- Last week I suggested that people add author Andrew Smith’s blog to their reading list. Apparently, some people did, and didn’t like some of the stuff he said, or the way he said it, or the things some of his commenters said (though it’s not clear in the comments who is responding to Andrew and who is responding to other commenters…be specific, people, if you want to have a conversation). Drama ensued all weekend. Yet few truly seem to be listening to what Andrew said and continues to say about the pros and cons of having a book you write published in the YA category. I don’t think half the commenters on Andrew’s blog even realize he writes YA novels.
- All I have to say is this: Writers may have some very different ideas about what they do and why they do it than readers and gatekeepers do. Of course that has been the case throughout all time and in all categories of publishing, but there is this extra layer of expectation in the YA world that writers should think like parents, teachers, librarians, advocates, award committees, other writers. Some do, I guess, but many don’t. Personally, I know that I didn’t get into this to be a crusader. And if I were writing specifically for an adult audience, that would not be an expectation. But sometimes I feel like that is exactly what is expected of me. That I should be a Helpful Crusader, and that’s what writing YA is all about.
- Speaking of gatekeepers, John Green looks into the future of publishing and reading and librarianship over at SLJ. It took eight days to get a “shame on you” in the comments. You’re losing your touch, John.
- I love this interview with Mo’Nique in the Sunday Times. There’s a lot there for writers, or anyone in a creative profession, to think about in terms of working hard and letting the work speak for itself. And, this quote (about Precious) is great:
“I keep hearing, ‘It’s so dark, it’s so dark,’ ” she said, placing her hands flat on the table. “This movie is not dark. This movie is honest, and I think we get that confused. I believe dark is when you see the action movies, and they’re killing 25 people in a room for no reason. That’s dark. Some people,” she said, looking up at the reporter, “can’t deal with that type of honesty, and so they just call it dark.”
I haven’t seen the movie yet, but this response applies to some of the criticisms of realism in YA.
- Here is a nice review of Once Was Lost at Through a Glass, Darkly. Thanks, Kari.
8 comments for this post
Thanks for your thoughts re writer vs crusader. It’s an unfair expectation, I think, but it sure does seem to be out there.
Thanks also for sharing the link to Through a Glass, Darkly — I think I’ll enjoy her site!
Sara Reply:
January 11th, 2010 at 12:55 pm
@Shari, Some authors seem comfortable in the role, and I think it can happen in an organic way after the fact (discussions about the book later…not in the writing of it), but it shouldn’t be an expectation…
Thanks, Sara. I haven’t read Andrew Smith’s blog but now I want to take a look. As someone who writes YA I strive for emotional truth. That’s also what draws me in as reader of YA novels and books in general. Like you said: “let the work speak for itself.”
Great quote about Precious. Now, I’m curious!
Thanks for the mention, Sara. I like how the idea of being a storyteller/truth-teller rather than a crusader dovetails with what Mo’Nique is saying.
I did read Andrew’s post but didn’t comment over there – or anywhere else. I could see a flame war in the making from what he wrote there. I think what really bothered me about Andrew’s post (and some of the comments) was the notion that because they find YA an unnecessary category then it simply is an unnecessary category. That bit about the YA section of the bookstore just being full of vampire books was pretty silly. And then the comment from someone else about YA existing only for 14 year old girls to dream about cute boys was, well, sexist and silly.
I get that Andrew isn’t thrilled with a YA designation for his books because he doesn’t like the perceived expectations that come with that and he didn’t write intending for the YA label to happen. But why make such a broad assumption about the category based on his own dissatisfaction? I don’t know who is constantly telling him that his books must be about helping the “fragile YA ego” but just ignore those people. Doesn’t he realize that SFF authors get grief and romance authors get grief and mystery writers get grief and on and on?
I just wish every author who finds themselves in YA would not make a federal case out of it. Likely Andrew had no way of knowing that those of us who review in the YA field have heard this a thousand times before and are so sick and tired you would not believe it.
I’m sure that’s where some of the kerfluffle is coming from. Every month or so someone vents about how they don’t like the YA category and we have to listen to it. Oh how I wish we all could just write and read and enjoy and that could be the end of it!
Sara Reply:
January 13th, 2010 at 8:39 am
@Colleen, Usually those month-or-so ventings are coming from people who don’t know what they’re talking about…someone at an Important newspaper or magazine who says, “Wow, I read this book and it was really good EVEN THOUGH it was YA! I’m sure it is the only one like it.” Or you have Curtis Sittenfeld going, “What? Who, me? I mean I knew I wrote about teenagers…” (and thank God for her Prep was not published as YA or it wouldn’t have been a NYT bestseller) But, Andrew is a YA author with two books out and two on the way. He loves his editor. And if one reads his entire blog in context, he is happy to be publishing in the YA category.
The thing is, being published in YA comes with its own particular baggage. Yes, there is baggage with every category, as you point out, but that doesn’t mean we aren’t allowed to complain about it. I intentionally and willingly got into writing YA, because I love it, but I did not know about all the gatekeeper stuff, how much pleasing teachers and librarians matters, and the hate mail authors get from some quarters if they dare to write a book in which gay people exist or people have (or even THINK about having sex), or if we write a character who has a dirty mouth without thinking about The Children. (For the record, I haven’t gotten this kind of hate mail yet, but enough of my friends have that I feel indignant.) And it can feel like, “Well, that’s the deal, just shut up and be grateful for your career and by all means, DO NOT ANGER THE IMPORTANT LIBRARIAN.”
It is okay to criticize aspects of the industry. (And it is okay to just generally be a grouch if that’s what you want to be. Plenty of revered authors of adult books have made careers out of being grouches and misanthropes. Personally I’m not recommending it, just saying.) I think criticism from within the organization, as it were, is much more interesting and important to listen to than the semi-annual rants from outside. It’s not like Andrew is going to write a rant against YA today and then tomorrow be blogging about the best winter boots. He’s writing nearly every day about what he hates about it, what he loves about it, writing tips, and various other writing related stuff.
Agree that some of the commenters were obnoxious. But I think in general people around the o’sphere who took offense were reacting out of context. (Which is of course what the web is all about, but we are book people, and as people concerned with context and the implications of words, I wish we didn’t do that.
As for Andrew, I’ve met him and heard him read his stuff, and love the guy, so I’m probably biased. And, the longer I am in this business, the more I appreciate people who are willing to say things that might be unpopular. Probably because I’m not that brave.
Sara, you and I basically agree on everything (big surprise) but as to this one post from Andrew, I have to wonder sometimes what people are thinking when they post stuff. How many regular readers does he have? But whenever you post something big – like hating YA (even when it’s just a rant) it goes way beyond your regular readers. And then folks are surprised by the response. I think Andrew would have served himself better by keeping to specifics but when you get into the weirdness of his diagram, and his assertion that teens are fine with adult books (which you refuted in your comments – and please, no one should say a 13 year old is ready to read every adult book out there) and then that the YA section is all vamp books and then he doesn’t refute some very poor comments that came in jumping on the anti-YA bandwagon because those folks have their own ax to grind, well….
This just was not the best way to get his message across. Did he have some points? Sure. But I would have written it differently, I would thought about how it could be taken the wrong way and I sure would have told the guy who made the comment about 14 year old girls that he wasn’t being fair.
Again, he is not the first author who sells to teens who has then said he has issues with the YA label. And he got some backlash because he is not the first and while he may not realize it, he was wading into a very old argument that has been going on for ages and ages. I honestly have not read most of the responses or followed threads on Andrew’s post but for myself all I thought was “here we go again”. Here I’m killing myself to get more diversity in books for teenagers, get more teens reading, get more actual books into the hands of teenagers who have none and an author who writes for teens says there is no reason for the whole YA genre. Did he mean that? I don’t think so, but that’s how it read and I’m sure I’m not alone.
I think your fabulous Sara and I bet Andrew is a pretty good guy too (he’s your friend after all! ha) but it gets old and I think that’s what a lot of this was about.
Btw – got your latest book for Christmas and should be reading it shortly!
Sara Reply:
January 14th, 2010 at 10:14 am
@Colleen, I hear ya. Onward!