Argh...seriously?

YAwriter72 · Jun 14, 2009

Is this the future of YA? I read Wake yesterday. One of the hardest to follow, telling books I've ever read and its a NY Times Bestseller??

Janie did this. Then she did that. Cabel did this. Then he did that. Flashback. Flash ahead.

OMG. I made it through the whole book but at the end just shook my head. Is the where YA is going? Unconnected characters and declarations of I Love You and its no big deal. Seriously, I was flabbergasted. I guess I don't "get" this new style of writing or something, cause this is the second book I've read where there is just no connection at all.

Lisa Cox · Jun 14, 2009

Sadly, it seems that way. *cough*Twilight*cough*

The good news is, there's always going to be room for well-written, descriptive YA novels, because there are a lot of teenagers out there who cherish their intelligence.

gonovelgo · Jun 14, 2009

I just looked up Wake on Amazon and it sounds like it would be interesting. A shame about the writing, then, but if it's out in Ireland/the UK I might give it a go for the concept.

EDIT: Amazon.co.uk is showing a December release date, so I guess there's no need to go rushing off to the nearest bookstore just yet.

kaitlin008 · Jun 14, 2009

Wake was a very weird style, and I sort of thought the same thing as you at first. Because it was completely telling. However, the way she did it was so fast paced, and so unique that I'm not sure it would've worked any other way. (Also, Cabel & Janey don't say I love you to each other in Wake. I actually thought she did their relationship really well. But I get your point about I love you being tossed out every which way far too often. Although, remember being a teen? A lot of times, teens think they love every guy they date--no offense intended to teens!)

I don't think you should start despairing yet, though. Good writing will always be appreciated

YAwriter72 · Jun 14, 2009

kaitlin008 said:
Wake was a very weird style, and I sort of thought the same thing as you at first. Because it was completely telling. However, the way she did it was so fast paced, and so unique that I'm not sure it would've worked any other way. (Also, Cabel & Janey don't say I love you to each other in Wake. I actually thought she did their relationship really well. But I get your point about I love you being tossed out every which way far too often. Although, remember being a teen? A lot of times, teens think they love every guy they date--no offense intended to teens!)

I don't think you should start despairing yet, though. Good writing will always be appreciated

Cabel tells her he loves her in Wake. (I doubled checked, I read it late last night! LOL)

It was just such a disjointed style, something I have never read before. I enjoyed the story, just couldn't really get into the telling style.

kaitlin008 · Jun 14, 2009

I could've sworn they both didn't till Fade, but I'll take your word, because I do remember that he did it much before Janey did

The style was definitely odd, though. I agree. It was a little distracting at first, but then I realized it made it move along wicked fast.

JamieB · Jun 14, 2009

I read Wake and Fade at a rapid rate of speed and loved them. But, I'm not one for a flowery book with lots of simile and metaphore, either.

I want the facts and do it quick. I love how she wrote in a diary format so I could see that time was passing, but I didn't have to wade through the day to day "stuff". I felt connected to the characters and they felt connected to each other for me. But, this is my ideal style of writing, too.

wandergirl · Jun 14, 2009

I also enjoyed Wake & Fade, the latter which I finished yesterday. Let me say that stylistically, they couldn't be any more different than the books I write, or most of the books that are my favorite (Atonement, for example; although the Road definitely experiments with style, though in a more Pulitzer-worthy way). But I felt the snappy writing style worked for these hyper-commercial books, which you're meant to race through. Yes, I would hate it if all books were this way, but I doubt the style is going to bleed all across the YA market (though it will a few emulators, being a NYT bestseller & all)

Leah_Michelle · Jun 14, 2009

It does sound interesting, but how the writing is described is a bit of a put-off. I really can't stand novels like that, but I'm always willing to try them.

Juneluv12 · Jun 14, 2009

YAWriter,

I feel your pain. Most of the "hot" and "musts" in the YA biz that I read I seriously go, "Okay, that was good, but was it that good?"

I'm not sure how some authors get by with grammar mistakes, plot holes you could drive a buick through, telling, telling, telling, etc, and then some of us can't get in the freakin' door!!!

I used to not think of these things until I started writing. Now I'm a total bitch about it!!!

Becky · Jun 14, 2009

Juneluv12 said:
I used to not think of these things until I started writing. Now I'm a total bitch about it!!!

I'm the same!! I always used to be picky about grammar, but only since I;ve started writing have I become super-picky. I read Regeneration by Pat Barker the other day - amazing story, but quite a few errors like the wrong for of its/it's, affect instead of effect and using your instead of you're. It's painful! My friends just think I'm going a little insane...haha

YAWriter - I'll have to take a look at Wake - not heard of it before, but I'll take a look in our library and see if they have it. Then I can properly contribute!

Kathleen42 · Jun 14, 2009

I'm not sure why you are concerned. I'm often puzzled by the adult books that make the bestseller list. It's only logical that the same thing will happen in YA -- especially as the genre grows in size and popularity.

kaitlin008 · Jun 14, 2009

I think it's also important to remember that while we all have to know The Rules, some stories are just not suited for following them. I honestly can't picture Wake working well if it was told differently. It's going to work really well for some people, and other people will hate it.

YAwriter72 · Jun 14, 2009

Kathleen42 said:
I'm not sure why you are concerned. I'm often puzzled by the adult books that make the bestseller list. It's only logical that the same thing will happen in YA -- especially as the genre grows in size and popularity.

Not concerned so much as puzzled by the volume of "Not so great writing correct and style wise" that is making it huge. (Erm, Twilight anyone.)

As writers we are beat over the head by show don't tell. Get into you MC head. Make them sympathetic. Wrap up the story. Don't leave plot gaps.

And I've recently read a few books that have done all of those and more and are being embraced and loved. As I said, it's just puzzling and makes me wonder why we should be so concerned about "the rules of writing" when clearly you can turn your nose up at how you should write and just do what you want.

And I think part of the letdown for me for Wake was I expected a totally different story than I read. The blurb on the back was kinda misleading!

History_Chick · Jun 14, 2009

Blurbs on the back can be very misleading. I read the blurb for Fetch and thought I was getting a great book, until I read it and then I was like WTH this is nothing like the blurb.

Hey, if teens read it and enjoy it, then thats cool. We all have different tastes ya know.

but I see what you are saying about well written books n' stuff.

kaitlin008 · Jun 14, 2009

Oh, yeah, I found the blurb on the back of Wake to be completely misleading. I expected something SO different (like her getting lost inside of a dream and having to fight her way out or something along those lines, not her using dreams to help her figure things out in reality.)

But really, it's best to just try not to compare. Just know that you're doing the best you can, and you're making your book show not tell, and not having plot holes, etc etc. That's what you have control over, so that's all you can worry about.

And for what it's worth, I think Lisa McMann is a good writer. The way Wake is written feels to me like it has to have been a conscious choice. I definitely don't think it's undeserving of being on the bestseller list (it is, right? I didn't just make that up?)

MissKris · Jun 14, 2009

QFT, kaitlin. Styles vary, thank goodness. If they didn't I would have stopped reading ages ago. And cutting edge is always a gamble. Sometimes it works and sometimes it falls flat. In the end, be sure you know the rules, then go ahead and break them. Something amazing might come of it.

Having said that, I havn't even read Wake or Fade, but I'm off to the library in the morning!

Rebecca_Rogers · Jun 15, 2009

I loved Wake and Fade...once I got past Lisa's writing style. It wasn't a style I was used to, but I really enjoyed the books and can't wait for Gone to be released next year.

Fade · Jun 15, 2009

YAwriter72 said:
Is this the future of YA? I read Wake yesterday. One of the hardest to follow, telling books I've ever read and its a NY Times Bestseller??

I loved Wake. I mean, the style was very... different, and it took me about ten pages to fully sink in, but by ten I liked it. Ditto with Fade. To each her own, though.

And I agree with whoever(s?) said that the blurb was totally misleading.

pixydust · Jun 15, 2009

I have that one by my bed, waiting... I noticed the last few "pulp" YA books I read were a little thin in the layers department, though. TWILIGHT was just a good story, not good writing. And I felt the same way about GONE (But I REALLY loved GONE, so story won out on that one for sure). I do think a lot of the time editors don't just look at style or rule-following. If the story looks sellable, they'll give it a shot. At least, that's what I'm guessing. Otherwise, why do I yank my hair out every time I try to write a scene, picking at every detail so that it doesn't sound contrived or hollow?

Argh...seriously?

YAwriter72

someone let me off this crazy ride

Lisa Cox

gonovelgo

kaitlin008

Seeing newness all the time

YAwriter72

someone let me off this crazy ride

kaitlin008

Seeing newness all the time

JamieB

wandergirl

~kirsten hubbard

Leah_Michelle

Fangirling

Juneluv12

Steel Magnolia & Snarky Pants

Becky

Kathleen42

crushing on fictional characters

kaitlin008

Seeing newness all the time

YAwriter72

someone let me off this crazy ride

History_Chick

kaitlin008

Seeing newness all the time

MissKris

Is the random.

Rebecca_Rogers

Fade

The Captain of My Soul

pixydust

Mother Flippin' Rhymnosorous