Best Banned Book Bonanza: SPEAK by Laurie Halse Anderson

I don't think I need to remind you that this week is Banned Book Week. The blogosphere is buzzing with posts on how much banning books sucks. I am here today to second that.

The ever-awesome Tahereh and The Rejectionist have teamed up to host the Best Banned Book Bonanza, where people can review their favorite banned book on their blogs.  

Me? I'm going with one I can never stop thinking about.

I have so much to say about this book, but I won't say it. Everyone who's anyone around the Web has already said it on my behalf. And they said it better than I ever could.

I am going to take a moment to acknowledge the awesomeness of Anderson's writing, though. This woman took a tale about rape and infused it with moments of humor, wit, and a killer deadpan voice. Anderson paints the reader a big picture, one that's impossible to miss--speaking up is the only way you can heal. The only way you can move on, find happiness, and be yourself. 

That's why book banners can suck it. Hard. "Don't read this book" becomes "don't listen to that person". And even worse, "don't think for yourself". I'm very sorry, but nobody needs to be told how to think. Especially if the thoughts are stupid, backed up by prejudice and ignorance. Isn't USA the land of the free, people? Well, that includes defending what you believe in. And if a story about a rape victim and the consequences of such an atrocious act is what you believe in, defend it. 

Never shut up, folks. Speak LOUDER. 

Yep. I've Been Tagged.

My crit buddies Lindsay and Katrina have ruined my life by tagging whoever reads their blog. 

Okay, they didn't ruin my life... Just my time spent on studies... and outlining...

Anyway. I've been tagged. 

My challenge? Answer 8 questions.

Here we go...

1. If you could have a superpower, what would you have? Why?

Just one???? Oh, all right... Mind control. So Jensen Ackles will finally see the light and marry me. :)

2. Who is your style icon?

Personal style (as in, I would wear EVERYTHING in their closet): Gwen Stefani

Style icon: Diane Von Furstenberg 

3. What is your favorite quote?

I seriously cannot choose one. Case in point: I have TWO NOTEBOOKS full of quotes I've picked up from movies, songs, and real life. 

But one that's been swimming around my mind lately is: "She is a pyramid/ but with him, she's just a grain of sand"- Pearl by Katy Perry. Heartbreak and empowerment all rolled into one. 

4. What is the best compliment you've ever received?

A boy I once knew told his guy friends I was the most loyal person he'd ever met. The guys eventually trusted me with their secrets, and when I asked why I was suddenly so relevant to them, they spilled on what he'd said. :)

5. What playlist/cd is on your ipod/cd player right now?

My current WIP's playlist has a lot of dudes singing about love: James Blunt, Erik Hassle, One Republic,  Lifehouse, and Nelly (yes, rappers have hearts, too...). 

6. Are you a night owl or a morning person?

More like an afternoon person, if such a thing exists.

7. Do you prefer dogs or cats?

Dogs. All the way. I like to cuddle, and cats don't seem to share my penchant for cuddle time.

8. What is the meaning behind your blog name?

No Rest For The Lazy. 

Me? Lazy. Rest? Nonexistent. 

Also, I think anyone who has a passion needs to choose proactivity. You can't just sit back and watch as your dreams pass you by, even if you suffer from chronic laziness. *raises hand* 

In honor of my life being ruined by my crit buddies, I have decided to ruin yours, too. If you read this, you're officially tagged. 

Ha.

Teenage Dream: How To Hone Your YA Voice Part Deux

On my first edition of Teenage Dream, I suggested you find lyrics with meaningful teen stories. For the second part in the series, I'm going with something I've loved for years.

Teen magazines.

Sure, there are tons of articles that highlight what's hot with teens these days, but that's not what I want you to focus on. Think about it: what makes you buy any magazine? Is it 100% the articles you'll find inside? Or is it...

the person on the cover?

I can hear you all shouting together: "what's so important about the person on the cover, Amparo???"

Simple. That person is interviewed.

Teen magazines feature the most popular young celebrities out there. Just like with pop songs, you don't have to listen to them if you don't like them. You read their lyrics and save yourself the agony of enduring the auto-tune overload. Same goes for teen magazines--don't read the whole thing if you don't want, but definitely take a look at the interviews. 

Not all young celebrities are created equal. Different people see the world with different sets of eyes. Want a frivolous, OMG-type of POV? Read Miley Cyrus. Looking for someone a bit more socially conscious and mature? Emma Watson's your girl. 

My point? Word choice makes or breaks your narrative. Interviews are very contained, short experiences where the artist has to come up with *decent* answers at the drop of a hat. You'd be surprised at how well most teen celebrities handle them. They can be smart, witty, or a bit distant (when personal stuff gets thrown in the mix). Not all teens express themselves the same way. Neither should your YA characters. 

So my second tip would be: read interviews from teens with meaningful lives. 

By meaningful, I don't mean those who make trillions of dollars to shake what their mama gave them. I mean teens who know about the world and have an opinion to share. Teens who've seen the worst and have come out of it stronger than they ever expected. Teens who had a dream and turned it into reality.

Teens you'd easily find in YA books. :)

Now raise your hand if you read teen magazines *raises both hands and stands on tiptoes*

Monday Book Madness: Daisy Whitney's THE MOCKINGBIRDS

I know I say I can't wait to get my hands on a particular book every Monday, but this time, I mean it x1000.

Le book:

THE MOCKINGBIRDS by Daisy Whitney

Le blurb:

Some schools have honor codes.
Others have handbooks.
Themis Academy has the Mockingbirds.

Themis Academy is a quiet boarding school with an exceptional student body that the administration trusts to always behave the honorable way--the Themis Way. So when Alex is date raped during her junior year, she has two options: stay silent and hope someone helps her, or enlist the Mockingbirds--a secret society of students dedicated to righting the wrongs of their fellow peers.

In this honest, page-turning account of a teen girl's struggle to stand up for herself, debut author Daisy Whitney reminds readers that if you love something or someone--especially yourself--you fight for it.

I'm on a serious contemporary kick lately (I think that's because I STILL haven't read Clockwork Angel or Paranormalcy...). This book is right up my alley--secret society, girl power, mysteries galore. 

Sold.

Other than that, I'm confident about the way Whitney mixes a very serious issue (date rape) with a lighter  tone. Not many writers venture into this territory, mainly because it's such a steep hill to climb. I'm glad Ms. Whitney took the challenge.

THE MOCKINGBIRDS comes out on November 2nd, so mark your calendars.

How about you? Any books you're dying to read this week?

The Great Blogging Experiment: Creating Compelling Characters

Yep, it's another blogfest entry, folks. Today I join the Trifecta of Awesome that is Elana Johnson, Alex J. Cavanaugh, and Jen Daiker for their Great Blogging Experiment. 

The topic? Creating compelling characters.

There are three things that make a character unforgettable to me. I like to call them the three C's:

1) Their channeling. Voice--we've all heard about it. We've all suffered through the terror of not creating a believable, authentic teen voice. To me, it's not so much that a character's voice has to be believable or authentic in terms of how teens really speak nowadays. It's all about how your main character channels the world around them to your reader. And the best way to create a compelling channeling experience is to see that world from an unusual point of view. 

When I say unusual, I don't mean weird. I mean saying 'it looked like a dog barfed on the stupid thing' instead of saying 'it looked terrible'. Anyone can say something looks terrible. But how does your character say it? How does he/she see what surrounds them? If a character can make me envision setting/action/emotions in a way I never expected to, I'm sold. They stay with me long after I finish their story.

2)  Their choices. Sure, motivation is super important. They're what makes a character move forward in the story. But let's say we have two different books with two different main characters. Character A is shy and insecure, while Character B is outgoing and cocky. They both have the same motivation--to get the girl before senior year is done. That's not what makes them who they are, though. It's what they do to get the girl that matters. It's how they face the seemingly impossible obstacles in their way that makes them jump off the page. Remember that awesome quote from Dumbledore in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets? "It is not our abilities that define us. It is our choices." Yep. The old timer nailed it.

3) Their change. Character development is often sacrificed for other things in books. This. Cannot. Happen. Seriously, who wants to stick around with a person who never learns from their mistakes? Who brushes off the hardships thrown at them by life without getting derailed? Not only is this annoying to most readers, it's also reflective of poor writing skills on the author's part. Trust me--you don't want people hating on you because of poor writing skills! 

Let's go back to Characters A and B for a moment. Character A, the shy and insecure dude, starts off in a really sucky place emotionally. As the story progresses, so does he. It can be offering his crush a lopsided grin first, then a full-blown smile, until he finally plucks up the courage to talk to her. How he does that is totally up to the writer, but the end result (the change) has to be there. Same goes for Character B, and for any other character in any other book. 

Static is boring. Change rocks. Remember that. 

Now go write some awesome fake people ;)

Wanna Be Bad? Part Deux: The Good Girl/Bad Boy Relationship I Heart

Last week, I asked whether you liked the whole good girl/bad boy hookup. I also hinted at writing a post about a certain good girl/bad boy relationship this week. 

Well, folks, the time has come.

I give you a good girl/bad boy relationship that works:

Veronica Mars and Eli "Weevil" Navarro

Okay, okay--Veronica Mars is not a YA book. It is a TV show. But have I mentioned that I'm going through an obsession phase right now? Because I totally am. And no, I'm not embarrassed. *blushes*

What I love about Veronica and Weevil's relationship is that it's so... complicated. They started out hating each other (and by hating, I mean h-a-t-i-n-g). Then both of them do some serious 180's--Veronica saves Weevil's life, then he feels like he owes her. He returns the favor, then she feels like she owes him. They keep doing things for each other without realizing they're actually becoming friends in the process. Only by the end of Season 1 does Weevil have an aha! moment, when he protects Veronica from a douchey boy--he does care about her. They're always there to get the other out of a sticky situation. 

They're friends.

Do they flirt? Totally. Is there sexual tension between them? I'd like to think so. But neither one of them makes a move. There are several reasons for this, but the one I find most relevant is respect. Sure, the show's writers could've made them hook up, but they figured that would ruin their friendship. Their flirty back-and-forth banter works perfectly on the platonic level--no need to seal the deal. 

No need to force romantic chemistry for the sake of ratings.

The same goes for books--no need to force romantic chemistry for the sake of sales. If you're still on the querying/submitting stage, the issue would be to not force it to grab an agent's/editor's attention. When it feels off, they'll know and call you out on it. 

So here's my advice: build strong character relationships without the romance first, then make them hook up (if it's necessary...). The more time you take for your characters to see themselves in another light, the more effective that aha! moment will be. Your readers will jump with joy when they finally see the obvious.

There you go: Veronica and Weevil are my good girl/bad boy combo of choice.

Tell me: what's yours??

Teenage Dream: How To Hone Your YA Voice

Yep, I'm starting another weekly feature. But this one will be for a couple of weeks, though. Don't want anyone to get sick of my rambling :)

Okay. Teens. They're awesome. Why else would we write for them? 

If you're an aspiring YA author, you face the same issues plaguing every other writer: plot, pacing, tension, setting, world-building, blah, blah, blah. But there's a little something extra that might give you a harder time than all those elements combined. 

Voice.

Confession: I am not an expert. I'm just someone who refuses to grow up. Vehemently. So I guess I can shell out some advice on how teens think and sound. 

Tip #1: Music Is Your Boyfriend (or girlfriend)

You know those artists who win those music awards and appear on the covers of those teen magazines? You've sort of heard about them, but can't really name their first single, or their latest. Well, not all of those artists deserve your attention. As far as honing your YA voice, only two artists are worth your time.

a. Katy Perry- You don't have to listen to pop music if you don't like it. You can simply Google her lyrics and read them. This girl writes all her songs, which reflect both her adult life and her high school years. There's a reason she's so popular. People--most importantly, teens--can relate. Humor, rebelliousness, and honesty are her secret ingredients. She's never the same character in all her songs--they're all a different layer of her whole persona. A very weird, funny, and unapologetic persona (my favorite).

Some songs I suggest you study are: "Teenage Dream", "Ur So Gay", "The One That Got Away", "Lost", "Pearl", "Thinking Of You", "One Of The Boys", "Hot And Cold", and "Not Like The Movies".  

b. Taylor Swift- This is the "duh!" artist. She's still young, so her perspective is fresh and untainted. Heartbreak is her specialty. And kissing. Lots of heartbreak and kissing. But she writes about it in unconventional ways. For example, her song "Mine" explores her perspective on love, how her boyfriend changes it, and what he thinks about it himself. Say it with me, people: "depth". I always like to remind writers to go deeper with their character arcs, and I blame Taylor Swift for that. There's a bittersweet innocence to her writing that won't ring true to every teen out there, but her message about not giving up on yourself, or on love, is universal. 

I suggest you check out: everything. Seriously. Read all her lyrics, if you can. Some might even spark a story idea. It totally happened to me :)

That's part one of my YA voice "workshop"--find lyrics with meaningful teen stories. Absorb them. Then write. 

Now tell me, friends: have any favorite songs about teens you'd like to share with me?