Have No Fear. You're Safe Here

I was heartbroken last week to read several threads on Twitter in which teens and young women (all readers and bloggers) spoke up about their current discomfort in the YA book community. These threads were then discussed at length by many others who acknowledged feeling the same way. Most stated, in one form or another:

Diversity matters. Politics matter. The conduct of the publishing community matters . . . but the current climate in our YA community had made them feel like they didn't matter.

The worst part? Of the six threads I read, all were high school or college students, and:

- Four were written by young women of color.

- Two stated outright that they didn't feel comfortable even asking questions about books because of the way they'd seen friends, bloggers, and authors treated if they phrased a question "wrong", or the question implied they disagreed with leaders in the community.

- One had stopped blogging completely because she was afraid a wrongly worded review might make her a target.

As a YA author, this left me incredibly disturbed. All of us in the YA community (yes, even those who may intimidate you) got into this arena because we want to connect with young people. We want to be a support and encouragement to young adult readers. We all believe that books, and access to information, are a critical freedom, even for minors. Helping young people feel empowered, learn, and grow is why we're here.

So, if you've felt targeted, de-powered, or threatened in our community, I'm sorry. And I want you to know: You're safe here.

As a teen and anti-bullying advocate, a mother, and a citizen, I want you to know that you're allowed to make mistakes here. If you're under the age of 26, your brain hasn't even stopped developing, let alone your personality, heart, and opinions (I'm 40, and still changing my mind...)

You're allowed to disagree. You're allowed to be resolute in your choices -- even if your thoughts, feelings, and opinions don't match mine. In fact, we can be diametrically opposed, and I'll still welcome your questions and discussions. Because I know the only way to learn and grow is to be allowed to ask Why and How? The only way to influence or be influenced, is through calm discourse that analyzes the issue (not the individual). And the only way we can truly stand alongside each other is to accept that sometimes we won't see eye-to-eye. And neither our persons, nor our mutual relationship, is devalued by that.

If you know me, you know I'm not scared to disagree. I'm rarely cautious about sharing my opinion. But I can also tell you, unequivocally, that I'll always make my conversation about the issue, not the individual. And I genuinely believe there's no such thing as a bad question. Especially for someone who hasn't -- or has only barely -- reached legal adulthood. Not only are brains still developing so cognitive reasoning abilities may still be somewhat limited, but there's a lot of life left to learn through experience. None of us understood as much when we were 18 as we do now.  (Gosh, if you'd known me at 19 years old . . . *shudder* The mortifying stories I could tell about things that came out of my mouth, or decisions I made . . .)

So, I'm making a commitment to you: If you want to discuss a book (any book), you can ask your question here. I've placed moderation on the comments so no one will be able to answer your question rudely, or with insults. Every opinion that's worded respectfully--even those I disagree with--will be published. If no other readers can answer your question, and I'm not able to, I'll find someone in the know to do it with respect.

MY COMMITMENT: You will not be insulted, ridiculed, diminished, or marginalized by your conversation here, on any of my personal social media platforms, or in private correspondence with me.

If you have a question about any book or issue in the YA community that you don't feel comfortable asking publicly, either comment anonymously, or email me. My contact details are available in the header of this page.

If you find yourself in the middle of an online storm that you didn't see coming, tag me, tap me, or ask for my help. You don't have to weather that alone.

And if anyone is abusing you--verbally, emotionally, or physically--that's never okay. No matter what issue is at stake. Talk to me, or another adult you trust. You do not have to accept that. Period.

Have no fear. You're safe here. 

Aiming for Pole Position

Today I want to know: What, in your opinion, really makes a winner in this industry?

Seriously.

We always hear "just keep writing" and "don't give up!", but there's got to be more to it than that.

If you have an agent or (hallelujah!) a publisher what's the key advice you took that got you there?

If you self-published and gained a solid readership, what do you think pulled your book out of the cyber-sea and into the sun?

However you define success, what is the key advice you're taking to get you from here to that elusive contract / publication date?

And just so you know, I'm actually listening - not just giving you the nod and smile. Today's a day for sharing your nugget. So, please do! (In the comments)

If the Muse is Late for Work, Start Without Her

Doesn't it seem like when one thing goes wrong, it's the domino that knocks the rest to the floor? And if one thing goes right, it lifts everything else right up with it?

Well, this week I'm suffering from an Abundance of Good Things. I have critique work coming out of my ears, editing notes to get through for my agent (#beamingsmile), a son who's just too cute for words, and big, big plans coming to fruition for next year...

All of which means, very little time to blog. And yet... and yet...

Here I am. Why? Well, two reasons really:

1. You guys are awesome. All of the writing things going right just now have either been supported by, or cheered for by you guys. When I got to announce my new agent, I was genuinely touched by your response. The outpouring here and on twitter left me gobsmacked. I felt loved. So, far be it for me to turn around and say I'm too busy now.

...and...

2. Sometimes you just have to keep going, even when there's not enough time, and too many demands.

It's number two I want to focus on from here.

See that headline? It's a quote from some author's uncle. The uncle in question was an artist and he understood the creative mind. How easy it is to say "This is too hard! I'm just not inspired." So when his writer nephew approached him for advice, this is what he said.

"If the muse is late for work, start without her."

Self-explanatory, isn't it?

If you're sitting at the keyboard and the word aren't coming easy (and believe me, I know the feeling), just keep going. Start without the muse. Start with something that isn't your best work. Start with something that wouldn't see the light of day.

Because, the beauty of writing is, we can always make it better. But until we have words on a page, our dreams are nothing but ideas.

So... if the muse is late today, or if she's tired, or if she's being a back-biting cow... well, start without her. Maybe she'll come to the party, or maybe she won't. But either way, you'll be that many words closer to achieving your dream.

Your Turn: Do you have any sage advice (sticky-note wisdom? Inspiring quotes?) to keep us focused today? Share them here!

Hate Propagates - Lets Be Writers-in-Arms

I've been trying to figure out for a long time why, as a group, writers seem so determined to either stifle any Writer who holds a different viewpoint, or slay any Writer who doesn't live up to whatever standard that individual has determined to be appropriate.

I read it all the time in blog comments and it really bothers me.  Seriously.

Then this morning Rachelle Gardner wrote a post about Readers being the true key to writerly success...  (Bravo!).  However the comments of that blog quickly turned into another debate regarding self-publishing vs. traditional.  (*Raspberry*)

Also, I was kindly re-tweeted a few politically-minded tweets from someone who clearly doesn't know where I sit on the political spectrum.  Rather than hating on anyone, I just clicked through to block the original tweeter to make sure anything else from them wouldn't show up on my feed... and discovered they had more followers than I did. 

That surprised me.  Not because it's uncommon for people to have more followers than me, but because my brain had a conversation without permission that went something like this:

Why does a hater like that have more people interested in what they have to say than I do?

Because people who polarize others are attractive in the same way a car-accident makes us all slow down to look.  Remember those blog-posts you wrote, when someone accused you of using controversy to drive blog-traffic?

Yes, but I wasn't doing that.

Doesn't matter.  The subject was emotional for people.  They can't just sit back and watch it happen.  They have to get involved. 

But they aren't just 'getting involved'.  They're Hating.

Haters are the best ones.  They make everything dramatic.  Whether you agree with them or not, they're fun to watch.  They draw the numbers.

Haters propagate.

Yes.

*Cut to mental slide-show of reality tv shows where the most popular 'characters' are the ones who create the most drama.*

What's my point?

Well, I'm hoping we can all start asking ourselves why we get so up in arms about other writers who disagree with us.  Is it because these issues are important - or because we're drawn to the drama? 

Can we really expect to change someone else's mind when we hold to our own views with such vitriolic glee?  It seems to me, even the slightest insinuation from any blogger that another group of writers might have it wrong unleashes a torrent of accusations or abuse.

- Traditionally published vs. Self-published.
- Literary vs. Commercial or Genre
- Adult vs. YA
- Your debate of choice HERE

Pick a fence, choose a side and start slaying.

The problem is, no one is denegrating writers except other writers.

And can I say, that it looks to me like even when writers aren't denegrating other writers... other writers often think they are? 

To wit:  In that post on Rachelle Gardner's blog the real focus was the future of publishing and who would end up coming out 'on top'... (her answer: whoever gives the readers what they want).  But, as usual, the comments section has turned into an 'Us vs. Them' of traditional vs. self-publishing.

The thing is, there's a comment buried in there which, I think, raises the right point:

The commenter's name is Sophie.  He / She discusses (very well, in my opinion) some of the attitudes regarding traditional publishers as 'Gatekeepers'.  In relation to how good a job these Traditional 'Gatekeepers' do, he / she says:

"...Their guess is little better than the average joe (arguably better, because they spend their time reading books, but arguably also worse, because spending your time reading books makes you picky about things normal people don't care about)."



And that, dear writer friends of mine, cuts to the core of this issue.

In the end, whether you're traditional published, self-published, adult or ya, literary or genre... it's the reader who will determine your level of achievement.  Not other writers.  Not the publisher (or lack-thereof).  We can argue until we're blue in the face, but it's the numbers that are the litmus test.

So, rather than trying to push each other to the floor to give ourselves a higher podium, why don't we just listen to what readers are saying?  Why slam each other when we could be helping bolster each other up?

Hate propagates.  You can troll and burn and criticize as much as you like.  And maybe you'll gather a following of like-minded haters who applaud every acid word twanging off your keyboard.  You'll certainly build a platform that way... but what makes you think that platform will be any more loyal to you, than you are to the other writers you're hating on?

Haters fuel Haters.  Building a following of Haters won't further your career one iota if your book sucks.  They'll just start Hating on you.
 
So maybe we should all try to be Helpers instead.  Listen to each other.  Advise each other.  Applaud everyone's effort and celebrate anyone's success.
 
That's the writing circle I'd like to belong to.
 
What about you?

Laughter is the Best Rule Breaker

This whole rapture thing has been really bugging me. But this blog isn't about spiritual beliefs or the accuracy of the Bible. It's about writing a book. So, reminding myself about the recent post on author commentary wherein I talked about not preaching, I kept my mouth shut.

Then I saw this picture, which got me thinking about an addendum on the "No Preaching to the Choir" rule:

If you're funny, you can get away with a lot.

If someone is funny, you find what they're saying less abrasive. 
 
Even if the point isn't something you'd normally agree with, or the subject isn't one you'd be interested in, a real laugh will keep you focused and waiting for more. 
 
If something is funny, it can get you thinking without putting your defensive walls up.
 

When you're laughing, you like people better - you can appreciate someone for the humor they inject, even if you don't necessarily want to think about what they stand for.
 
 
 

And, perhaps most importantly, when you're laughing, you're more likely to swallow a 'moral to the story' without choking on it.
 
 
 

Whatever the issue, humor makes anything more tolerable.

 

'Nuff said.

My New Blog-Love

Ever get blog-envy?

You know, you run across a blog and love it so much you spend the whole time thinking "I wish I said that".  You find yourself scrolling through pages and pages of posts (I'll just read one more... Um, just one more... Does that link say SERIES!?).  Then, when you're totally replete and your brain has been half-transplanted so you're living in the blogger's head, you walk away from the laptop wishing you were that person? 

No?

Just me on that one?

Well, that happened to me in the past few days.

The worse part is - she's half my age.  Literally.

Here's the cool part though - I didn't know that when I started reading her blog.  Sister writes like a peer of mine.  It wasn't until I read her most recent post (an in depth look at *ahem* 'mature' male characters in YA fiction) in which she noted she is the YA audience, that I found out she's still in high school.

(INSERT: "Wait, WHAT?!" here)


If her profile is to be believed, at just sixteen years old this chick has developed the voice, intellect and amusingly snide pretentiousness I can only aspire to.  She understands writing, her audience, and her goals.  Oh, and she's completely full of her own artistic glamour.  (Go girl).

If you're smart, you'll check out http://nindogs.blogspot.com/ and get on the bandwagon.  This chick's going places.

Oh, and she's funny too.  In that cooly-yet-completely-up-her-own-nether-regions kind of way.  Stop by and check her out.  And tell her I sent you: I'm angling to head up the fan club.

What's your favorite blog?  Link it in the comments!

Using Language Like a Paintbrush

Lynn is a wonderful author whose book "The Batchelor's Cat" is being re-released later this year.

But right now, Lynn is fighting for his health - and possibly his life.  Yet, even in the midst of that, he's got an amazing ability to use words in a way that astound me.

Vivid language.  Some folks got it, some folks sweat for it, some folks... well, let's just say there's probably a reason I write the kind of fiction I do.  Because I can't do this:

http://www.radiationdays.com/2011/01/mr-pain.html

The Natalie Fischer Mission

...or rather yours: 

Natalie Fischer, Literary Agent, and thus One Of Us Writer Types, is currently being out-googled by a... doll maker. 

This cannot be.

Mainly because a while back Natalie (without even knowing me) was responsible for retweeting my blog and gaining me a bunch of followers.  So I'm grateful.  And I need your help to show it. 

Here's YOUR mission:

Get on Google and search "Natalie Fischer Seeking Write Life" or "Natalie Fischer Mission" or "Natalie Fischer Aimee Salter Best Author Known To Man", etc, etc, etc (whatever comes to mind).  And lets see if we can get Natalie back her google mojo.

Are you game?

GO!

PS - No, Natalie isn't my agent.  In fact, we've never met or tweeted.  She's probably pretty creeped out by this.  The idea makes me giggle.

PSS - I already have an agent.