Diversity in YA and my reservations

Can we just admire this artwork for a moment...check out the artist HERE.

By now, most writers and readers are aware of the #WeNeedDiverseBooks movement. Others have already tossed their two cents into the pot, so I though I'd add mine.

DISCLAIMER: In general, I love the idea of the movement. My parents are Chinese and I grew up in a Chinese household, and I resorted to Asian dramas for my dose of Asian characters and leads. As a kid, I never really gave the lack of Asian characters in MG/YA books much thought. But as an older writer and reader of the YA genre, I do notice it. With the pretty healthy state that the YA market is currently in, I agree that it is time to see if we can introduce some variation into the already great stuff that is out there.

But (and from the title of this post, you probably already guessed that there would be a "but") I also have some reservations over the WNDB movement.

What mainly got me thinking about my feelings regarding the movement is the current novel that I am querying: HESPERIA. It's set in a cross between Rome and China (because why not?), and when building the world, I drew upon a lot of my own cultural currency. Those random Asian dramas I watched? Inspiration. Food I ate everyday as a kid and thought it was the norm? Inspiration. The adages of the culture, the general teachings and values? Inspiration.

And it shows in HESPERIA. Readers have consistently praised the world-building. One of my very trusted readers went on to point out that since I do such a lovely job of introducing the Asian element to my world, why not apply the same to my characters?

To give you a sense of where this comment may have come from, I'll let you know that I don't describe what the characters look like all that much in HESPERIA. This was mainly due to theme purposes (HESPERIA was heavily inspired by TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD, and so while in TKAM skin color is a pretty big defining characteristic, in HESPERIA seer and magicians vs normal humans is the big defining characteristic, and I didn't want to spend too much time describing differences in looks). It was also a result of personal style--in general I don't like describing the looks of my characters since I trust that the reader will conjure his or her own image regardless, although I can definitely see why a well-drawn out character can make that conjuring process easier.

Second, none of my character names are traditionally Asian. As in, if you took a glance at the name, you wouldn't immediately think this character is Asian. I pulled a lot of the names from my imagination. Since the setting is mainly China influenced, I used some Latin in the creation of my names and some Roman culture in creating the world's justice system.

Anyway, this astute reader of mine pointed out to me that fantasy set in other cultures is huge, and so having more Asian main characters would really help me out in the market.

So I considered amping up the Asian factor in the characters via names and appearances.

And in the end, while I could see the benefits, I decided not to.

Why? Because I realized that I hadn't just gravitated toward the names I picked because I'm inundated with white-washed media or couldn't think of anything good. The non-Asian names, rather, were a conscious choice. While my characters might "fit the bill" (I really dislike how that sounds) as coming from a diverse setting and culture, I don't want to feel pressure to squeeze them into the names they should have to be considered diverse, or the skin colors/eye colors/hair colors that they should have to be considered diverse.

For example, many of the Asians I know don't have Asian names, and many decide not to conform to certain Asian cultural constructs, but they are no less Asian than any other Asians.

My Asian characters can have blonde hair and red eyes for all I care.

And as for all the other Asian elements that I included in the novel? They were also conscious choices. My characters are Asian influenced because they struggle a lot with the whole independence vs conform to society thing (which is actually a direct throwback to Confucianism). They will always think of the ripple effects their own decisions can have on the people around. They eat lychees and water-chestnuts and congee sprinkled with scallions. White is the color for funerals. Silk is the #1 preferred fabric for anyone with some money. But as an Asian myself, I realize that even by typing this out I risk drawing lines around what constitutes as Asian and what doesn't. I risk slapping a specific label onto what is means to be diverse.

Reading offers you the chance to live a life that you might never live in the real world. It allows you to see through the other's eyes and walk in his or her shoes (cliche as it sounds, that's the ultimate goal of a realistic character). Which is why, mostly speaking, I'm so excited that the industry is recognizing the need for expanding the possible horizons readers can explore. I am excited about the diversity movement--I dare not call it a trend because that implies it will eventually die out. Something as important as this should never die out.

But honestly, I'm also very scared. Because it's so incredibly easy to try to fit diversity into a box, to slap a bunch of labels as to what exactly constitutes as diversity. This contradicts entirely what the whole diversity movement is about. But it will happen--and it has. Because while we're lauding the books that explore subjects such as sexuality and race (which we should do and continue to do), it's harder to recognize all the definitions of diversity.

We continue to marginalize the heroine who is too "passive" or too "selfish" or too, dare I say, "unlikeable".  I've read so many reviews where the majority of the review criticizes the character. But...isn't diversity also diversity in character?

For example, very few reviews would say: "I hated him because he was too disabled!"

But so many reviews say: "I hated X character because of Y personality quality she had."

But I would argue that personality is diversity. The specific decisions you gravitate towards, the way you present yourself, the things you like and dislike, are all influenced by your socio-economic background, your physical (dis)abilities, your sexual orientation, your race, your culture, your environment.

The latter list we praise as diversity. We praise it so much that they become the keystones of the diversity movement. But when we reduce diversity down to any "essential element", we risk distorting the real purpose of the mission.

*In case you were wondering, I LOVE the reader I mentioned in this post--she is so very well-read in the YA genre and awesome at giving me crit that actually makes me excited about revision :D Her comment just indirectly prompted my thinking, which resulted in this word spew (as if any of my posts weren't word spews).

What are YOUR thoughts about diversity in YA and the recent movement? I'd love to hear your thoughts--both assenting and differing opinions :)

On contests

part I out of II

This entry was inspired by a post by the lovely Storm Owl. You can check it out (and the rest of her blog) here. 

I recently surprised myself by entering two pitch contests (Nestpitch and Pitchslam). Why? Because I'm always a pessimist when it comes to contests--all contests, not just writing ones.

I'm not a competitive person. I never liked applying for scholarships, internships, or anything where the chances of receiving something are low because you have a thousand other people, just as qualified as you, vying for your spot. I convince myself that the statistics are against me, and that I might as well not compete. After all, there are other methods of getting to places, methods that don't require contests.

However, being pessimistic also helps sometimes, for me at least. As in when I do enter, I have zero expectations. Obviously they'll rise every now and then, but I'm quick to squash them.

I was been extremely fortunate to be chosen as a finalist in Pitchslam, and even more fortunate for HESPERIA, my YA fantasy, to garner some interest from agents.

But the key is here is fortunate. Because I know what I'm going up against when it comes to pitch contests. I'll generalize and say that writers are really hard-working, smart, motivated people, and they make for fierce competition. They're cognizant of the market, able to whip out some super high-concept, hooky premises and even hookier pitches, no matter the length.

Generally speaking, a lot of writers' first pages rock.

Which is why I was nervous entering the ring with HESPERIA. Having written my own share of gripping (or my attempts at) first pages, I knew where HESPERIA would be at a disadvantage.

Voice: Hesperia herself as a character is more subtle. Her voice is naturally muted, suppressed by the years she's been groomed to become queen.

Pacing/Action/Intrigue: She's running from the imperial maids. No one has died yet, no wars have broken out. No one mysterious or dangerous has appeared. Hesperia's actions could easily be interpreted as frolicking through the gardens.

Pitch: My comp titles (which weren't even included) are TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD meets GAME OF THRONES. Needless to say, the two don't exactly seem to mesh that well together at first glance and can leave the reader scratching her head. When it comes down to it, it's hard to package HESPERIA into a neat bundle of 35 words without stripping it down to its barest of bones and leaving stuff out--a lot of stuff out.

Do these things make HESPERIA a bad novel? No. The novel is certainly not perfect, but it accomplished my writer's vision and does what it needs to do.

The aforementioned things do not at all make HESPERIA a bad novel.

They DO, however, make it a harder novel to do well with in contests.

There will always be the manuscripts that are made for contests, just by nature of the premise, genre, characters, voice, etc. Granted, they may need some rewrites. They may need new beginnings. But at their cores, they can be contest-ready with some polish and shine.

Then there are the other manuscripts, the ones that aren't as photogenic in contests.

To clarify, I don't mean that these manuscripts will flounder and fail. First off, many are brilliant. Many of them will actually make it to the final rounds--I've seen it. But they require more work. Whatever the reason may be--bad timing, oversaturated genre, not as relatable characters--they are not as cooperative when you as a writer are trying to fit them into their best suits and dresses.

At that point, you have two choices. You can always (and I mean always) whip your manuscript into spectacular contest shape with the work. But sometimes, this may call for you to adjust your authorial vision. You might have to relinquish bits and pieces that you love. For example, you and your CP might love your first page, but it's not really doing its job in contests.

Do you change it? If you do, the contest-version first page might not necessarily be better that the first. It'll be better for contests and for the competitive contest atmosphere.

To sum up, always remember that "better" is relative once you've already poured the tears and sweat over your novel. You can't make everyone happy. Certain types of novels absolutely bask in contests and in front of audiences. And other types of novels are just as good but will fare better through different channels of achieving an agent/publication.

Have you ever had a novel that you worked hard on and personally loved, but didn't end up resonating with others?

When it all gets to be a bit too much

If you haven't noticed by now, I've sort of died.

My best friend of 12+ years knows that my biggest (and probably most annoying) flaw is hermitting. Yes, hermitting. It's similar to taking some time off to focus on "me-time", but sometimes that "me-time" stretches into months.

The writing community is awesome. But for one week last year, after feeling down about a past MS that I shelved and a new MS that my CP's loved but that I personally did not feel like was quite ready, I took a break. I told myself I just needed to get off the internet, stop checking my emails for query responses, stop blogging. I needed to clear my mind.

And that week turned into months. Months have turned into nearly a year.

I know, it's horrible.

Of course, there were other factors that went into the unexpectedly long break. College was becoming something very real and I could no longer think about it in an abstract way (oh my god, I got into college! Time to get senioritis). I reconciled with the fact that I was one step closer to having to deal with the "real world," and that my choices and actions for the next few years would ultimately decide if writing would remain a hobby or evolve to become something more.

My family also moved. We packed all our things from our house of twelve years and trucked them into a new house (or condo, for the sake of specificity). While it was by no means an across the country (or seas) move, people who know me know that I am absolutely horrible when it comes to adapting to change. The move went smoothly. I did erupt into hives. I did feel a weird emptiness inside of me. But yes, overall, it was a smooth move.

I also got into my first serious relationship. I've heard people talk about baby-brain, but relationship brain is a thing. I had always run into the occasional writers block, but this time I faced the worst creative low in my life. Sometime, I'll write a post on this. Anyway, while the relationship was (and still is!) awesome, I felt ashamed of the fact that it was sapping my writing motivation. I kept on trying to tell myself that if I could just gather the willpower, I COULD and WOULD write.

I failed miserably.

Lastly, however, was just fear. I felt bad about my writing. I felt bad about not seeing any results yet. I have a strong belief that anyone who starts writing young can't help but dream of being published young. I was no exception. And while I hadn't exactly shelved 3210321 novels, ILWF was doing worse than INGENICIDE in the query trenches, which was devastating since my CP's had vouched for it.

To give you a clearer picture, I sent out 80 queries for INGENICIDE. That number dropped to 30 for ILWF. I was scared, so, so scared of raking up rejections that I simply decided to put myself out there less to the number of closed doors.

Finishing my YA Fantasy WIP, HESPERIA, during this time was torturous. The words wouldn't come out, and what words did end up coming out did not sound right. I began to think that I not only could not gather the motivation to write anymore, but that I had become a worse writer.

I started video gaming. It was a hobby that both my boyfriend and I could share, and I met some new friends this way. But in truth, it was more than a hobby. It was something to fill the writing void, and I knew it.

I continued to hermit. I eventually reengaged with the writing community by stalking all my favorite writers' blogs. But I couldn't bring myself to comment or say anything. I admired the writing community from afar but no longer felt as if I could be a part of it. Everyone else seemed to be able to write despite having their own respective challenges and problems. I couldn't.

I know this post sounds really depressing,  but I promise you it isn't. Because going through this "dark period" in writing, I've learned something extremely valuable.

I will always write. Always. Because be it a month or a year, I always come back to my scrivener docs. And I can't help but write.

So I'm back. After a year of being dead, I'm back.

When it all gets to be a bit too much, do what you need to do. Whether that is take a break, go out for some air, find another hobby. Hermit if you need to. As I've told a friend countless of times, don't worry about whether or not you've made the right decision while you're taking that break. The answer will come to you. You'll know it one of two ways:

A. You're just immensely happier on your break (this was me with competitive running).
B. You'll be happy at first but the happiness won't last and you'll just know that something is missing from your life. When that feeling comes, you will know.

I knew that competitive running was not something I wanted to do for an extended period of my life. The stint in high school happened, and while it is not an experience I regret, I realize that the stress outweighed the happiness I got from it. For writing, however, I fall into category B, and I would have wanted nothing else. I am glad to be back, and I hope you will all receive me again.