tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1700199312336157399.post369772673090497594..comments2024-01-28T15:12:32.881-08:00Comments on <center> Wolf Tales</center>: All the Cool Kids are Doing It: What Responsibilies Do YA Authors Have to Their Audience?Jennifer Wolfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03569308594720227530noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1700199312336157399.post-11146036298193458352011-02-18T16:16:02.296-08:002011-02-18T16:16:02.296-08:00And not many teenagers actually smoke or sleep aro...And not many teenagers actually smoke or sleep around. The smokers are usually a sad little cluster of goth kids in the smoker's pit, and when somebody has had something with somebody, it goes around a bit- it's not a daily thing. <br />If you're going to put one bad thing in your books, make it violence and gore. <br />One thing that makes viral books so popular is this- you can recommend them to anyone. You don't have to worry what your friend will think of you, or if you can tell your daughter about it, etc. That's what makes books have multi-generation appeal. <br />Seriously. Sex sells, but the people it sells to aren't going to be actively promoting it.Abbyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14169907846873125981noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1700199312336157399.post-17387141174446535042011-02-17T08:02:54.275-08:002011-02-17T08:02:54.275-08:00M.S. Don't compromise your morals. It doesn...M.S. Don't compromise your morals. It doesn't mean your characters have to be perfect. Some of the best lessons are learned from people making mistakes. <br /><br />If you look at the books that have gone viral, TWILIGHT, HARRY POTTER, HUNGER GAMES (yes HG is violent), you'll see that morals are a part of all of them. Keep doing the right thing M.S. the YA world needs more writers like you.Jennifer Wolfhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03569308594720227530noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1700199312336157399.post-25601949309199547812011-02-17T08:00:26.799-08:002011-02-17T08:00:26.799-08:00Love your comment Sarah. I totally agree about mak...Love your comment Sarah. I totally agree about making YA novels hopeful. Life should always be hopeful. Even for adults. A book ends. Life goes on.Jennifer Wolfhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03569308594720227530noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1700199312336157399.post-89606056026597737302011-02-16T21:23:40.636-08:002011-02-16T21:23:40.636-08:00Very interesting discussion -- I enjoyed reading y...Very interesting discussion -- I enjoyed reading your post and the comments. The issue of responsibility reminded me of one of the fundamental differences between YA novels and "adult" novels, which is the tone of the ending. <br /><br />I've heard that it's kind of a rule for YA novels to end on a hopeful note. This doesn't mean everything's perfect, or even completely resolved, but that there's at least a sliver of hope in the conclusion, because there's a responsibility to show the presumed audience that what happens when you're a teenager won't determine the course of your entire life (and because there will be plenty of time for disillusionment and unhappy book endings later!). I was wondering what you thought about that...<br /><br />Thanks!Sarah Skiltonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18242496273739569661noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1700199312336157399.post-60494633958339451652011-02-14T12:09:02.361-08:002011-02-14T12:09:02.361-08:00I am so relieved I'm not the only one that'...I am so relieved I'm not the only one that's talking about this! After reading your blog, and Ally Condie's book, it's great to know that it's possible to write and publish a book that's clean and that teens will love. MATCHED is now on the NY Times Best Seller List!<br /><br />I'll be totally honest: Sarah Dessen's books taught me more than I ever wanted to know about drug use! And I didn't want to know any of it.<br /><br />I've actually been struggeling with a situation in the story I'm working on, because while I could add something to make it more exciting, it would also mean the character has to compromise her morals.Song W. Eretsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17607548797622195802noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1700199312336157399.post-23532357487853057332011-02-11T21:08:22.258-08:002011-02-11T21:08:22.258-08:00Thanks for weighing in! Kristin you made some good...Thanks for weighing in! Kristin you made some good points. You're right, teen readers deserve some credit for making their own choices. I definitely should have addressed that. There are extremes to both examples.Jennifer Wolfhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03569308594720227530noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1700199312336157399.post-51515595074525829262011-02-11T20:04:48.345-08:002011-02-11T20:04:48.345-08:00Fantastic post Jennifer! As a Mom and writer this ...Fantastic post Jennifer! As a Mom and writer this is a topic I have thought about quite a bit. I tend to write from real life, which for our family consists of playing instruments, marching in the band, getting good grades, having disagreements with friends, watching family members pass away, and crushing on boys and girls and giggling late at night about it. For us, this is normal, exciting, and wonderful to experience. I see no reason to write about drugs and sex, because that's not what my kids find exciting or enticing. My girls want to grow wings to fly and be free (Maximum Ride series), watch the guy HOLD the girl's hand for the first time (Princess Academy), and feel the tension of trying to find your place in the world (Wings, Spells, Uglies)--which is what they themselves are trying to do. They want tension, not to have their values and personal choices challenged. That's the key difference, and so that's what I write. :)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1700199312336157399.post-56240155142535354072011-02-11T18:55:19.654-08:002011-02-11T18:55:19.654-08:00Interesting post and view! Definitely food for tho...Interesting post and view! Definitely food for thought. <br /><br />This is going to sound crazy, but when I write a story, I'm mostly thinking about my responsibility to the plot arc. To the art of writing. <br /><br />I write stories because 1) I love writing, and 2) I want to be published. <br /><br />Writing's a business for me, so I try to write the best plot arcs as I can. I try to make my characters develop organically as best as I can.<br /><br />That being said, I try to make sure everything that happens in my books happens for a reason. I try to make the actions fit the character.<br /><br />I do hope teenagers get something, just a little something, from everything I write. :)Miranda Kenneallyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04240264706064014173noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1700199312336157399.post-25304439300656908912011-02-11T18:53:02.765-08:002011-02-11T18:53:02.765-08:00I'd like to politely disagree. I think that y...I'd like to politely disagree. I think that yes, as YA authors, we have to think about the consequences of our writing more than authors who don't write for kids. But we also have to have faith in our readers. Teens are smart and strong and will make choices both good and bad (just like adults). And when they choose to read a book they can choose what they think about characters. I think it does readers a great disservice to only provide a cleaned up version of reality. And, ultimately, I think teens are capable of choosing books that are right for them. Like your reviewer, for example, who shares your values -- she knew that she didn't want to read a book with sex in it. She chose a book that she knew would not. And I'm guessing if a sex scene came up, she would have skipped it and put the book down. This teen is strong and smart and knows how to make the choices that are right for her. I think it speaks for itself, you know?<br /><br />xEmilyE. Kristin Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08405307562720655313noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1700199312336157399.post-15649748220428608532011-02-11T18:13:02.540-08:002011-02-11T18:13:02.540-08:00This comment has been removed by the author.Miranda Kenneallyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04240264706064014173noreply@blogger.com