Comments on: Teen Book Sales Booming, Part 2

By: Dr. J

Dr. J — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 13:26:40 +0000

Sarah, Loved the images of Grand County. Sad to say the pine beetle is moving to the front range, most if not al the lodgepole will be gone in 10 years. Thanks also for the Flurfy birthday picture, say HI to him.
Was in the barbershop last week, Cost Cuters, and saw a 10 year old yung lady getting a highlite job. Those can get pretty pricey; is that YA thing?I guess as a pediatrician, not surprised, and when I see breast augmentation beginning around 14-16, I am astounded!

By: lisakenney

lisakenney — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 23:21:16 +0000

I don’t write YA, but I was recently in a discussion about this with someone who does. I’m with you in that the truth is what’s important in storytelling. People who want to write to include a point or a message should write pamphlets and public service announcements, not novels.

A few months ago I stumbled onto a blog where a group of romance writers were talking about the idea that they had an inherent responsibility to incorporate the use of condoms into sex scenes. Admittedly, I am not a romance fan and I find all sex scenes in fiction suspect, unless they really need to be there (ok I’m a huge prude and I just don’t want to read more than I need to know), but the idea of these bodice rippers including verbiage about the romantic donning of a condom was just…ewww.

By: Sonja

Sonja — Mon, 26 May 2008 13:13:20 +0000

I’m with you — I believe good writers tell the truth. (Recently I’ve been reading Nietsche who seems to disagree and claim that writers just promote their own belief system, and that the decline in good writing around his time was a result of non-belief. But that gets into epistomology).

The question of how much to tell about sex and violence is still a valid one, on artistic grounds. The ancient Greeks had a thing about no violence on stage and they still managed to come up with Oedipus Rex. So: I am still wondering, from an artistic standpoint, how much is appropriate for my books. All I can be sure about is that it changes, from work to work. From writer to writer.