I recently read The Martian by Andy Weir and loved it. Even though it isn't a Young Adult book, I still think it's something teens would enjoy. One thing I really liked about it was how many different forms bravery takes in the story.

First, there's the most obvious, the main character Mark Watney, who has to find the courage to survive, even though he knows he probably will never make it off Planet Mars. Then there's Commander Melissa Lewis, who has to be brave in the knowledge that Mark survived the storm and that she left him behind, and look after the rest of her crew rather than let guilt consume her. The book has many characters who have to risk their careers, their reputation, and their lives to do what's right.

This has had me thinking about how sometimes bravery comes in unexpected places, so I asked the other We Heart YA girls to talk about a character they've read about recently that showed courage in an unconventional, misunderstood, or not so obvious way (ie. not the staring down literal dragons, going to actual war kind of courage).

Kristan

I recently read Conviction by Kelly Loy Gilbert, and I was blown away by the writing, the tension, and most of all, by the protagonist Braden. Although he is just a teenager, Braden is forced to face something that takes years -- well into adulthood -- for most of us to understand and accept: That our parents are only human. They are flawed and will make mistakes. Sometimes big ones. In Conviction, Braden's father's mistakes may have cost someone their life. Only Braden knows what really happened, and he has to search within himself for the courage to be honest, to speak up, and to live with the consequences. To me, that kind of bravery is perhaps the most important, because it's what allows us to live authentically.


Ingrid


Willowdean from Dumplin' by Julie Murphy

Texas teenager Willowdean has no interest in being a beauty queen. But she decides to enter the town's beauty pageant anyway--to make a point. As she comes to grips with the death of her 36-year-old obese aunt, clashes with her former beauty-queen mom, grapples with why she feels self-conscious kissing the cutest boy in town, and struggles to maintain her friendship with her skinny best friend, Willowdean decides that her own weight shouldn't preclude her from participating in the town's biggest event. I think Dumplin' shows an authentic portrayal of the self-consciousness many teens struggle with, and the courage it takes to overcome it. In the book, Willowdean's decision inspires her classmates to face their own fears and as a result, they all grow into more confident individuals. In real life, I believe it can inspire readers to do the same.

Sarah


Archivist Wasp by Nicole Kornher-Stace

As an Archivist, Wasp's job is to catch and study ghosts before returning them to the realm ruled over by the goddess Catchkeep. Essentially an avatar for the goddess, the Archivist is chosen from amongst a group of girls, called "upstarts," who bear the mark of Catchkeep and who fight to the death for the honor of fulfilling this role.

Having been the Archivist for three years running, Wasp has already killed so many upstarts. Dealing with ghosts everyday on her own, Wasp is weary with death and questions the purpose of it all. At the annual gathering to determine the next girl to be Archivist, Wasp makes a choice that goes against everything she has known and been taught in her people's history. She refuses to take part in killing anymore.

It's incredibly courageous to act against tradition, expectation and religious authority. To question the world we live in. And though it brings her all sorts of trouble and pain, her instincts lead to an important discovery about those in power and the nature of the ghosts themselves.

Something happened last week. And it wasn't just that Dave Grohl broke his leg falling off the stage of a concert and then proceeded to rock for another two hours while getting casted. No, not that.

I read another Stephanie Kuehn book.
And, yes, that's an event.

It hasn't been that long since I finished one of her books--CHARM AND STRANGE. A book that I had ordered for the school library and had always meant to read, but other shiny books got in the way. Being a librarian means you have countless books that feel like a natural extension of your own shelves at home and the lure is strong.

*Ahem*


I was sitting in the car outside my kids' school, waiting for the afternoon pick-up, reading the last chapters of CHARM AND STRANGE and, bloggers, stuff was going down. Like, my eyes were bugging out and my heart was breaking for the characters. Afterward, I had this incredible urge to bury this book on the school bookshelf because what if I messed somebody up by letting them read this? And then I thought, what if I help somebody by encouraging them to read this?

Fear is strong. But book nerds are brave.

This week I finished reading DELICATE MONSTERS and have to say that the title is perfect. The horror is perfect. The badness is indifferent and familiar and heartbreaking and necessary and wasted, wasted, this book made me feel (and question) so many things that I want to bury it I want to show and tell it I want to whisper I want you to read this so that I'm not alone...I kinda want to cry.

It got me thinking about Heroes and Anti-Heroes...certainly the modern trend is to mix the definitions and tweak things to resemble the very society we live in. It's something I respect and have come to expect in my reads. Complex villains that we somewhat sympathise with or villainous protagonists that have a great character arc proving their worth. Heroes that don't inhabit godlike qualities or exhibit their resourcefulness at just the right time. Heroes with more than their fair share of a fatal flaw.

You see, Anti-heroes go further than that decaying label of "unlikeable." Sure, we're not supposed to like Snape, but you're missing out on a great story element if you don't.

Go ahead and dislike Calaena Sardothien (THRONE OF GLASS) or Alice (SIDE EFFECTS MAY VARY) or Valkyrie White (BLACK HELICOPTERS) or Bianca (The DUFF) or Cassie (BEAUTIFUL) or Heathcliffe (WUTHERING HEIGHTS) or Locke Lamora or pretty much all of Courtney Summers' characters...groan along with Greg Huffley (WIMPY KID) or Mr. Collins (PRIDE AND PREJUDICE)...as long as you know there's a NIMONA in all of us.

"We read to find life, in all its possibilities. The relevant question isn’t 'is this a potential friend for me?' but 'is this character alive?'" ~ Claire Messud

Who are your favourite Anti-Heroes?

Now that we're doing these "Q&A Thursdays," we've realized that our friends at YA Confidential ask some great reading/writing questions every week too. So we're going to alternate between their prompts and YA Highway's. This week, YA Confidential asks...


Sarah:

I think Ryan Dean (from Andrew Smith's WINGER) and Eleanor (from Rainbow Rowell's ELEANOR & PARK) would get along smashingly. They might both be in love with someone else, but they would make good companions. Yin and Yang. Opposites attract, yo.

Kristan:

I would love to hook up Nikolai from the Shadow and Bone series with Johanna Mason from the Hunger Games series. They're both smart, witty, and regal -- but they're hiding deep wounds. I think they could be good for one another.

Ingrid:

There are so many combos to choose from! I'm going to pair up Bodee from FAKING NORMAL with Melinda from SPEAK because Bodee is the kind of friend every broken girl needs, and I think they could help each other heal.

You:

Join in the fun by leaving your answer in the comments here, at YA Confidential, on your own blog, or on Twitter (and be sure to tag us @weheartya!).

As some of you know, I attended the Pike's Peak Writers Conference last month and had a wonderful experience. I returned from the weekend bursting with energy and ready to employ the techniques I'd learned there in my own writing. I shared some of these in my last post, but there were just too many tasty tidbits that I wasn't able to include. So here is a second helping of conference tips... I hope you enjoy them!

• Make every word count. We've all heard this, right? Tightening things up is often easier said than done, though. But whenever I go back and read a page from a favorite book, it's obvious that the author did just that. He/she chose each word carefully and used only what was needed.
• 
  
• Dialogue is a dangerous opening, but can be great if done well. So if you're using dialogue as the first line of your book, the take-home here was to make it something special. Something that piques your reader's interest. Something that startles or shocks. Something that drips with voice. 
• 
  
• When writing character-based novels, you need to know your characters extremely well even before you sit down to write. One book series cited in this discussion was Harry
  
  Potter. I mean, you could cite these books for brilliance in so many areas, but just think of how every single character was so well developed. (Harry, Ron and Hermione, of course, but also Luna, Snape, Mrs. Weasley, Malfoy, Dobby, etc.) A lot of authors will write character sketches or "interview" their characters before they start writing. Sometimes, before I drift off to sleep I make up scenes in my head (that may never actually occur in my book) and just "watch" how my characters react. It's enlightening... and fun!
• 
  
• Scenes should have power shifts. Oooh, this was one of my favorites. The idea here is that whichever character starts with the power in a scene needs to lose that power--even if they get it back in the end. If you have multiple power players starting a scene, make them all lose their power. Isn't it fun to give and take power so easily? Bwahaha....
• 
  
• Have your characters use all six senses. In one workshop, I learned that authors tend to rely most heavily on sight, hearing and, to a lesser degree, touch. Keep the other senses in mind, too, and try to sneak them into your writing: smell, taste, and intuition. 
• 
  
• Think cinematically. If your book was a movie, how would you set up the scene? 
  
  What props would you use? A vase, a bedspread, salt and pepper shakers... In books, the details of these subconscious scene markers should not be glaring, but rather should occur naturally--just like a camera panning across a room in a movie. 

Sarah:
1. ELEANOR AND PARK by Rainbow Rowell

Friendly reminder: You can win a copy of THE BITTER KINGDOM, THE BROKENHEARTED, and NOT A DROP TO DRINK just by commenting on this interview post over here.

@kristanhoffman What a world that would be, all gasoline and magic.
— Maggie Stiefvater (@mstiefvater) October 9, 2013

Gasoline and magic, indeed. There's a lot of both in TDT. Although the book continues the search for Glendower, I would say there's a clear focus on Ronan. And Ronan is all about cars and special powers.

But he is also all about family. And friendship. And love (you'll never guess for whom!). He is a great character -- and I think that's the gasoline and magic that TDT really runs on.

Characters, and the relationships between them.

Ronan is the star, and his journey is a compelling one. He has to grapple with the mysterious and heartbreaking legacy left to him by his father. He has to work with his enemy to master powers that neither of them fully understand. And most importantly, he has to learn to accept himself, to love himself, because he is the only person who can save everyone else.

Despite his wealth, Gansey isn't the flashiest character. But there are things about him that are endearing, distinct. Like his habit of chewing on mint leaves. Or his cardboard model of Henrietta. Or his complete acceptance of all his best friends' worst traits. Even his love of that ridiculous Camaro.

And let's not forget Blue. She's so desperate to be one of the guys -- a feeling I can identify with. When you see a tight-knit group of friends like the Raven Boys, it's hard not to want to belong. And she is a vital piece of their puzzle, but they're still trying to figure out exactly where she fits. She wants to go here; Adam wants her there; and Gansey wants her still somewhere else. It's not going to be easy to click her into place, but I suspect when they finally manage it, they'll all be better off.

Speaking of Adam... Poor dear Adam. My heart breaks for this kid. He hasn't had an easy life -- and his pride won't allow him to make it any easier. His stubbornness frustrates me, and his anger worries me. In spite of how tightly he tries to control himself, Adam is a bit of a live wire. (Pun intended, for those of you who have read TDT already!) Though he makes some positive strides, I suspect he's not done sparking problems within the group.

To be honest, Noah doesn't play a huge role in this installment. However, he definitely steals the scene that he shares with Blue. The moment between them is so achingly sweet, it rips your heart in two. I don't quite see how Noah can get a happy ending, but I hope Maggie finds a way to give him one.

Last but not least, I want to mention two "side" characters from TDT.

The Gray Man seems to be a fan favorite, which I think is a testament to Maggie Stiefvater's ability to render characters in their full dimensions. He is a dangerous and violent man -- but he is also a victim -- and potentially also a hero. I like how those layers speak to the idea of identity and choice: We all have the power to determine who we want to be.

Which is a good lesson for Adam to learn...

Kavinsky, on the other hand, is a jerk. Whereas the Gray Man and Adam could be cut from the same cloth, Kavinsky is like the flip side of Ronan's coin. They have so much in common, and yet they are totally different. And though Kavinsky's cavalier and impetuous behavior may seem entertaining at first, I think it becomes pretty clear that people like him are more trouble than they're worth.

And these are just the main players. There's also a whole host of supporting cast who enrich this book even further. (Mainly Blue's family of female psychics, who are bristly, hilarious, and insightful by turns.) Again, I believe it's this complex constellation of characters, and the connections between them, that make up the true "gasoline and magic" of Maggie Stiefvater's work.

Hey, did you guys know that today is very special? Because a certain Mooney girl was born twenty-some years ago, forever bringing her special brand of magic into the world. So on the count of three, please shout it with me. 1... 2... 3...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, STEPHANIE!
To celebrate, I thought I would gather up some cool fictional characters for a cool fictional surprise party. Here's who I invited:

Sturmhond
from SIEGE AND STORM by Leigh Bardugo

This pirate captain -- sorry, he prefers privateer -- does tend to steal every scene he's in, but I'm pretty sure he wouldn't steal the party from the birthday girl. Instead, I expect that he would bring her the awesome-est gift ever. Some strange new invention of his own making. And after he unveiled it, he would charm the whole crowd, telling jokes and dancing.

Cath
from FANGIRL by Rainbow Rowell

Sure, she isn't your typical party girl, but Cath knows how to have a good time. At least her own kind of "good time," which is one of the kinds that Stephanie likes too. They could sit on a sofa where the music isn't as loud, sipping fruity drinks and chatting about their favorite fandoms. Harry Potter, Doctor Who, Sherlock, Simon Snow. Maybe they'll even collaborate on a story together.

Shelby and Sawyer
from HOW TO LOVE by Katie Cotugno

Shelby is the kind of friend that everyone needs. She'll always tell you the truth, straight up, no holds barred -- but she also won't hold anything against you. Not even when you're being shitty about it. She's funny and smart and loyal -- and as both a doctor and a long-time waitress, she's probably pretty handy to have around at a party.

(Sawyer's a nice enough guy, now that he's cleaned himself up, but mostly he's here to mix drinks. And to bring adorable little Hannah along, because what party isn't better with cute babies?)

Last but not least, I would invite YOU GUYS! Because you all seem like loads of fun. And book people are our people. :)

Since we operate on a "the more, the merrier" policy here at We Heart YA, you're all allowed to bring guests, too. I think Sturmhond would bring Alina, Cath can barely stand to be separated from Levi, and Shelby would want to come alone so she could check out all the single ladies. Who would you bring to Steph's party?

Joss Whedon (y'all know who that is, right? Buffy, Firefly, Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, Avengers?) recently gave a brilliant commencement speech at Wesleyan, and in it he talked about embracing the contradictions within ourselves.

(Bold emphasis added by me.)

You have, which is a rare thing, the ability and the responsibility to listen to the dissent in yourself. To at least give it the floor. Because it is the key, not only to consciousness, but to real growth.

To accept duality is to earn identity, and identity is something that you are constantly earning. It is not just “who you are,” it is a process that you must be active in.

And it’s not parroting your parents or even the thoughts of your learned teachers, it is, now more than ever, about understanding yourself so you can become yourself.

To me, that is so much of what Young Adult literature is about. The protagonists are not just learning who they are, but deciding it. Making their own identity. Shaping themselves out of the clay that they've been given.

I think that's why people of all ages like to read YA lit. Because we're all doing that too. Every day, we're figuring out who we are, and how to become who we want to be.

So here's my/Joss Whedon's advice: Make your shape complex. Don't be a cube, don't be a sphere, don't be a pyramid. Give yourself curves and angles, nooks and crannies, breadth and depth. Don't worry about whether it's good or bad, pretty or ugly, normal or weird. Just embrace the unique combinations that you come up with.

Writers, this goes for your characters, too!

Good, or bad. Black, or white. Blue, or red.

We’re not that. We’re more interesting than that. The way that we go into the world understanding is to have these contradictions in ourselves and to see them in other people and not judge them for it. To know that—in a world where debate has kind of fallen away and given away to shouting and bullying—the best thing is not just the idea of honest debate, the best thing is losing a debate. Because it means you’ve learned something and you’ve changed your position.

That's what story and plot are all about. You put a character into a situation, and in order to get through that situation, they have to face themselves, question themselves, accept themselves. They have to stand strong when they're right, and back down when they're wrong. They have to grow and change.

A few examples of YA protagonists who cannot be easily categorized as "good" or "bad":

Mackenzie in THE ARCHIVED - She became a Keeper at a very young age, "shelving" dead spirits for the greater good. She considers her responsibility noble and important, and she prides herself in doing her job well. But she also breaks rules, and keeps secrets, and betrays people who she loves.

Quintana in the Lumatere Chronicles - She is frigid and unmannered. She is vicious and wild. She is sensitive and afraid. Due to the traumatic nature of her childhood, Quintana fractured into several distinct personalities, and over the course of FROI OF THE EXILES and QUINTANA OF CHARYN, she has to learn to accept them all. (More importantly, so do the people around her.)

Alina in SHADOW AND BONE - Initially a plain and unskilled orphan, Alina discovers that she has incredible supernatural abilities, which could help save her country. And yet, becoming powerful doesn't erase her past. Nor does it necessarily determine her future. How Alina chooses to wield her new powers will be influenced by the person she was, and will have a huge impact on the person she turns into.


The complexity of these heroines is what makes them interesting. It's what makes us eager to read 300+ pages about them. It's what makes fiction seem real.

The same goes for antagonists too! (And all characters, really.) Snape in HARRY POTTER, the Darkling in SHADOW AND BONE, the White Wolf in DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE  -- these guys are not the evil cackling villains of our childhood cartoons, with no redeeming qualities, no reason to root for them. They are just as deep and multi-faceted as our heroes, and that's what makes them so fantastic to read about.

So in closing, I say again, embrace your contradictions, allow for your complexities.

Don’t just be yourself, be all of your selves. 

 What other characters (heroes, villains, or sidekicks!) do you think embody this idea? Who have you found yourself loving, then hating, then loving, then hating, then...?

While I was growing up, I was lucky enough to have several adults in my life that were really inspiring. From my third grade teacher, Mrs. Johnstone, who taught me a love for storytelling, to my ninth grade English teacher, Mr. Nicholson, who was the first person to tell me I was good at writing. These people were a big part of what shaped who I’ve become.


I’ve always loved films like Dead Poets Society, Mr. Holland’s Opus, and Freedom Writers that show how an adult who cares can leave a lasting mark on a kid’s life. I think those people really do exist. They’re not perfect, never as eloquent as in movies, and we don’t always appreciate their influence as it’s happening. But most of us have had at least one of those people in our lives.

I see these leaders a lot in Science Fiction and Fantasy — Dumbledore, Gandalf, etc. — but rarely is Contemporary YA. I heard a literary agent (who will not named… partly because I can’t remember who it was) define YA as always having the adults in the background. I don’t think this is true at all. One of the biggest parts of being a teenager is how you interact with the adults in your life.

I would love to read a Contemporary YA novel about the relationship between a kid and a parent, or a student and a teacher. There are a few out there, but it’s usually a subplot, never central to the storyline. Someone write one pretty please!

Dear Laini,

I’ve read The Daughter of Smoke and Bone three times. Well, technically I’ve read it once and listened to the audio book twice. But that totally counts, right? The first time I read it, I was on the edge of my seat, wondering what would happen next. Now that I know where the plot twists and turns, I just marvel at how well it was written.

Karou is one of my favorite characters of all time. I love her personality, and all the little details that make up who she is. I love that she collects languages. I love her blue hair. I love how Karou always tells the truth with a wry smile instead of trying to keep track of lies. That might be my favorite piece of characterization ever.

The world is so complete. You seem to relish describing the objects and places that Karou treasures: her tiny apartment, the wings spread above her bed, the wishbone, the ballet costume she gives to Zuzana. Each detail is vivid and drenched in meaning.

I feel like the industry sometimes sacrifices beautiful writing and rich worldbuilding for high concept, fast-paced, sparsely written books that are easy to sell, that passion for language sometimes falls through the cracks. But this book is everything, and that gives me hope. Hope for both what I want to read and what I want to write. Thanks for that.

Love from,

Stephanie

Ps. I’m about 130 pages into Days of Blood and Starlight, and I’m dreading running out of story and having to wait for the rest.