Exchanging Courage, Friendship, and Compassion,

Along with much of the world, my heart and my prayers have been with Japan this week and with the friends I have there. The earthquake and tsunami have especially hit home because I as a teacher/coordinator for Cultural Homestay International, I'm preparing for the arrival of 26 Japanese exchange students and their Japanese coordinator next weekend. (See my posts about the group that came last year.)

The students are coming from Southeastern Japan, away from the earthquake and tsunami zone and far enough away from the nuclear plants that they are relatively safe. Still, I have received many calls and e-mails from last year's and this year's host families who are worried about their students. A common theme I've seen is they're looking for a way to help. Even after they find out that their students are safe they want to know what they can do.

I love the exchange student program because it shows us we're not so different. The kids are only here about a week, but in that time they become an integral part of our families, and we learn to love them. When tragedy strikes on the other side of the world, it's no longer something bad happening to strangers and foreigners far away, it's happening to people we care about. Getting down on a personal level with kids from a different country makes the borders between nations not so concrete.

My heart and my prayers are also with an American teen who was visiting his grandparents in Japan with the earthquake hit. Although they were in the middle of the quake zone, he and his grandparents are okay. Now radiation leaks have forced them to be evacuated, but there is no gas and no way to get him to Tokyo so he can come home to the United States. As you can imagine, his mother has contacted every possible lead to try to get him home, from churches to the U.S. Embassy. But here's the sweet irony in this story. He doesn't want to come home. This kid who's only 14 wants to stay to help his grandparents and his 90+ year-old great-grandmother. He's worried about them if he's not there. This is just one example of wonderful spirit and courage of kids and teens, not just here, but around the world.

I've seen this same spirit and courage in all the kids who come as Exchange Students and in the kids who are their host brothers and sisters, no matter what nation they're from.

The Japanese students who are coming next weekend range in age from 12-16. They'll spend a week living as American teenagers, and get to meet and associate with kids their own age. There will be language barriers and cultural barriers, but within the first day they'll have fast friends here. (Trust me, I've seen it happen again and again.) When they leave, the rising generation from both countries will have a better understanding of each other. The world will be a little smaller. And when bad things happen in another part of the world these kids will have more compassion and understanding for the people who are suffering. I think that's a pretty important lesson to learn.

A Professional Reviser

I was in the middle of another round of revisions courtesy of my amazing editor, Mary Kate Castellani, and I had a thought...

Wait, didn't I have a blog?

So I dug my way out of the 300 + pages I was working through and I discovered that yes, my blog is still here, and waiting for me are my loyal blog followers, wondering why I hadn't posted for so long. The answer can be summed up in one word...

REVISIONS

I remember a while back reading a Nathan Bransford post about being a professional reviser, and I'm beginning to see what he meant. It reminds me of the time several, (more than I want to think about), years ago when I was in college, being trained as a disc jockey for a student radio station. Now being a dj in college sounds cool, but when I was being trained, the guy training me told me that really, I was just a glorified button pusher. He was right, one button turned on the music, one button played a commercial, one button played the news. And if I was feeling really brave, there was even a button that put my voice out on the air for all of campus to hear. (Or the dozen or so listeners our little station had. Hey, that kind of reminds me of my blog... but I digress.)

My point is, saying I'm an author sounds a lot better than saying I'm a reviser, but if you're an author, you know that writing (as in first getting the story on paper) is just a small part of the process.

I'm on my third round of revisions with my editor. Before that I had at least four different drafts that I did on my own and with my critique group. Then I had a couple of rounds with my agent. All of that, (I've since learned) was just the tip of the iceberg.

I'm amazed at what I have learned in this process with a professional editor.

WOW!

The first lesson (that I thought I had already learned) is:

REVISIONS ARE HARD!

I have never strained my brain, or tried to keep my thoughts straight, or worked my imagination harder than I have in the last couple of months. I've learned so much about plot and pacing and character building and setting. It's been hard, but I'm so grateful for the guidance of an editor like Mary Kate. She comes up with plot holes and questions and ideas that I hadn't ever noticed or thought of. She has been patient and supportive with my trial and error. I feel like I'm taking an intensive writing course with a private tutor.

The second lesson I learned:

REVISIONS ARE FUN!

As hard as it is, I love going back to visit my characters and my world. I love finding out how much my main character can take. (Are all authors sadistic by nature or is it just me?) I love rearranging scenes and chapters and making the plot stronger. I'm going to have a hard time letting go of this story and these characters and calling the book done. (And no, I don't see a sequel anywhere in this.) The journey has been incredible.

Some things I've learned along the way:

Seeing the big picture helps. I followed a Laurie Halse Anderson revision tip and outlined my entire story in a way I could see it. Instead of using a big piece of paper, like she suggests, I laid the whole manuscript out over my living room. (My family was banned from that room for a few days.) I wrote down the main part of each chapter, what important things happened, and whether the tension increased, decreased, or stayed neutral. I stacked the pages in terms of mini-story arcs. With it all in front of me I could see better what could be cut, what could be combined, and what could be rearranged. (I also used a story map that my lovely editor had provided for me.)

Seeing everything laid out helped my brain keep track of 331 pages of characters, plot twists, story arcs, and especially pacing.

I'm happy to say I'm down to what feel like minor edits. It's been a long process, a hard process, a fun process, and above all a learning process. Thanks to the revisions I've done on this manuscript I feel like every story I write will be stronger.

I'm heading back to my revisions. I'll miss all of my loyal followers. Hopefully it won't take me so long to make it back to my blog again.

What about you? How do you revise? Are you a visual revisionist, a hold-it-all-in-your head revisionist, or a seat of your pants revisionist?

Social Networking--Stalking or Research?

This week I turn 37. I don't mention this because I want my house to be filled with flowers and balloons or birthday cards from my followers (but e-mail me if you need contact info to send me something), and I don't want to get into a too-long rant about my age and where has the time gone. (Seriously, where has the time gone???) My point is, I haven't been a teenager for like 18 years, (yikes) so what makes me think I can write about them?

Well, for one thing, I REMEMBER being a teenager (contrary to what my kids think), I have teenagers, and I have a lot of teenagers who I consider to my friends. (Even if that mortifies my own kids.) And I write fiction so I can make stuff up. :)

I've started to wonder if all of that's enough. I mean, after all, I grew up in a different world than what teenagers are living in today, and as much as I want to think I know what's going on in my kids' head, I don't. And I can't make EVERYTHING up.

That leaves me one option--research. But most of the books about teens are written by adults like me, and the world is changing so fast that the research would probably be outdated by the time I read it anyway. So where can I find timely, accurate information about teens, from a "teen" perspective?

Ive tried a few things; listening closely to what my kids are talking about with their friends in the car on the way to whatever, I've even offered to let them have a party, as long as I get to sit in the corner and take notes. (We haven't had many parties at our house lately, hmmm, wonder why.)

Today I stumbled on a tool that I've had for a long time, only I didn't realize until now that it was such a tool. That tool is social networking. (DUH!)

I tweet, I blog (obviously) and I'm on Facebook. Guess what? So are the majority of the teenagers I know. Growing up in a tech-savy world, most teens use this media, and they're pretty open about what they post. I've seen crushes and break-ups and good days and bad days splashed all over Facebook, and commented on. I watched the shock wave of grief spread across the internet after a local high school student was killed in a car accident. The feelings and expressions were real and immediate and, I believe, good for the kids who wanted to share. We didn't have any kind of outlet like that when I was in high school.

This morning I read two blog posts from teen aged friends. The first about crushes and "Puppy Love", made me laugh. (I'm sharing this with permission from the blogger). The second, written by a girl who just found out her step dad has a brain tumor, made me cry. I love both of these girls. I read the posts, not for research, but because I care about what's happening to them. Then I kept reading their posts and I realized that this is a great window into the real world of teenagers.

Does this make me a stalker or a voyeur? Is it unethical if I glean information about the lives and thoughts of today's teenagers by reading their blogs or their tweets, or their Facebook posts?

I don't think so.

Because I do care about these kids. Because they know I'm following them or friending them, and they know that I am an author. Because I feel a responsibility to know my audience as well as I can, so that what I write might be real and mean something to them.

Teens are smart. Their lives are crazy. They don't deserve to be stereotyped or patronized. The deserve (as much as is possible) to be understood.

Does that mean I'm going to plagiarize my teen friends' thoughts, or steal pieces of their lives and publish them under my own name? Of course not. My characters and stories are all made up--put together from bits and pieces gathered from my vast, (37 years), of experience. But if reading blogs or checking Facebook posts, or even taking notes at a party (I would never really do that, I promise), helps my stories or my characters feel more real and helps me be the best Young Adult author I can be, then I think it's a good thing.

(To my teenaged friends, knowing what you do now, feel free to unfriend, unfollow, or block me. Except my own kids, I still control your computer rights. Love you!)

What do you think? Is social networking a valid way to research the lives of teens? Is it wrong to use it this way?

Teens Doing Great Things--Teen Donates 1000 Books to a Homeless Shelter

I love books. I love teens. I love to see teens doing good things in their community, so when I read a story from the Sammamish Review about a teen who worked for four months to collect 1,000 books for a local food bank, I knew I had to share it. (Sammamish is a town in Western Washington, yes we have a lot of towns named after Native American tribes. Try to pronounce this one, Puyallup.)

The following is taken directly from the Sammamish Review article by Laura Geggel, which was posted on January 12, 2011:

An old Issaquah barber was the inspiration for gift of books.

Bibliophiles looking for a good read in early Issaquah might have popped into the local barbershop. Barber Enos Guss shared his love of books with the public when he opened the city’s first library in a corner of his shop on Front Street North in 1906.

More than 100 years later, Sammamish 13-year-old Nathaniel Turtel resolved that he, too, would share his interest in books with others.

Follow this link to read the rest of this story.

What a great thing to do Nathaniel! Congratulations! And thanks to the Sammamish Review for letting me share this story. Nathaniel Turtel came up with a great idea. Gathering books for a food bank isn't something I would have thought to do. It makes me wonder, what are some ways we can share books with people in need, especially during tough economic time?

All the Cool Kids are Doing It: What Responsibilies Do YA Authors Have to Their Audience?

I'm a mom with two teens, so I think I have a different perspective on books then many Young Adult authors. When I read YA, I have to read as a writer and as a mom. I can't read a book without wondering what effect that book would have on a teen reader. More specifically, what effect the story would have on my kids and on their friends.

I love my kids and I love their friends. I love to spend time with them. I worry about them and about the choices that they're faced with every day. I read a lot of Young Adult literature, and I'm going to be honest here.

Some of it scares me.

Recently I read a blog about sex in teen literature. (That's a whole 'nother discussion that I'm only going to touch on here.) One point the blogger made was that an author's first responsibility was to their characters and to telling the story. That gave me a big pause. In my opinion, an author's first responsibility, especially an author of books for kids, (yes, teenagers are still kids), is to their readers. BIG POINT--the characters are fictional, the readers are real.

For example, I've read a lot of books where the main characters smoke, AND the main characters are portrayed as the "popular kids," AND it's no big deal. Say my 12-year-old daughter (or one of her friends), picks up a book like that. She reads up from her age level (as most kids do), and she's curious about what high school is like. If she reads a book where the popular kids all smoke, what message is she getting?

Same thing goes for main characters who drink, do drugs, or have sex.

Now I know there are people out their screaming "But that's what high school kids do!" And you're right, some high school kids do all of those things.

And some high school kids don't.

It feels like the majority of YA literature has smoking, drinking, drugs, and sex as the norm. Often those things happen without any consequences to the characters. The message is "that's what everyone does." "All the cool kids are doing it." "It's all part of growing up."

As an young adult author, I've honestly felt like I have to justify it when my characters don't drink, smoke, do drugs, or have sex. That worries me. I think I'm getting a taste of what teens who don't participate in those kinds of activities have to live with. The feeling is they have to justify NOT doing those things when T.V., movies, music, and books show all of that as normal teen aged fun.

I find it interesting that when I asked for teen reviewers, the first girl that stepped forward, M. S. Steed, (see last week's review) said she chose Ally Condie's MATCHED because it was clean. She also said it was hard for her to find books that reflect her values. I would like to point out that although I share her values, I didn't know her before last week. I didn't have any idea what she was going to write about until I read her review.

As a writer and as a mom, I think it's important for teens to see examples of kids in books doing the right thing. I cheered for the main character, Tyler, in Laurie Halse Anderson's TWISTED through the whole book, but never so much as when he did the right thing. For those who haven't read the book he was put in a situation where he could have taken advantage of a girl who was drunk. (In fact that was kind of what was expected.) Spoiler alert: He didn't take advantage of her, he did the right thing. Even when she laughed at him for it.

I loved it in C. J. Omololu's book DIRTY LITTLE SECRETS, when the hot lead singer of the high school band introduces the main character to his "special brew" after he sees that she doesn't like the beer at the party. The "special brew" is root beer. The cool kid made a responsible choice. YAY!

On the flip side I've heard of, and read YA stories that read like how-to book for drug use, or shop-lifting, or date rape. (No, I'm not going to cite specific examples.)

I'm not advocating censorship, or book banning, and we aren't having a bonfire at my house to rid the world of inappropriate teen literature.

What I am advocating:

YA authors should take responsibility for what they write.

I know you're trying to portray reality. (So am I.) But being a teen is not all about sex, drugs, and rock 'n roll. It's a time for learning independence. It's a time of mental and physical growth. It's a time for discovering who you are. It's an amazing and exciting time. (That's why I write for teens). But it's also a time when outside influences play a huge roll in what you do and how a you see yourself for the rest of your life. (I still carry scars from my teen aged years. I bet most people do.)

It's a time when bad choices can screw up your whole future.

I believe books have the ability to influence their readers like no other media. That's why I advocate parents reading with their teens. An author can develop a character, or a problem, or a consequence to an extent that isn't possible in a half-hour sitcom, or a three minute song, or a ninety minute movie. A character in a book can be a window to a new world or a hero to a kid struggling for understanding. (Check out the comments section of my review of LHA's SPEAK if you don't believe that.)

I think that most Young Adult authors write for teens because they care about them. With that in mind, I'm making a request, as a mom and as a fellow author. In your quest to write the perfect YA novel, in your quest to influence the teens who read your book, (because you will influence them, like it or not,) even in your quest to sell as many books as possible, consider your readers.

You have a responsibility to them.

For my fellow children's writers: What do you think is your responsibility to your readers?

For my teen readers: What books have influenced for good or bad? Do you feel like YA books reflect reality?

Guest Review: MATCHED BY ALLY CONDIE

I'm excited to introduce as my first guest reviewer, M. S. Steed, a 19-year-old aspiring writer from here in Washington. I should point out that I have never met M. S. Steed, she is a friend of a friend, but she was the first to step forward when I asked for teen reviewers. She chose to review MATCHED by Ally Condie.

Review by M. S. Steed:

When you live in the Society, you don't have to think. The Society tells you where to work, where to live, provides your food, tells you how much you're allowed to exercise, where to go when you have free time, when you'll die, who you'll marry and when. You're not supposed to think.

But maybe you should.

Seventeen year old Cassia's faith in the Society is complete, and when she attends her matching ceremony, she's sure that the boy the Society matches her with will be the perfect person to spend her life with. When her best friend, Xander, is declared her match, she's thrilled and confident.

So when she goes to put the information card in the computer the next day, why is Xander's face suddenly replaced with Ky's? Is it really just a rare computer glitch, as the officials tell her? Or is there a reason? For the first time in her life, Cassia begins to wonder.

I picked up Matched by Ally Condie after I read a review from the Compulsive Reader, and I went in hopeful, but not expectant, that I would find a story I could enjoy without cringing at the language or content.

As a Christian, I choose to read books that fit a standard. Since I'm a teenager, I want young adult books that I can enjoy. Trying to find a book for teens that has a moral code aligned with mine, without sexual content, bad language, or substance abuse, is difficult. It borders on impossible, actually. Occasionally I'll take a chance on a book that I've read interesting reviews to, but often times I'm let down hard.

With this book I was pleasantly surprised.

Dystopian stories seem to be in vogue right now, and they can begin to bleed together after a while. But this one was a breath of fresh air in a genre that I'm not a big fan off. Often they’re violent, with all the content I want to avoid.

I loved the character journey of this story, which was wonderfully written, with a realistic flow that made Cassia's changing opinions easy to follow. Unlike so many stories I've read, her relationship with Ky evolves naturally, from interest, to friendship founded on trust, to love. As it evolves, we also watch Cassia's blind faith slowly slip away as she begins to question their total control of her life.

Discovering more about Ky and his history is handled in a unique way. Rather than sitting the Ky and Cassia down and having them talk, talk, talk and talk, the author leaks the information to us in short phrases alongside Ky's drawings.

Even supporting characters, from Cassia's match Xander, to her parents and grandfather, are all well-rounded, and well-portrayed.

Xander is a sympathetic character. Though I was on Ky's side from the beginning, I could definitely understand why Cassia would be a little torn.

To my joy, Cassia's parents were also solid characters. The contrast between her mother and father, one following the rules to protect their family, the other breaking the rules for the same reason, was intriguing, and I was happy to see that Cassia's relationship with them was strong, even when there were things she couldn't tell them. Like real parents, they wanted Cassia to be happy, whichever path that meant she had to go down.

The world of the story is also well-presented. It's easy to understand everyone's satisfaction with the setup of the Society, but at the same time you question why people are so complacent.

As if this wasn't enough for me to love the book, then I get to add that it's clean! No bad language, no use of drugs or alcohol. There are a few descriptions of violence and devastation, but when compared to the graphic nature of books like The Hunger Games, those descriptions are quite tame.

Even more, the questions raised by the story were also powerful. Is security and comfort worth giving up control of our lives?

As someone who believes in free will, this was a great chance to think about my beliefs, and the value of that gift.

Of the 300+ pages, I found only one problem with the whole book, and it's merely a bit of grammatical style. Save for the possessive, I don't think I found a single contraction in the whole book. "I'm" was always "I am", "I've" was always "I have." Considering the teen narrator, and knowing how much teenagers love contractions, it was a little jarring. But otherwise the voice of this story was consistent and absorbing. As I said before, the character and her journey made sense, no jump from one opinion or frame of mind to another. It all made sense.

This is quite possibly the best book I've read in awhile. Maybe not the best quality of writing, but it's clean, the main character didn't make me want to pull my hair out, and the romance was sweet, centered on a couple drawing close to each other and loving each other for their personalities and heart, rather than just what they look like.

I eagerly await the sequel, Crossed, due out November of this year.

Reviewed copy borrowed from my local library.

Thanks for the review! I love hearing what actual teens think of YA books (rather than what adults like me think they should think).

As a side note, I'm happy to announce that yesterday, MATCHED was chosen as a finalist in for the Whitney Awards in the category of Youth Fiction-Speculative. (The Whitney awards are sponsored by LDStorymakers, the author's guild for the LDS market.)

About my reviewer:

M. S. Steed is nineteen, currently living in the Northwest, where she's chosen a nontraditional route for her education, receiving her GED. At this time she's focusing on her writing, searching for good books to read, and manages her blog, songofafreeheart, where she talks about writing, reading, while ranting about her opinion on the current cultural landscape of America.

All's Fair in Love War and High School--Janette Rallison

A new and (hopefully) recurring feature on my blog will be a split mom/child review or mom/teen review. (At least until my kids get bored with this and/or I run out of bribes and threats.) Besides my own kids I have some great teen reviewers lined up to help me with this part of my blog.

During my ANWA conference this fall I met a great Young Adult author named Janette Rallison. She became one of my heroes immediately because 1) She has written and sold a lot of books while being a mom. 2) She's really funny and easy to relate to, and her stories are funny, clean and easy to relate to. 3) My daughter adores her books.

I came home from the conference with an armload of Janette's books and my daughter whipped through them in a few weeks. (Luckily she got two more from her aunt for Christmas.)

When my daughter had to do a book review for her Literature class, she chose Janette's ALL'S FAIR IN LOVE, WAR, AND HIGH SCHOOL. After reading her review I decided I needed to read the book too, (she was that persuasive), and that it would be a good book to dual review on my blog.

First my daughter's review:

The book “All’s Fair in Love, War, and High School” by Janette Rallison is a hilarious story about a snobby cheerleader named Samantha who bombs the SAT’s. In desperation to get into a decent college she runs for student body president. As if her life wasn’t stressful enough, her annoying ex-boyfriend makes a bet with her that she can’t go three weeks without insulting someone.

I recommend this book to any girl between the ages of 12 to 16. I think this is the perfect age group because it is a romantic comedy. I also recommend any Janette Rallison books to girls between those ages who don’t enjoy reading. Although I love to read, I have a friend who doesn’t. I recommended this and a few other Janette Rallison books to her and now she just can’t stop.

I absolutely loved this book. I love the sense of humor, the story line, and the characters. This was such a fun book to read.

I wish there was a sequel. After I had finished I was so sad because I felt like the characters were my friends. This is a great book to read for pleasure.

Isn't my daughter brilliant? I love that she recommends books to her friends, I especially love that she is helping a friend get into reading (job security for me).

Now the mom review:

I agree with my daughter, this is a fun book. It's funny and the characters are definitely easy to like and relate to. I remember Janette Rallison talking about this book at my ANWA conference. She said it was hard to make a snobby blond cheerleader likable, but she did a great job. I love that the main character, Samantha, learned her lesson about being critical and judgmental of the kids around her.

This book is squeaky clean. I'm so thrilled to say that. There is no sex, violence, or bad language at all. In fact, Rallison has has fun way of keeping the language clean and still real. One of my favorite lines from the book comes when Samantha's mom makes Samantha and her boyfriend take the cat to the vet on their way to a date.

While he was waiting for the light to turn green Brad glanced over at me. "The frisky cat is on your head!"

Actually, I'm not sure if "frisky" was the adjective he used, but the word definitely began with an "f". (Rallison, 16)

That line made me laugh out loud, actually a lot of lines and situations in this book made me laugh out loud.

Questions to discuss with your kids after reading this book:

What did Samantha learn from her bet with Logan?

What did she learn about honesty during the election?

And since this is such a funny book, What do you think was the funniest part of the story?

Reading books with your kids doesn't always have to bring out a big serious discussion. Sometimes it can be just for the joy of sharing a story you both enjoy.

This is a fun book with a good message about judging others and working through your problems. I loved reading it with my daughter. I loved that this was a book I could let her read without being afraid of of the content.

ALL'S FAIR IN LOVE, WAR AND HIGH SCHOOL, is a fun, clean, romantic comedy. It is a book that teaches a lesson, but mostly it's just for fun. I would recommend this book for any girl ages 11 and up. (I'm definitely "up" from 11 and I enjoyed it.)

Now, I want you to think about your favorite, funny book that you read as a kid. Now go share it with your kids. If you're a teen, share your favorite funny book with your parents, or a friend. (And share it with me while you are at it, I'm always looking for something fun to read.)