Australian student Stella C. asked me my thoughts on a project she is working towards. She is (in her own words): "... a 12 year student in Sydney, Australia, working towards my HSC major work for society and culture." Her area of study is this topic:
"What will be the impact on YA literature with the increasing reliance on technology and how must authors change to accommodate to new diverse margins of society."
She asked me questions and I answered her as thoughtfully as I could. With her permission, I am publishing this interview. I think her questions are well thought out and insightful and help us to understand what teens are thinking about YA literature and social media not only here in the U.S. but in Australia as well. Stella, thank you for asking me these important and timely questions and allowing me to publish them here.
Interview:
1.
What are your thoughts on young adult fiction as
a popular culture?
YA fiction has become a part of pop culture as it moves from
books and content on the Internet into movies and mainstream Hollywood. Actors
who star in YA movies, think "Twilight" and "Divergent" go
on to act in feature films; for example, Jennifer Lawrence gained the teen
audience in "The Hunger Games"
yet went on to win an Oscar for her performance in "Silver Linings Playbooks"
and was nominated for "American Hustle." She has become one of the
highest paid actors in Hollywood.
2.
What do you think young adult fiction targets
for their audience?
If it is a great book the target is to entertain, to say
something necessary, to bring to life characters who are amazing in some way
yet seriously flawed in others, to set up events that impact the main
character, to have the character face obstacles and overcome them in some way,
and to have the character somehow changed by his/her journey. The reader should
come away from the book feeling satisfied. Even if a main character dies, the
reader should still feel good about reading the book. A great book impacts the
reader; the reader will think about that book for a great long while, think To
Kill a Mockingbird.
3. Do you
think this genre of novels is growing? And if so, why is there a dramatic
change?
It has been taking over the publishing market since Harry Potter. It
will continue to grow as fan fiction is growing online. Many twelve year old
readers are becoming writers as we speak. The next decade looks promising for
publishing and fiction.
4. Do you think that
literature and novels will be a short-lived life?
Literature will never be
short lived. That's like asking if music will be short lived. Notes never go
away. Words never go away. A new musician or writer will think of a new way of
using them.
5. Do you think easy
access to movies and fan fiction ultimately persuades you to avoid written
work?
Absolutely not! I attend the Texas Teen Book Festival each year in
Austin, Texas, which has grown to include over 150 authors per year. Thousands
of readers flock to see the books and authors. I am happy to say that readers
were buying tons of books in print. This is not to say that Ebooks and digital
reading are not accessible. Many readers find that they like the heft and feel
of the printed book. It totes well. You don't have to worry about wires or
connectivity or getting it wet. You can read in almost any light source.
6. What are your personal thoughts on eBooks, kindles and
other source of technology which enhances the reading experience?
I'm not sure
this technology "enhances" the reading experience. It makes it
possible to read in a variety of ways. It may help some people to learn to
read. The technology makes it possible for all sorts of learners to be able to
enjoy a book.
7. Why is there such a stigma attached to adults who read
young adult fiction?
Is there a stigma? Really? The Hunger Games, Twilight and
even The Diary of a Wimpy Kid did not get to the New York Times bestseller list
by teens who read them. Certainly hundreds of thousands if not millions of
adults read them. Fans of dystopian fiction read both YA dystopian fiction and
adult dystopian fiction. In fact, there is no line in the sand between the two.
I think this "stigma" is imagined--I have not seen anyone in the U.S.
say that adults should not read YA. In fact, it's just the opposite. You should
read what you want.
8.
How does social media and technology help
promote young adult fiction?
You are asking a blogger! The epitome of what I do
is promote new and exciting titles in YA fiction. Technology makes that
possible.
9.
How does the film industry present young adult
adaptation? Why isn’t the film not targeted to a specific age group? How do you
think they break the age barrier?
Hollywood takes a book and brings it to life
with film magic. A real reader does that for herself or himself. A reader
imagines the "scenes" in the book and sees the action. Films make it
possible for those who don't read to enjoy the stories. I think Hollywood does
justice to YA novels for the most part.
10. Do you
think the film acknowledged the author’s true ambitions of the novels’ themes?
It depends if the author is involved with the screen writing or not. In the
case of several YA novels into films, the authors have had a say in screenplay
and on the set. If the author has no say, the writers, directors and producers
have a free for all if they want.
11. What do
you think will be the next step for these authors and young adult fiction for
the upcoming generations?
To continue to offer the best stories with the most
compelling characters. I have heard several authors comment that writing for
the YA crowd is a lot harder than writing for adults. Kids will catch all your
mistakes and call you on them. Kids are less forgiving than the adult reader.
And kids will call you out on social media.
Is there
any other thoughts/opinions on young adult fiction and technology’s impact on
this popular culture?
I think Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, and other social
media are a great tool for authors to embrace. They have up to the minute
details on how their novel/work is perceived. A smart author will be a tech
savvy guru.
My closing thoughts: Authors, you are going to have to up your game to keep up with today's YA readers. Good luck! Pamela
