Garth
Nix: I don't censor
myself for the YA novels, though I do for children's books. To my mind, teenagers are
already moving out of childhood and they will already be grappling with major life issues
such as love, sex, drugs, violence and so on. At the same time, I think it is important to
make sure that if I do address those issues, it is within a full context. It's important
not to use these things in a trivial or gratuitous way, and the consequences and full
picture of drug use, sex or violence needs to be part of the book. At the same time,
because I mainly write fantasy and science fiction, I am not a writer who delves deeply
into contemporary teen life, so these issues are never the main focus of my work. When I
include them, it is because they are real issues and you can't write a successful novel
about someone's life --- even a fictional life --- without including real things.
There is no subject that I feel is just inappropriate to address in a YA book, but
everything depends upon the execution. Many subjects would be inappropriate if they are
used gratuitously or trivially or just included as background 'colour' without any thought
or context. I can't remember who said it, but an American author pointed out that they
would much prefer their teenage children to encounter and learn about drug use, for
example, in the pages of a book than by experimentation in the street. I agree with this.
Books are packaged experience, when they are done well, and readers of any age can learn a
lot about all sorts of things from books, including practical and moral lessons.
I don't think there are any topics that should be addressed. Novels should be novels, not
instructional tracts. Good books always have deeper messages but not overt ones, and not
at the expense of the story.
Chris
Crutcher: No, I
never censor myself because I know younger people might be reading my work. I let them
censor it themselves by putting it away until they're ready for it. I have heard of
editors who are harder on this kind of material, but mine have never been that way. I
don't feel there is subject matter that is inappropriate for teenagers that isn't also
inappropriate for adults. The handling of it may be a little different if I'm using a
teenage narrator rather than an adult narrator, but that would be for the sake of realism.
I don't know that topics should be addressed more or less often. I think it is a mistake
(for me) to say I'm going to write a story about (some problem). I'm going to write a
story and let it go where it goes, then look back to see what problems I covered should
anyone ask. It is a big mistake to judge coming of age literature by any standards other
than what any literature is judged by.
Meg
Cabot: I tend to
agree with Madonna that there should be no secrets: Get it all out there so people can
deal with it and move on. That said, I got in big trouble when I gave a copy of one of my
books to a friend's 8 year old, who read the first chapter, then asked his father, 'Daddy,
why do boys want to stick their tongues into girls' mouths?'
Parents --- and authors --- should read the age recommendations on the book. If it says 12
and up, it means 12 and up.
Laurie
Halse Anderson:
What is the point of being a creative person if you have to censor your thoughts or words?
I never censor myself. I don't see editors treating YA books any differently than they
treat books for younger readers. I don't think there are any subjects that are off-limits.
I cringe when I see the word "topics." The story has to come first. Trying to
send a good message is a sure-fire way to write a lousy book.
Walter
Dean Myers: The
negative reviews I get often discuss my writing about the seamier side of life. I haven't
written much about drug addiction, or life in the lowest echelons of the inner city, and I
am very much interested in exploring these themes. I guess I am censoring myself. Maybe
next year I'll write my epic novel about the teenager who ends up on death row.
Sarah
Dessen: When I'm
working on a book, I just write the story I want to write and try to think as little as
possible about what anyone else might have to say about it, because doing so really screws
up my process. My first book, That Summer, is probably the most innocent of my
books, and my most recent, Dreamland, the most controversial. But even Dreamland
isn't radical at all compared to what's really going on in high schools these days. I've
been lucky to have really good editors who understand that, and also understand that teen
readers are sharp and know when something is being whitewashed. You can't b.s. them much.
I think the only stuff I've ever cut were things that were gratuitous and didn't do much
to serve the story. But I also don't go into a book starting with a particular Issue and
then decide to write a story around it. That's not how my process works. For me,
characters always come first.
