Ooh, so many wonderful comments on the last post! I love hearing from the teenagers along with the parents. Great stuff to think about. I've been thinking too, and here's my own uber-long comment.
Like Tobin and Lauren, I agree that what we believe, our world views, our way of understanding people, can't help but leak through into our stories and structure them, whether we want them to or not. And that this is a good thing. There's a reason we want to read books written by human beings, not robots or board room committees. I like my world views. I approve of them. I'm thrilled when I hear a reader has taken good from my stories, that their life has improved somehow, that they've become more tolerant of others or of themselves, that they've thought through questions the story posed in a positive way. This is great! However, what I keep coming back to is I cannot control this nor do I seek to. I cannot force this. I cannot write from a teaching place if I hope to create an effective story. This knowledge may matter more to writers than to readers, but I think it's important to acknowledge.
Like Mette, I lament that some readers interpret this leakage of personal beliefs as an AGENDA on my part. I don't think I have an agenda. However, like Lauren, I do have wishes for the world that leak through and I'm not a bit sorry if readers adopt them. Some beliefs I notice perpetually in my stories are that I believe girls are awesome. I believe boys are awesome too. I believe everyone has unique talents, some they're not aware of yet, and many that won't show up on a No Child Left Behind test. I believe that we can all make choices. I believe there are many ways to look at one idea. I believe our relationships with other people are the bedrock of happiness. Even with all my awesome beliefs in my quiver, I couldn't write a book trying to teach these ideas. That would fatally wound the story. And since I don't make an effort to "teach" these things, it's possible a reader won't take these things away from my stories but something else entirely. And that's okay. Whatever a reader gains from my stories on her own will be much more powerful than whatever I could try to teach.
I've said this before, but when people praise me for the positive influence my books have had in their lives or in the lives of kids, I'm grateful, but I think they're giving me way more credit than I deserve. The reader is an ENORMOUS part of this interaction.
Megan Whalen Turner added in a comment on the last post, "I wish I'd had MT Anderson on hand here in Pomona when I was going around and around with Roger Sutton trying to illuminate the difference, if there is one, between telling the reader what to think about something and telling the reading something you'd like them to think about. Both are attempts to guide world-building, but the underlying assumptions are very different." It's this elusive difference that I feel is SO important to a writer during the process and can be important as well to a reader in understanding that process and the responsibility of the writer.
Like Brandon, I believe characters need to have their own moral compasses. Of course, their moral compass may not be the same as mine, as Mette points out. For example, Enna and Isi, despite their friendship, see the world very differently, and I decided as an author to stay out of it and not side with either of them! (I try never to get between those girls.) Brandon notes that themes naturally occur as you write, but an author forcing them kills the story. It's rare, but some authors openly do that, and I feel like I can smell an agenda on a story. Even if it's one I agree with, I hate that. Totally takes me out of the story and make me suspicious of every word. Just tell the story and trust me, the reader, to come away with what I need!
I would argue that the very essence, the purpose, the power of of fiction is NOT to teach meaning. It's to tell a story. A good story is full of questions, of different kinds of characters, of incidents that weave together to make a whole. Through the journey of the story, the reader finds her own meaning, and it's such a unique experience, her journey and understanding will be different than any other reader's. The experience must be different than that of non-fiction or there's no reason for it. A fictional story about rape or loss or growing up should not provide the same experience as a text book or information pamphlet. It should not seek to. A fiction story has to let go, not hit every bullet point, not attempt to cover every aspect of the topic and make sure everything is crystal clear and unable to be misunderstood. A fiction story has to trust the reader to attach her own beliefs, understandings, needs to the story to make it a complete experience.
I have a six-year-old son who I keep from reading certain books and watching certain movies he is not ready for. I believe in a parent's understanding of her own child's readiness. But I do believe that for the most part, kids take what they need and what they're ready for. I know many of you disagree with this, and maybe someday I'll change my mind, but that is my belief. I have 7 and 8-year-old readers of the goose girl who claim it as their favorite book. They can't possibly get out of it all that a 15-year-old or an adult might, but they absorb what they need and can handle. This does not mean that I'm going to write erotica for preteens. That would be stupid. I listen to my own internal reader, a combination of myself now and all my younger selves, to guide what stories need to be.
Like Janette, I'm uncomfortable with stories that depict young people doing potentially harmful things without what seems to me a natural exploration of consequences. I was not sexually active as a teenager. I've seen first hand harsh and life-changing consequences to friends who were sexually active as teens. Sometimes they truly didn't understand all the implications of their actions and twenty years later still mourn their behavior. But like Holly, I'm keenly aware that what one reader might find uncomfortable and unrealistic is absolute reality to another. I believe that an author can't control the many ways a story is read and received, and so their responsibility must be to their own internal compass and to the characters, and cannot be to every individual reader. At least a teacher in a classroom can see her students and knows something about them--their age, their geography, and often their personalities and backgrounds. A writer has endless potential readers we know nothing about and cannot control. How could I possibly write to every reader? How can I determine what each reader who might read my book might need to hear and might be mature enough to face? I've learned from hundreds of reader reactions that most everyone feels that their own standards of right and wrong are somewhat universal. They're not. What seems like flagrant irresponsibility to one person can be honesty and power to another. As parents, we cannot put our own morals and beliefs into the hands of an author or rating system. Only we can set that standard for ourselves and teach our children how to set their own.
Like Ann and Mette, I worry that some readers (parents) expect all my characters to be model persons and only do what I'd want my own child to do. That would take away the power of the story and the whole reason for books. I think it's a mistake to assume that anything a character does in a book is approved and encouraged by the writer. Heck, I don't approve or encourage many of the things I've done in my life. Hopefully I've learned from them and am a better person for it.
Like Holly, I believe in the importance of many stories, including some that some readers aren't comfortable with. And in the magic of stories that allow teens to figure themselves and others out.
I've heard from many parents that they trust me as an author, that they feel safe giving my books to their children because they trust I won't write anything inappropriate. I know many of you want me to say that I believe an author must be responsible for every word they write, every story they tell. That those who write for young readers have an obligation to make sure they're not being irresponsible with the stories they tell. But I can't say that. It would be dishonest, because it's just not possible. If we required that of authors, there would be no more books. As a writer, I can only be responsible to myself, my internal reader. I try to live a good life, to keep an open mind, to keep learning, to seek to understand people, especially those different than me, and hope that my own life and understanding comes through my stories in a positive way.
Stories are powerful, and their power comes from their openness. They should be easy to enter. They reach us more profoundly than can a lesson or a list because they allow us to insert ourselves, apply our own experiences and beliefs. The more work the author does to prescribe what a reader should take from the story, to micromanage the message, to assure the reader takes nothing from the story but what the author judges is safe for them to take, the less power the story has and the less a reader can change from it.
So let it be written, so let it be done.
Anyhoo, in conclusion, books are cool. Thanks to my awesome author friends for taking the time to share their insights. You're cool too. So be cool, commenters, and give us your own awesome POV. And next post, I'd like to open the can of worms that is the theoretical book rating system, as I think that's an interesting topic with so many opinions!
Like Tobin and Lauren, I agree that what we believe, our world views, our way of understanding people, can't help but leak through into our stories and structure them, whether we want them to or not. And that this is a good thing. There's a reason we want to read books written by human beings, not robots or board room committees. I like my world views. I approve of them. I'm thrilled when I hear a reader has taken good from my stories, that their life has improved somehow, that they've become more tolerant of others or of themselves, that they've thought through questions the story posed in a positive way. This is great! However, what I keep coming back to is I cannot control this nor do I seek to. I cannot force this. I cannot write from a teaching place if I hope to create an effective story. This knowledge may matter more to writers than to readers, but I think it's important to acknowledge.
Like Mette, I lament that some readers interpret this leakage of personal beliefs as an AGENDA on my part. I don't think I have an agenda. However, like Lauren, I do have wishes for the world that leak through and I'm not a bit sorry if readers adopt them. Some beliefs I notice perpetually in my stories are that I believe girls are awesome. I believe boys are awesome too. I believe everyone has unique talents, some they're not aware of yet, and many that won't show up on a No Child Left Behind test. I believe that we can all make choices. I believe there are many ways to look at one idea. I believe our relationships with other people are the bedrock of happiness. Even with all my awesome beliefs in my quiver, I couldn't write a book trying to teach these ideas. That would fatally wound the story. And since I don't make an effort to "teach" these things, it's possible a reader won't take these things away from my stories but something else entirely. And that's okay. Whatever a reader gains from my stories on her own will be much more powerful than whatever I could try to teach.
I've said this before, but when people praise me for the positive influence my books have had in their lives or in the lives of kids, I'm grateful, but I think they're giving me way more credit than I deserve. The reader is an ENORMOUS part of this interaction.
Megan Whalen Turner added in a comment on the last post, "I wish I'd had MT Anderson on hand here in Pomona when I was going around and around with Roger Sutton trying to illuminate the difference, if there is one, between telling the reader what to think about something and telling the reading something you'd like them to think about. Both are attempts to guide world-building, but the underlying assumptions are very different." It's this elusive difference that I feel is SO important to a writer during the process and can be important as well to a reader in understanding that process and the responsibility of the writer.
Like Brandon, I believe characters need to have their own moral compasses. Of course, their moral compass may not be the same as mine, as Mette points out. For example, Enna and Isi, despite their friendship, see the world very differently, and I decided as an author to stay out of it and not side with either of them! (I try never to get between those girls.) Brandon notes that themes naturally occur as you write, but an author forcing them kills the story. It's rare, but some authors openly do that, and I feel like I can smell an agenda on a story. Even if it's one I agree with, I hate that. Totally takes me out of the story and make me suspicious of every word. Just tell the story and trust me, the reader, to come away with what I need!
I would argue that the very essence, the purpose, the power of of fiction is NOT to teach meaning. It's to tell a story. A good story is full of questions, of different kinds of characters, of incidents that weave together to make a whole. Through the journey of the story, the reader finds her own meaning, and it's such a unique experience, her journey and understanding will be different than any other reader's. The experience must be different than that of non-fiction or there's no reason for it. A fictional story about rape or loss or growing up should not provide the same experience as a text book or information pamphlet. It should not seek to. A fiction story has to let go, not hit every bullet point, not attempt to cover every aspect of the topic and make sure everything is crystal clear and unable to be misunderstood. A fiction story has to trust the reader to attach her own beliefs, understandings, needs to the story to make it a complete experience.
I have a six-year-old son who I keep from reading certain books and watching certain movies he is not ready for. I believe in a parent's understanding of her own child's readiness. But I do believe that for the most part, kids take what they need and what they're ready for. I know many of you disagree with this, and maybe someday I'll change my mind, but that is my belief. I have 7 and 8-year-old readers of the goose girl who claim it as their favorite book. They can't possibly get out of it all that a 15-year-old or an adult might, but they absorb what they need and can handle. This does not mean that I'm going to write erotica for preteens. That would be stupid. I listen to my own internal reader, a combination of myself now and all my younger selves, to guide what stories need to be.
Like Janette, I'm uncomfortable with stories that depict young people doing potentially harmful things without what seems to me a natural exploration of consequences. I was not sexually active as a teenager. I've seen first hand harsh and life-changing consequences to friends who were sexually active as teens. Sometimes they truly didn't understand all the implications of their actions and twenty years later still mourn their behavior. But like Holly, I'm keenly aware that what one reader might find uncomfortable and unrealistic is absolute reality to another. I believe that an author can't control the many ways a story is read and received, and so their responsibility must be to their own internal compass and to the characters, and cannot be to every individual reader. At least a teacher in a classroom can see her students and knows something about them--their age, their geography, and often their personalities and backgrounds. A writer has endless potential readers we know nothing about and cannot control. How could I possibly write to every reader? How can I determine what each reader who might read my book might need to hear and might be mature enough to face? I've learned from hundreds of reader reactions that most everyone feels that their own standards of right and wrong are somewhat universal. They're not. What seems like flagrant irresponsibility to one person can be honesty and power to another. As parents, we cannot put our own morals and beliefs into the hands of an author or rating system. Only we can set that standard for ourselves and teach our children how to set their own.
Like Ann and Mette, I worry that some readers (parents) expect all my characters to be model persons and only do what I'd want my own child to do. That would take away the power of the story and the whole reason for books. I think it's a mistake to assume that anything a character does in a book is approved and encouraged by the writer. Heck, I don't approve or encourage many of the things I've done in my life. Hopefully I've learned from them and am a better person for it.
Like Holly, I believe in the importance of many stories, including some that some readers aren't comfortable with. And in the magic of stories that allow teens to figure themselves and others out.
I've heard from many parents that they trust me as an author, that they feel safe giving my books to their children because they trust I won't write anything inappropriate. I know many of you want me to say that I believe an author must be responsible for every word they write, every story they tell. That those who write for young readers have an obligation to make sure they're not being irresponsible with the stories they tell. But I can't say that. It would be dishonest, because it's just not possible. If we required that of authors, there would be no more books. As a writer, I can only be responsible to myself, my internal reader. I try to live a good life, to keep an open mind, to keep learning, to seek to understand people, especially those different than me, and hope that my own life and understanding comes through my stories in a positive way.
Stories are powerful, and their power comes from their openness. They should be easy to enter. They reach us more profoundly than can a lesson or a list because they allow us to insert ourselves, apply our own experiences and beliefs. The more work the author does to prescribe what a reader should take from the story, to micromanage the message, to assure the reader takes nothing from the story but what the author judges is safe for them to take, the less power the story has and the less a reader can change from it.
So let it be written, so let it be done.
Anyhoo, in conclusion, books are cool. Thanks to my awesome author friends for taking the time to share their insights. You're cool too. So be cool, commenters, and give us your own awesome POV. And next post, I'd like to open the can of worms that is the theoretical book rating system, as I think that's an interesting topic with so many opinions!
AMEN!
But seriously I couldn't agree more. I've found my own writing stifled at times as I've worried about how it will come across, even though the story naturally flows a certain direction. I feel like giving up sometimes because I'm afraid I'll get attacked for what I want to write. Thank you for the permission to write the story and leave it to the reader to either get the message or throw the book in the garbage. :) My own internal reader is physically helped by giving it to my daughter to read. Knowing she reads it keeps me focused, honest, and conscious about what I'm writing. Thanks for the great posts!
Posted by: Karen Adair | June 04, 2010 at 04:11 PM
Honestly, it really bothers me when people pass judgement on a book because the characters make some bad choices. I am fifteen years old and I know that people aren't perfect. We all make mistakes, we do things we shouldn't for the right reasons or do things we should for the wrong ones. A character who has perfect morals and does everything right would be completely unrealistic and boring to read. Our job isn't to teach morals, it's to tell a story that means something to us. When I write, it's how I make sense of the world and things that I don't understand. It enables me to try and look honestly at people and why we do what we do. Reading does the same thing for me. Perfect characters and perfect morals are not what makes a story good, at least to me. I love characters who make mistakes but rise out of them, like Enna. I think that sends the most powerful message to readers.
Posted by: Kylie | June 04, 2010 at 05:00 PM
Great post, Shannon.
Posted by: sara z. | June 04, 2010 at 05:31 PM
In your previous post for this subject, you commented that you hear from "...parents who believe that children's and young adult writers have an obligation to have moral standards and create boundaries in their books so as not to expose children to issues/situations that are age inappropriate."
To me, that's like saying children should not be exposed to living, or breathing, or being. They may as well have stayed in the womb.
When I encounter people trying to impose their own moral value system, no matter what it is, on all of the other children in the world by dictating what "should" or "shouldn't" be in books, I'm reminded of Nujood. Her story is written in the non-fiction book I AM NUJOOD: AGE TEN AND DIVORCED. She was married off for money to a grown man and raped on a nightly basis until an aunt secretly gave her the money to escape.
Billions of teens and children live through darker, uglier, scarier things than are portrayed in most Children's and YA novels currently on the market. They live through those things, and then in the name of "moral standards," people try to take away all the media, all the literature, through which they could process what they have been through in favor of a bland, safe world of books only meant for sheltered children who've never left the womb of a comfortable, protected, primarily middle-class, usually American world.
It is as if those people are saying that only a narrow sector of children -- a tiny percentage of the world's population -- are worthy of having books written for them, and only about the parts of their lives that one infinitesimal set of parents sees as being "wholesome."
I find that appalling, and I'm relieved that the publishing world is not nearly so narrow-minded as some parents, or else Nujood, and thousands of other children like her, would go unheard as writers and rejected as readers.
Side note: I'm not sure what "So let it be written, so let it be done," has to do with the rest of the post?
Posted by: AudryT | June 04, 2010 at 06:10 PM
Thanks for this post :) I like that your opinion of a writers' responsibility when it comes to morals is a mix of many things stated by the other authors. I agreed with most of them, and I agree with your opinions.
I really liked your point about how many people assume that their morals, for the most part, are shared by everyone else though that's not really the case. I often assume that very thing. To me, it seems as if right and wrong are so solid that everyone else must know what they are. It's helpful to know that that's not true.
I also appreciated your point about writing fiction involving non-fiction aspects, such as rape or loss. I'm currently working on a story about child abuse, and there were a few good tips in that paragraph. Thanks!
Posted by: Kalli | June 04, 2010 at 06:34 PM
I've always felt kind of confused about your position on morality/writing/author's role/reader's role. I wanted to understand what you were talking about, but I just didn't quite get it. This post clarified your perspective for me. You have a lot of good points. Thanks!
Posted by: Meg | June 04, 2010 at 06:59 PM
I love so much that there are writers out there who write because they are passionate about writing, not proving a point, writers who write because they "have to". Those are the writers who reach me the most because they allow me delve into their worlds and derive what is most meaningful for myself. And I am always a better person for it. An excellent example is a great little book I read just the other day. "Breathless" by Lurlene McDaniel. It's about euthanasia. HA! Now there's a hot topic but approached beautifully, subjectively, and in a manner that offers a very personal perspective (from several characters). It wasn't at all preachy or condemning, it was just a sweet story that I allowed to change me just a bit. Thanks to all authors who have the courage to write something, anything, that offers a chance for a reader to grow. Love you guys!
Posted by: Shannon Morris | June 04, 2010 at 09:35 PM
Great post! And I couldn't agree more that ultimately, parents are responsible for what their children read and discussing the implications of those novels with them. I mean, if every writer wrote books to make the most conservative segments of the population feel "safe", what a bore it would ultimately be--not to mention, an inaccurate and unfamiliar portrayal of life for many, many teens.
Posted by: Debra Driza | June 04, 2010 at 10:51 PM
This is a subject that I have thought a lot about because I have a daughter that sometimes reads 2-3 books a week. No matter how I try, there is no way that I can read everything before she does, so I have made a valiant effort to help her gain her own moral compass to guide her. I do agree that the movie rating system that we have is unsatisfactory, but I have to say that I would appreciate something more like a teacher’s/parent’s guide (not necessarily in the book) that lists some of the issues, both positive and negative, that are brought up in the book so that I could discuss them with my kids.
Posted by: Palmer Family | June 05, 2010 at 06:19 PM
Your blog is writer food.
"some readers (parents) expect all my characters to be model persons and only do what I'd want my own child to do. That would take away the power of the story and the whole reason for books."
I think this is so true. Characters are people, and people are complex. One really good example that comes to me is the character of St. John in Jane Eyre. Man, what a complicated person! Brontë does NOT dictate what the reader's opinion of him should be, and Jane's judgment of him herself is complicated--she respects him, but he is rather misguided. Or is he? That is left to the reader to judge. And that is what makes him such a compelling character. Because he is so human--so flawed, yet so honorably earnest. One can see both the intensity of his moral character and the imperfection of his direction. Brontë trusts the reader with a human character--something really powerful. And power can be for good or ill. Books can be extremely powerful. We all know that. The censors of the ages have all known that. And I think the as-honest-as-we-can-make-it portrayal of human beings is a huge ingredient in that dangerous power.
Posted by: Maddy | June 05, 2010 at 06:58 PM
You know what, Shannon, I have to agree completely with this post. As an aspiring author, I've often noticed the more open I am to how different a character is from myself, the better the story about that character becomes. And everything you've mentioned in this blog post is true even of Bible stories. I write stories for the children at my church and I've noticed that the more I believe that Abraham, David, Joseph lived imperfect human lives and made mistakes along the way--mistakes inferred by the Biblical passages expounding on their lives--the greater and more powerful my stories about them become. That's the beauty of storytelling, this ability to better understand persons, creatures, entities, powers and worlds far different from our own.
Posted by: Anthony Isom | June 06, 2010 at 01:16 AM
This is something I'm trying to debate: what IS appropriate for middle-grade readers? The novel I'm working on has mild violence, a brief talk about sex, and constant torments of the protagonist's sanity. It's more for 13-year olds than say fifth graders, but I want to tell this story badly.
Posted by: Jaya Lakshmi | June 06, 2010 at 05:37 AM
Love this post! It was eloquent.
Posted by: Princess Loucida | June 07, 2010 at 07:15 AM
I completely agree.
But as a side note:
I also feel completely safe with your books. Why is that? I don't know, it's a good question. Perhaps it's not necessarily the "morals" issues, what is right and what is wrong, but perhaps it is that I feel safe with your writing in general. I can count on the words and the images and thoughts flowing freely and bringing me different thoughts and emotions. And since I can count on that, I can trust that your stories will follow an incredible journey that will be no means ever disappoint me.
Posted by: Dr. Sallie N. Cheinsteen | June 07, 2010 at 08:49 AM
Oh, I just want to read this post again and again like staring at a new penny. This topic is so inspiring...
And again with the graphic novels. For shame, Shannon!
(haha?)
Posted by: Je Reve | June 07, 2010 at 01:29 PM
I read Calamity Jack finally! It was so beautiful! http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd169/Sabe815/JackRapunzel022.jpg
Posted by: Sarah | June 07, 2010 at 03:24 PM
Some of things said reminds me of something that happened when I was little. My mom said that once, while we were grocery shopping, I said I wanted to pick out my own cereal. And my mom thought "Oh, she's going to pick some type of sugar-loaded chocolate cereal." But she let me pick anyway. And much to her surprise and relief, I chose bran flakes.
~Molly, 16-almost-17-year-old
Posted by: Molly | June 07, 2010 at 10:06 PM
I think I agree with you in more or less words. I do agree that the reader has all the say about what they get out of a story, but I think the author/the artist has more influence on the reader's thoughts than they think they do.
But I feel like I understand a basic moral scope of a person when I read their books and I don't get ANY idea of this scope from the characters OR from the events of the book. I think what shows a person's moral beliefs in their writings is how events are presented, how the author voice shows what happens after the good and bad decisions a character makes. Not the characters. Not the events.
In my own writing I naturally write the way I believe in things: in God, and in what makes a person happy and what makes them unhappy. I never say what I think is right but the presentation of it tells you anyway by my will or not.
I don't believe there's some moral-less license to story-tellers. I don't believe a story is like a God and should live and breathe in its own morals for whatever makes it thematically interesting. I think the author is always there and unintentionally voicing their opinion about what is happening. I really believe you sense the feelings that go into the story.
Posted by: Bekah | June 07, 2010 at 11:54 PM
I just stumbled upon (using the stumbleupon application) this letter to Publishers Weekly http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-book-news/article/3189-read-this-b4-u-publish---.html
He mentions how teenagers don't want morals because they already get enough at home. As a teenager, I agree with that. As much as some parents might think the books morals are going to change us, we know that what we are reading is fiction. We read, not for the morals, but for the story, for the laughs, and for the characters.
Posted by: Liz | June 08, 2010 at 06:22 AM
Hi Shannon. I know you're super busy, but have been thinking for some time now that I should contact you. If you get 3 or 4 minutes please check out my blog. You'll find that my hope is to bring people together who can lift and inspire. I'd like to highlight you and what you've done for good-clean reading for youth. (I'd definitely mention that I've only read your books as an adult and STILL loved them! ... currently reading THE ACTOR AND THE HOUSEWIFE) But when I talk about you I'd love to offer a giveaway of one of your books, autographed. If you find the time, please contact me and let's see if we can work together some.
Thanks for your time and your contribution to so many people's enjoyment!
oxoxoxx
Denalee
http://lovely-silver-strands.blogspot.com
lovely.silver.strands@gmail.com
Posted by: Silver Strands | June 08, 2010 at 05:56 PM
This is SUCH a great, great thoughtful post. Thank you! I'd only add that I certainly agree with monitoring what my kids read and making sure they're ready for particular stories. But I think we also sometimes don't give kids enough credit for being able to tell the difference between reality and make believe.
My older girl is three, and in the 'eats nothing but peanut butter and jelly' phase. I was teasing her the other day, 'you're going to turn into a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, you know.' And without missing a beat, she said, "Oh, don't be silly, mummy, that would be magic, and we can't do magic, it's not real." Now, we've never talked to her about magic only being in stories we read together not the real world, never said a word about the difference between reality and make-believe. I wouldn't necessarily even have thought she was ready for that conversation. But at age 3, she'd already just naturally worked it out for herself.
Kids are wise, if only we credit them for it and listen to what they have to say.
Posted by: Anna Elliott | June 09, 2010 at 11:57 AM
The thing is, we all have a moral obligation to think about how our actions affect others. I know morals is a subjective topic, but does anyone disagree with the following phrase? -- "It should matter to me whether or not I am harming others."
Does the fact that not everyone agrees about what's right and wrong somehow release us from having to consider it? I hope not.
All people should have some interest in the welfare of others, particularly in children and young adults, our society's future. I'm sure you recognize in other areas of your life that the things you say and do make an impact on your children and other children. Why would being a fiction author somehow absolve you from your responsibility to think about how your actions affect them?
I'm not saying that when we write books we need to write them to match everyone else's standards -- that's not possible. I'm saying that morals ARE a consideration when we write (or do anything else in life). I'm saying it SHOULD cross our minds whether we are influencing others in a negative way. When it comes to these choices, we obviously have to let our own sense of morals be our compass. If an author truly believes in her heart that the underlying morals of her books aren't damaging to society, I don't have a problem with that, no matter how many parents say otherwise.
But there are too many authors who never even give it a thought.
Posted by: Lia | June 09, 2010 at 01:26 PM
(And let me add to that comment that I just posted that Shannon Hale is NOT one of those authors; I think her books have a remarkably positive influence on the world. I'm just weighing in on the discussion because so many other authors are following the debate.)
Posted by: Lia | June 09, 2010 at 01:32 PM
Interesting bit about the different ages getting different things out of the book, and so true! I'm 12, and the Goose Girl is my favorite book, which it has been since I was about 7 or 8. But as you said, Shannon, I got different things out of it when I was younger, and I'm sure I'll get different things out of it when I am older. Recently I reread it and got more out of it than I did even a year ago!
Posted by: Rebecca | June 12, 2010 at 02:47 PM
On the thought of different ages know what they're comfortable with reading, I completely agree. Your example of different ages taking different things from The Goose Girl is also one I can relate to. My parents gave The Goose girl to me for my eleventh birthday. I was shocked though when I came to end of part one. I didn't want to keep reading past it, so I put the book down. When I was thirteen, I decided I could handle it. And now, it is one of my favorite books! I'm sixteen now, and every time I read it, I take away something new. So I think putting restrictions on the things we read is not a good idea. A person can't learn his or her own boundaries if they never get the chance to test them. And although parents might think they're doing a good thing for their child, they send them out without really knowing their limits.
Posted by: Amy | June 17, 2010 at 02:42 PM
I agree with the comment that a 9 year old can't get what a 15 year old would get out of reading Goose Girl. I am not a writer, but I think that the reader decides what he or she gets out of the book. I read the Goose Girl when I was 10. I got certain messages from it like the friendship between Isi and Enna, but reading at 15 I get a whole perspective on life, not just messages. But as a 15 year old I also realize that I don't have to agree with the "morals" of the story. I can choose to ignore or differ in ideas that are displayed in your work. As a 10 year old I was blind to most of the symbolisms and "morals" but now I can easily see them and side or disagree with them maturely.
Posted by: Anna | July 18, 2010 at 11:49 AM