Santa Cruz’s Jill Wolfson, author of ‘Furious,’ is one of the panelists at Bookshop Santa Cruz’s ‘Writing for the Youth Market’ event Aug. 14.
When it comes to asking the authors of young adult fiction how to get into the business, there are no stupid questions.
Except there really, really are.
For instance, a not-great place to start might be, “How do you get your ideas?” On her web site’s FAQ, Santa Cruz writer Jill Wolfson answers it thus: “From awesomebookideas.com–an online idea store. But since they’ve gone out of business, it’s been up to me.”
In retrospect, though, Wolfson is feeling a bit of remorse for shattering sarcasm detectors everywhere.
“I probably wrote that when I was in an annoyed mood,” she admits. “I was being a little flip.”
And of course, there are the high school students who email her the night before their papers are due to ask her if she can please summarize the themes of her book. (Yes, this happens.) But other than that, Wolfson very much enjoys talking about writing with aspiring writers, which is why she came up with the idea for “From A to Zeus: Writing for the Youth Market,” the panel discussion that Bookshop Santa Cruz will host Wednesday, Aug. 14.
Wolfson’s latest book is Furious, which came out this spring and represents her first foray into YA fantasy. Praised as a smart, modern twist on Greek myth (the plot has high school girls taking on the powers of the Furies), Wolfson developed the book with a lot of support from authors Anne Ylvisaker and Paul Fleischman, who are in a writing group with her and will also be part of the panel at Bookshop. To Wolfson, the idea seemed natural, since the three of them often discuss the very same issues about writing for kids and teens that they are asked about.
“I thought ‘wouldn’t it be fun to kind of talk among ourselves in public?’” she remembers.
Many writers with dreams of kid-lit and YA stardom will come to the panel looking for a little guidance, so what kind of questions will be the most useful? Well, Wolfson’s personal favorite is, “How do you write for kids?”
“That’s the essence of it, for me,” she says.
Perhaps that’s because YA occupies a fascinating world between juvenile and adult fiction. It can’t be too much—or too little—of either, and Wolfson’s always searching for the perfect balance.
“There is kind of a YA tone. I still grapple with it,” she says. “I’m not sure where the line is.”
These days, of course, who does? As she points out, today’s YA subject matter is pretty much “anything goes”: sex, abortion, drugs, self-mutilation, you name it. This is a source of serious freaking out for many a parent, Wolfson acknowledges, but she puts her faith both in YA readers and their families.
“I think teens should be treated as intelligent people. They can read what they want to read,” she says. “If your child is reading a book you’re concerned about, read the book, too. Literature is such a great way for parents and kids to talk.”
The opposite of YA fiction that challenges and creates a sense of authenticity is the kind built on a cheap gimmick, and that’s probably why Wolfson’s least favorite question to get is, “I have this idea, how can I get it published?”
“I think a lot of YA is a marketing decision, because at this point YA is really selling,” she says.
The upside is that teen fiction, once considered a writing ghetto, is now quite respectable.
“Its reputation has definitely very much improved,” she says. “Thank you, Hunger Games. Thank you, Harry Potter.”
What those who still look down their noses at books aimed at children and teens fail to realize is that they can be the toughest audiences out there.
“Kids have a really great sense of story. They know when a story’s not working. I think they’re very challenging to write for,” says Wolfson.
One reason YA fiction has found such a huge audience with adults, she believes, may be that teen dramas simply have more drama.
“When you’re a teen, everything is epic. When you get a crush on that guy, it’s epic. You’re gonna die,” she says. “You’re the star of this movie—and YA puts you back into that epic world.”
The panel discussion 'From A to Zeus: Writing for the Youth Market' will be held at Bookshop Santa Cruz, Aug. 14, 7pm.
