent-to-some plotpoint of a certain book / movie in which the vampire father of a half-breed baby literally bites the child out of the (conscious!) mother's womb.

Taken at face value like that, it sounds horrific. But for readers of the series, who've bought into the world and fallen in love with the characters, the development is so logical as to barely warrent notice.

- We know the physical strengths and limitations of these characters (including the child).
- We know the world they're in, and the clear and present dangers.
- We know the apparently brutal physical interaction is actually a desperate attempt on the father's life to keep his wife and child alive.
- We know the mother has risked her own life to this point for the sake of the child, and wants the people around her to do anything to save it.

When we're deep in the world and the characters heads, it makes sense.

When you write it down, it looks awful.

So, take heart dear writerly friends - it's my belief there's no such thing as a 'no go zone' in plotting. But, you have to have the character development and motivational foundation to make the scary, gory, freakish or fantastical seem logical.

Your Turn: Have you ever read a book that didn't provide the motivational foundation to let you suspend disbelief?

What "The Twilight Effect" Tells This YA Author

Thanks to everyone who's been showing up for the debate.  It's been eye-opening for me.  I'm sure I'll keep thinking about these issues long into the future and my (hopefully) flourishing publishing career.  But I sincerely hope never to blog about it again - ha!   (On that note: tune in later this week for more self-editing tips).

So what was the point of all that?   For me, this was about finding out what others think so I could make some decisions and plans for myself as a YA author.  I've come to some conclusions.  They may or may not agree with yours.  But here they are if you're interested:


What Should I Focus on When Writing a Protagonist for the Teen Set?

Regarding Character Intentions:

In the past ten days we've witnessed a slice of the polarizing affect of the Twilight books.  Some authors laud them, others abhor them.  Some see a picture of true love, others see an unhealthy, controlling stalker leading a teenage girl down the garden path.

What does that tell me?  That no matter what I write, the events and intentions of the characters will be viewed through the filter of the reader's experience and personal feelings.  And that means I have almost no control over how it's perceived.

I'm NOT saying I should just rush off and write every kind of imaginable mind-game, or unhealthy example because it's easy and they're all going to read it how they read it anyway.

I AM saying that even with the best of intentions, it's likely some readers will still find something icky or uncomfortable about some of the decisions my characters make.

Solution?  Make sure the characters intentions are clear.  Crystal clear.  I'm not suggesting Edward should have looked Bella in the eye and whispered "I'm doing this because I'm afraid for your life.  This is completely about you and has nothing to do with me trying to control events - Capeche?"  If I tried to spell out intentions that clearly, my book will be a boring tome no-one wants to read.

Instead, I'm going to make sure that if there are potential 'muddy waters' about an action or intention of one of my characters, that other scenes will shed light on it.  I'll make sure the reader knows either that the action the character took was wrong (by demonstrating consequences for the bad choice), or by ensuring that the character whose intention could be misread, demonstrates the selfless / positive attitude in another area, hopefully leading the reader to draw the conclusion that those same intentions could be applied to the muddy-waters scene.

I'm using that word 'demonstrate' on purpose.  That means I'm going to show, not tell.  Let my characters be seen making good choices, and let them be seen paying for any bad choices they may make.  Then, if I'm ever forced to 'defend' my book, I reference specific foundational characterizations and actions to back up my point.


Regarding Romantic / Sexual Relationships

I think this aspect of writing for teens is probably the most crucial.  More than any other time in our lives, our teen years (generally) hold a strong focus of understanding ourselves in the context of romantic relationships.  Because I'm heterosexual, my experience to draw on is as a teen girl trying to understand teen guys.  That's what I'll write.  That's what I know. 

But I've learned A LOT about men and relationships in my 35 years.  I'm going to try and put my characters in situations that allow them to learn some of the hard lessons I maybe didn't learn until later in life.  I'd love to get teens thinking in adult terms about the relationships they're entering, because these days, most of the relationships become very 'adult' at a very young age.

In my opinion, judgement, prohibition and shame have no place in a dialogue with teens about love and sex. 

Solution? Where possible, depict an adult's understanding of caution, consequences and self-preservation  -  emotional self-preservation too (an aspect of sexual relationships I think is critically overlooked, yet which can create even greater issus in the long run than physical interactions).

I'll take my worldview, my experience, and my 'advice' and (hopefully) present to teens a realistic depiction of the decisions they face.  When I write situations that are negative, I'll show realistic consequences.  When I write situations that are positive, I'll reward the characters for the right choice.

Again, I want to demonstrate to these young hearts and minds that every decision they make will have downstream effects.  But I don't want to lecture.  I just want to get them thinking ahead - so hopefully, when they're in that situation themselves, they can remember what my book told them about the consequences and rewards.  They don't have to follow my characters' examples (good or bad), but hopefully they'll at least understand them.

That is the best way I can see to be a positive role-model myself, in my writing.


What Responsibility Do I Have for the Messages Young Readers Derive from My Fiction? 

All of it.  But again, even with the best intent, some readers will see things in my fiction I never intended to write.

Solution?  I think this needs a double-pronged approach: 

1. Technical writing that demonstrates my perceptions of events and intentions as closely as possible

I already discussed this above, so go back and read it again if you aren't sure what I mean.

2. An openness and accessibility to young readers that offers them the chance to ask questions.

I learned from reading bestselling YA author Ally Carter's "For Writers"  young readers are FAR more likely to actually tweet, email, comment in blogs, etc, etc, etc.  She suggests that aspiring authors ought to expect a great deal of contact from young readers - and figure out how they're going to handle that.

To me this suggests a prime opportunity to actually spell out areas of the books that readers may question - to offer information only an author can know about how the character's think and feel, and why they act the way they do.

Of course, if my book is successful, the 'opportunities' could be endless, so I'll have to figure out the boundaries when the time comes.  But if my books ever engender even a fraction of Ms. Meyer's interest, I think I'll have a 'Questions for the Author' page on my site.  I'll try to let readers ask about any issues raised by the books, and give them my clear and succinct interpretation of events.

In the end though, there's one point we hit on during the debate which I think I will apply to my day to day existence: Talking to teens about what they read and the issues it raises is absolutely critical.

My son, my nieces and nephews, the children of friends I'm close to.... all of these are opportunities to engage with kids and talk to them about what they're reading.  As an author I can offer a unique view on books.  And as someone who loves them, I can help color between the lines.

So that's my takeaway from this debate.  What was yours?

The Twilight Effect - My POV

This post is in response to the debate on this blog last week regarding the influences of YA fiction (specifically the Twilight books) on young readers.  My comments here will be based on the arguments presented in the previous four posts, so if you aren't familiar with them, feel free to check them out here.

I spent last week in a breathless, sitting-on-hands state of heightened mentalness.  As a champion debater in a former life, I struggled to keep my mouth shut.  By the time Friday rolled around, some of the viewpoints were getting inside my head.  I'd begun debating with myself.  And that, while always interesting, can be dangerous.

I discovered every post had points I agreed with, and points I didn't.  But the points of contention are so much more fun, aren't they?  So... I'm going to take advantage of being the 'owner' of the blog, and indulge my need for a voice in some of the points raised by both sides of the debate.  (NB: This isn't in any way intended to disrespect the prior contributors - I really appreciate the time and energy they put into this series.  These are simply the comments I would have made if I'd been engaging in the debate as it happened).

I'll only make one disclaimer: I don't believe a fictional character can (or should) ever TRULY be taken literally as a role-model.  But I see the argument, so am addressing these comments in that vein.  But if I had my way, none of us would see Bella in that light. 

Feel free to barbeque me in the comments.  I'm a big girl.  I can take it.  And I'll try to respond to everyone. 

Ready?  'Cos here we go:


Re:  INTRODUCTORY POST - Jasmin said...

"...I hate this series. I hate it with a consuming passion that has become the focus of my academia...."

"Hate" is an incredibly strong word - especially when levelled at the work of an individual you don't personally know.

I would actually be more concerned about teens hearing a strong, intelligent women using that word so implicitely against someone / something else, than the messages Twilight may (or may not) send.  I believe it implies that either a) the speaker is intentionally trying to stir up strong feelings in the audience, or b) there is some reason to believe the speaker cannot view the subject matter objectively. 

I don't believe either of those was your intention, but I wish you had chosen another way to phrase it.  On a specific point:
"...I reserve my right to hate a narrative that wants us to adore a guy who rips the engine out of his girlfriend's truck so she can't go to see her best friend."

And you can.  Except, that isn't why he did it.  The characters' conversation and the circumstances surrounding this incident very clearly demonstrate that Edward's desire is to keep Bella away from dangerous werewolves - not from a friend she cares about.  He does nothing to separate her from other friends - in fact, he spends the entire series encouraging her away from himself and into the more 'normal' circumstances and relationships available to her.

This kind of statement - to me - smacks of someone using circumstances or basic facts, without recognizing the underlying 'spirit' of the situation.  Is it dangerous to be in a relationship with a guy who would rip the starter out of your car to stop you seeing a friend?  YES.  Is it dangerous to be in a relationship with someone who would rip the starter out of your car to stop you from going into a life-threatening situation?  NO.  In fact, we should all be so lucky.

When read in context, I believe this incident demonstrates a great deal of selfless love.  Edward knows Bella will be upset with him for doing this.  He does it anyway because his fear for her life outweighs his fear of losing her to Jacob.

I want my teenage nieces to seek out a love that is willing to sacrifice self and comfort, for the good of the other person.  When both people act with the other's best interests in mind, both people's needs will be met.

Did you ever ask yourself about Edwards intentions, or only get hot under the collar about the way he chose to inact them?


Post #1 - Joshua Weed said...

"...If I were her counselor, I would be focusing my therapeutic efforts on building Bella's self-esteem and trying to resolve the attachment issues she has with her father in order to broaden her perspective about relationships with the opposite sex."

There's no doubt Bella's relationship with her father was stilted, particularly in the beginning of Twilight.  But I think anyone who believes a teenage daughter's relationship with her father doesn't come under some serious remolding during those years is sadly mistaken.  Bella and Charlie go a long way to show love for each other - even demonstrating care when the other doesn't know it. 

Before Bella becomes 'obsessed' with Edward, she chooses to move out of state to allow her mother the time and space to develop her own marriage; to feed and care for her Dad when it's obvious he doesn't really know how to do that for himself; to remain quiet even when friends around her are demonstrating typical teenage foolishness.  All very mature and self-aware demonstrations of understanding and love.

In fact, the only areas I see Bella fall into feelings of inadequacy remain generally under the headings of 'beauty' and 'physical prowess' - and let's be honest, as a teenage girl those themes are unavoidable. 

Yet, despite these feelings , Bella doesn't sabotage the relationship, go fishing for compliments, start a diet - or do any of the things we ladies are often guilty of doing even into adulthood: trying to change ourselves to make ourselves good enough for the person whose attention we'd like to attract.  Instead, she recognizes her feelings to herself, then keeps right on living in the way she thinks she should.

That is, in my opinion, a fantastic role model for any young woman.  I'd like to see more IRL people taking that approach to insecurity.  And I would hate to see that 'counselled' out of anyone.


Post #2 - Kate Nash said...

"...The book explores a relationship in which a girl changes everything about her life for a boy, because he is perfect and she is flawed."

See the notes above re the previous post.  I'd like you to qualify this statement, because I can find no evidence that Bella changed anything about herself for Edward.  In fact, their ongoing conflict is usually sparked by her insistence on doing things as she believes they should be done, regardless of his opinion / desire to protect her.


"...I really feel that fiction, particularly fiction written for the wide consumption of an adolescent audience, lacks representation of a lot of areas that are really important...Often, even when they are included, disabled, colored, and LGBTQI characters are portrayed in stereotypical ways, or exist as an embodiment of those characteristics..."

Firstly, writers write what we know.  The call for minority group novels should be made to minority group writers.  My personal experience: I've yet to find an atheist who realistically (and unstereotypically)  depicts the internal struggle for a teen of biblical faith.  I'd be offended if they claimed to fully understand my journey.  For the same reason, I wouldn't think to impose my ideals and imaginings on an LGBTQI teen because chances of me getting it more right than wrong are so slim, I'd probably hurt them more than help.

That doesn't mean I don't care for or want to see literature released for teens who live those issues every day, only that I'm not equipped to write for them. 

Secondly, I think this is a much more pragmatic and business-based issue than you may want to admit. 

Publishers are in business to sell books.  Minority demographics will never buy as many books, because there are, by their very definition, fewer of them.  I don't believe any publisher turns a book down because it's 'not white and priviledged enough' or 'the characters are too sexually fringe'.  They turn a book down because their marketing department tells them they'll only sell 1000 units - whereas that book over there will sell 100,000.

I agree that issues of race and sexuality are prominent for teens and good books addressing these issues should be published.  But I am not going to hold my breath for the Big Six to start buying and marketing them because the pure truth is: democracy and capitalism are built on the majority.  And in America the majority of book buyers are white, cis, and want to read about similiar characters because they find them more accessible, and relatable.  Change that fact and you will change the Big Six marketing plans, you'll change the landscape of YA literature - and more power to you.

For now, this is where independent publishers, self-publishing and e-publishing have a huge role to play.  I'd highly recommend you do some research: Stories, novellas, poems and even books based on the kinds of characters that you want to see (and, more importantly, written by authors who themselves fit into those minority demographics, so can write them realistically and without cliche) are out there.  They just aren't on the front table at your Barnes and Noble.


Post #3 - Erica said...

"...In Twilight, Bella Swan is so entranced by Edward that she ignores what may be good for her (i.e. school, Jacob, real friends, Mike Newton) you know, some degree of normalcy. In fact, author and assistant professor of Theology at Wheaton College says, “The romance in Twilight is all consuming…the books use words like obsessed or consumed to describe Bella’s feelings for Edward” (Jones, 2009, p. 20)..."

Why are Jacob and Mike Newton classed as 'real' and 'good' things, but Edward classed as 'bad'?  Because he isn't - to use your word - normal?

An overriding flaw in the teenage psyche (or the adult psyche, for that matter), is the inability to believe they can step outside of social norms and cultural rules to find love, peace, contentment. 

More teens need to experience a consuming love that is all-encompassing.  Most wander through their childhoods feeling lost and alone.  Someone loving them despite their flaws, with their best interests in mind, and without reservation would be a good thing.

If my sixteen-year-old niece met a young man whose concern for her demonstrated anything like Edward's determination for her health and wellbeing, I'd be happy to see her consumed by it.  Selfless love is a beautiful thing, and far too rare in this day and age.  That, in my opinion, is the very crux of why this book (series) has been so successful:  Deep down, we all want to be loved that way - and we'd happily give up our 'normal' existences to have it.


Post #4 - Kat Kruger said...

"The shallowness of Bella's character, to me, is in her inability to define herself as a person without being in a relationship..."

Did we read the same book?  If she defined herself by the relationship with Edward, she wouldn't defy him so dramatically on so many different occasions.  As well, this is a girl who left her established, apparently happy life in Arizona to make the incredibly selfless and mature decision to give her mother the freedom to enjoy her new marriage.  Her personality, sense of style and value-set remained unchanged for the duration of the books.  She does not define herself by this relationship - she does define 'true love'.  And if, in real life, someone found a genuine 'true love', I'd defy anyone to find fault with working towards a compromise in order to keep it.

If you are implying it's possible to be in a successful relationship without compromise or flexibility, we might as well stop talking.  Mutual sacrifice is very the foundation for a strong relationship.  It doesn't mean we don't have boundaries we won't cross, or lines we won't hold to.  It does mean figuring out which of our previous lines and boundaries are actually important.  It means when conflict arises, we have to find a medium ground - somewhere we're both happy.  And it only works when both people are willing to do it.  If Bella insisted on remaining static, unmoved, inflexible on everything, she wouldn't be in a relationship at all, let alone defined by it. 


"...She's completely consumed with Edward because he's gorgeous. She ditches all her friends to enter into a relationship where he has all the power. And really she has no depth written into her character in any way..."

First:  She is attracted to Edward because he's attractive.  She falls in love with him and continues to admire his beauty.  Who of us doesn't want to continue to find our love attractive after the novelty has worn off?  But aside from that, though she speaks to herself about his beauty, she is consumed by who he is and her love for him, not what he looks like. 

Second:  She is, realistically, melodramatic and isolated by the breakup with Edward.  Most of us who thought we were in love in high school have been there at some point.  It isn't a bad example, it's an honest one.  Bella, thankfully, returns to other relationships BEFORE Edward comes back - again, a realistic depiction of the natural flow of these things. 

"...I just feel like girls need stronger female role-models than that, not weepy damsels who fling themselves off cliffs when they're dumped by a boy..."

I'll say it again: Bella didn't fling herself off a cliff because she'd been dumped.  She'd seen Jacob's friends cliff-diving and decided to try it, in search of an adrenalin rush that might evoke an hysterical hallucination of sorts.  It was a dumb thing to do, but she's seventeen!  She wasn't trying to kill herself.  She wasn't trying to get anyone's attention.  She was just doing something she thought would make her feel better.  Stupid?  Yes, but not a damsel in sight. 

To sum up:  Read the books, people.  Stop spinning events to match your desire to argue them.

Oh, and regarding the 'girls need stronger female role-models' comment... see tomorrow's post.

So that's my two cents. 

Your thoughts?  Responses?  I'll be listening and happy to discuss any of these points in detail (and via gentlemanly debate) in the comments or via email if you prefer.

Writers Debate "The Twilight Effect" - Post #4 for the Opponents

NOTE: This is the last of the contributing writers' submissions in the Twilight debate.  Tune in Monday for The Final Word... from me.  (Yeah, you'll get over it).

If this is your first visit, check out the introductory post for this debate, along with Post #1, Post #2 and Post #3 for alternative views.


Disclaimer: In an effort to open honest dialogue, I’m allowing guest contributors to express their thoughts without interference or moderation. Therefore, the views and opinions expressed in this blog post do not necessarily represent my views and opinions.  If you want that, you'll have to come back on Monday. 

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Kat Kruger writes:


As authors who are specifically targeting a pre-teen to teen demographic, I think there's an inherit obligation to write responsibly. In a world where anorexic and often shallow women dominate entertainment news, do we really need our books to reinforce these awful conventions?


I enjoyed Twilight for what it was. The rest of the books made me really mad. Teenage girls don't have a lot of great role-models out there particularly in a world that's obsessed with celebrity culture. The shallowness of Bella's character, to me, is in her inability to define herself as a person without being in a relationship. She's completely consumed with Edward because he's gorgeous. She ditches all her friends to enter into a relationship where he has all the power. And really she has no depth written into her character in any way. I just feel like girls need stronger female role-models than that, not weepy damsels who fling themselves off cliffs when they're dumped by a boy.

New Moon was really awful. I’ve never hated a protagonist so much for her sheer impotence and social inertia. There was something about the first book/film in the series that spoke to the tween girl somewhere in me that was lost in the rest of the series.

I take issue with the fact that Bella is one of the most pathetic female protagonists ever put to paper. Real true love means taking the good with the bad. Not dumping someone because your “brother” can’t control his killer instincts. But just because someone who you think is your soul mate does happen to dump you, it doesn’t give you the right to mope yourself into oblivion. And puh-lease! You’re so not going to die because of that gut-wrenching stomach ache. Get over yourself, Bella. You think you’re the only person who’s been dumped in the existence of humankind? I get that she’s a teenage girl but seriously the drama queen act was way over the top.

I’d hate to think that generations of girls are going to be reading this shoddy example of a female protagonist. The damsel in distress mode of thinking that’s predominant in the books is not something young girls should be reading. At least not without context from a parent or guardian. Some of that context should include the fact that it wasn’t very long ago that women were considered property not people.

Kat Kruger
http://katiekruger.com/
http://twitter.com/#!/katkruger


What do you think?  Comment here and come back Monday for The Final Word... (*insert dramatic music here*)

Writers Debate "The Twilight Effect" - Post #3 for the Advocates

If this is your first visit, check out the introductory post for this debate, along with Post #1 and Post #2 for alternative views.


Disclaimer: In an effort to open honest dialogue, I’m allowing guest contributors to express their thoughts without interference or moderation. Therefore, the views and opinions expressed in this blog post do not necessarily represent my views and opinions. If you’re not sure, ask. I’ll tell you.

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Erica Smith writes:

Twilight is a wonderful novel mainly because of its unique setting, how the novel was concepted and the love triangle between the teenagers. The series itself is harmless. It is fantasy and is based on a dream the author had. However, real life, teenaged girls and their perspective on love may be affected by Stephenie Meyer’s series - or other series like hers.


After reading the books, I felt moved by the characters and their interaction with one another. I did not pay attention to the writing (grammar, syntax, spellings and such), but was concentrating on the aspects of “teen love” depicted. The potential for harm from this series or any series exploiting teen love is the subtle behaviors.

In Twilight, Bella Swan is so entranced by Edward that she ignores what may be good for her (i.e. school, Jacob, real friends, Mike Newton) you know, some degree of normalcy. In fact, author and assistant professor of Theology at Wheaton College says, “The romance in Twilight is all consuming…the books use words like obsessed or consumed to describe Bella’s feelings for Edward” (Jones, 2009, p. 20). \

Real teenagers do not have to choose between a vampire or a werewolf to fulfill sensual demands.

In the story, both males are monsters and the heroine(if I may call Bella that), must choose between the two evils. In actuality, youth do face these challenges. Many young people do not know who and what are good for them at such a young age. That is where the wisdom of parents comes in.

Read these books with your youth; ask them questions about the content. Young adult novels are great to get folks reading again and asking the hard questions. Visiting helpful websites to start a discussion like this one is another great place to begin.

Resources - Jones, B.F. (2009) Touched by a Vampire. Springs, CO: Multnomah


E.J. Smith
freshdesigns4u@gmail.com
http://www.brasshandsbooks.weebly.com/


YOUR TURN:  What do you think? Comment here and come back tomorrow for the next contribution.

Writers Debate The Twilight Effect - Post #2 for the Opponents

The opening post for this series can be found here and includes the background and intent for this debate.  The first post from the Advocates is here.  Feel free to check these out if this is your first visit.

Each contributor in this series is introduced as either an “Opponent” (someone who doesn’t believe the Twilight books offer a healthy and / or harmless reading experience) or an “Advocate” (someone who does believe the Twilight books are healthy and / or harmless). Neither title is intended to offend or divide. Merely to categorize.

Your chance to jump into the fray is the comments below the post. But please keep in mind: While healthy debate is encouraged, trolling, swearing and personal insults are not.

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Disclaimer: In an effort to open honest dialogue, I’m allowing guest contributors to express their thoughts without interference or moderation. Therefore, the views and opinions expressed in this blog post do not necessarily represent my views and opinions. If you’re not sure, ask. I’ll tell you.


Kate E. A. Nash writes:

I'm one of the readers who feels that Twilight glorifies emotionally abusive relationships, has a negative and gendered view of sexual relationships, and contains extremely backward messages.

Edward's behavior in Twilight is obsessive and controlling, but depicted as romantic and perfect. The book explores a relationship in which a girl changes everything about her life for a boy, because he is perfect and she is flawed. Not only that, but I see some really racist tropes at play in Meyer's work, specifically involving the werewolves as Native Americans and savages.

Twilight romanticizes white privilege; the perfect is white, the perfect romance is white, the perfect family with money and education -- they're all white. It's a privilegepalooza in which everybody who is anybody is cis* (actually no one in Twilight isn't cis.), straight, white, and at least middle class. While I realize that Jacob isn't white, at the end of the day, he doesn't get the girl. He's not portrayed with the everloving language that Edward is afforded.

I really feel that fiction, particularly fiction written for the wide consumption of an adolescent audience, lacks representation of a lot of areas that are really important. While the landscape of YA is slowly changing, with the inclusion of LGBTQI characters in the series of such NY Bestsellers as Cassandra Clare, LGBTQI characters are still largely a minority. Often, even when they are included, disabled, colored, and LGBTQI characters are portrayed in stereotypical ways, or exist as an embodiment of those characteristics. These characters are often defined by that which makes them "other". I'm sure many remember talk of the whitewashing of book covers, which has been going on for a VERY long time.

I don't want to say that every book should be about racial or political things. I don't think that. But I do think that it's important to notice this stuff, to push boundaries and admit that hey, the assumption that the MC of my book should be white, cis, etc, is ridiculous and should be challenged! I have seen Twitter replies to authors where teens thank them for including a gay character, because it made them feel better. That's a small example of why this is important.

* The term ”cis” refers to: "individuals who have a match between the gender they were assigned at birth, their bodies, and their personal identity", as defined by Kristen Schilt and Laurel Westbrook.

Submitted by: Kate E. A. Nash
www.twitter.com/kateEAnash

Writers Debate "The Twilight Effect" - Post #1 for the Advocates

The opening post for this series can be found here and includes the background and intent for this debate.  Feel free to check it out if this is your first visit.

Each contributor is introduced as either an “Opponent” (someone who doesn’t believe the Twilight books offer a healthy and / or harmless reading experience) or an “Advocate” (someone who does believe the Twilight books are healthy and / or harmless). Neither title is intended to offend or divide. Merely to categorize.

Your chance to jump into the fray is the comments below the post. But please keep in mind: While healthy debate is encouraged, trolling, swearing and personal insults are not.

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Disclaimer: In an effort to open honest dialogue, I’m allowing guest contributors to express their thoughts without interference or moderation. Therefore, the views and opinions expressed in this blog post do not necessarily represent my views and opinions. If you’re not sure, ask. I’ll tell you.


Joshua Weed writes:

I have had the opportunity to see young readers react to books from the perspective of being a middle school English teacher, as well as from the perspective of being a mental health therapist in a middle school. I feel that this has afforded me an unusual glimpse into the reactions teens have to young adult literature--most especially Twilight.


In my middle school English class about four years ago, a phenomenon took place. I kept seeing a huge tome brought in by my students during their Friday Free Read time wherein the kids were able to read whatever they wished. I had no idea what this book was at the time, but eventually I learned that it was Twilight by Stephenie Meyer. It was absolutely breathtaking.

I saw kids that had literally never read a book in their entire life have their "reader" eyes opened by the Twilight series. I'm talking about students, some of whom came from very troubled households--who had never read a Beverly Cleary novel, and who likely weren't read to as children--reading a book the size of a dictionary. It was remarkable.

While I can understand some of the objections people have to the themes explored in the series, and can in some ways sympathize with those who might claim that Bella Swan's perception of how a guy should treat her isn't the most responsible or "healthy" message from a mental health perspective (i.e. if I were her counselor, I would be focusing my therapeutic efforts on building Bella's self-esteem and trying to resolve the attachment issues she has with her father in order to broaden her perspective about relationships with the opposite sex) I would, nevertheless, tell any girl in the world to read the book anyway. Why? Because at least it opens the door for a girl to be part of the dialogue.

I saw students who had never cared about a fictional text within my class write gargantuan book reports on the Twilight series. And if I pressed them about some of the ideas I might have found mildly objectionable (really I find the books to be quite tame and innocuous for the most part) do you know what happened? Those girls--the ones who previously had never engaged with a text and who previously could not have cared less about the written word or a world created out of thin air by an author--fought back. With language. They constructed sentences, and they had opinions, and they argued points, and the wheels in their head were spinning. They engaged. They cared. They opined. They exposed and persuaded. They were literate.

As a former seventh grade middle school teacher, and as a member of a public ushering forth another generation of potentially technology-inundated, distracted, apathetic readers, I view this as a very, very good thing.

The Weed
http://www.joshweed.com/


Joshua raises some interesting points. What do you think? Comment here and come back tomorrow for the next contribution.

The Twilight Effect - Writers Debate the Influence of Teen Fiction

When I wrote the first post on the last year titled The Stephenie Meyer Effect attempting to get to the bottom of why writers seemed so up in arms about the writing in the Twilight books, I never expected to uncover issues with the content.

It was the comment from Jasmin Elliot (a Tweep, writer and English Lit grad student) that got me mulling over the ethical responsibilities of how authors portray YA characters.

So, in honor of Jasmin’s kick-it-off-etness I’ve decided to use her comment on the original post as our opener.

I'd encourage you to give real consideration to her thoughts, tell us what you think in the comments, then tune in tomorrow for the first contributing viewpoint.

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Disclaimer: In a genuine effort to open a dialogue around the ethics and responsibilities of writing fiction for teens, I’m allowing guest contributors to express their views without interference or moderation. Therefore, the thoughts and opinions expressed in this blog post do not necessarily represent my views and opinions. If you’re not sure – ask. I’ll tell you.

November 28, 2010 @ 1:49pm - Jasmin said...

I've read the entire Twilight series several times over. I am a writer and an English Literature graduate student.

And I hate this series. I hate it with a consuming passion that has become the focus of my academia. I've spoken on Twilight at three conferences now and I don't intend to slow down.

I hate the saga not because it's badly written and popular. Plenty of things qualify under that umbrella.

I hate it because it is marketed to young women and has extremely backwards and damaging messages about how teenaged girls should expect (and want!) to be treated by men. I hate it because so many uninformed adults -- and mothers -- don't seek to interrogate these notions with adolescents, because they're just so glad they're reading, and they either don't know or gloss over the worse implications of the text because they are pleased with its message of abstinence.

What I hate about Twilight is that its level of media saturation means there are a lot of girls who to varying extents look at Bella as a role model, and I think Bella is an extremely dangerous role model to have if a girl is meant to develop a healthy sense of self-worth in her interpersonal relationships.

So. Is it as easy to read as it is to eat a potato chip? Yes, and I will admit to often enjoying novels that are that simple. But I reserve my right to hate a narrative that wants us to adore a guy who rips the engine out of his girlfriend's truck so she can't go to see her best friend.

Jasmin Elliot
http://twitter.com/#!/JasmineElliott


Jasmin raises some interesting issues. What do you think? Comment here and come back tomorrow for the next contribution!

The Stephenie Meyer Effect, Revisited - Strike Two

I want to do a series of blogposts outlining a handful of perspectives on how current YA literature helps and / or harms young people, using specific examples from recent bestsellers. 

If you're interested in contributing, please keep reading.  If not - stay tuned for a (hopefully) roaring debate to come!

So it turns out I did a poor job of explaining what I was doing in the previous post.  Thanks to those of you who stepped up and asked for clarification (and offered to be involved anyway).  Hopefully this is clearer:

Last year I did a blogpost regarding my surprise at the (sometimes) strong negative reactions I received from writers when Stephenie Meyer or the Twilight Saga were raised.  The previous post focused on the writing aspect. 

I understand, on a technical level, why writers are dissatisfied with the Twilight book(s).  In fact, I agree.  However, I found the love-story between the hero and heroine compelling, and continue to enjoy it even when my internal editor is clearing his throat.

The thing that surprised me was some of the strong opinions regarding the content of the books. 

Although many who read the previous post were proponents of Meyer / the books, some were not.  They raised the following concerns:

"...extremely backwards and damaging messages about how teenaged girls should expect (and want!) to be treated by men."

"I don't want my girls ever thinking it's okay for some guy to disable her car or watch her sleep."

"[It preaches]: Sex is bad, everyone should love each other, but not too far."

" If we reverse the gender roles of Twilight, we get a story of the guy who...seduces the teacher."

" [Re: a message received from a friend of the writer] ...His own adult daughter was a victim of an abusive boyfriend who had very similar MO to the male characters in "Twilight" (from what I have heard). The man was eventually arrested and convicted and is serving time..."

Honestly, these comments shocked me a little at the time.  Was that how others saw this story?  It certainly didn't line up with my point of view.

It got me thinking about the ethics of writing for teens, and the difference behind the eyes of a mature 30+ woman writing a fantasy story, and a sixteen-year-old girl, ripe for first love, reading it. 

Are there other bestselling YA works out there that raise these kinds of issues for readers?  What should we do about it? 

So, here's what I want to do: I want to put together a blogpost with several perspectives outlining ways YA literature can help and harm young people, using specific examples from current bestsellers.

If you have a strong opinion about the CONTENT of the Twilight books (or other bestselling YA literature) and would like to write 300-400 words outlining your perspective, please comment here or email me on aimeelsalter@gmail.com, noting your interest, along with a summary of your position.

Let's put the debate out on the table.
 
Aimee