Ratings, Content Advisory, and Books I Want to Read

I come to this post today a little irritated, and a bit incredulous. Literary agent Nathan Bransford had a recent blog post about whether or not books should be content-rated, like movies and video games are. The biggest bit of contention seems to be in Young Adult, but really, people are very, very opinionated on both sides of this argument. Some say that parents (and librarians, and teachers, etc.) should be able to instantly assess whether or not a book is appropriate for their children. Others say that parents should be on top of the parenting, either reading the things their children are reading, or looking up reviews, or even *gasp* talking to their children about what they're reading. Read some of the comments on that post for an idea.

As both an avid reader and a writer, I'm against this. First off, who is deciding these ratings? Are you really trusting someone else to know what's best for your child, instead of you, as the parent? What, exactly, gets flagged? Someone early in the comments mentioned that they wouldn't want their child reading something that mentioned a "gay couple, or a child visiting their parent in jail". That's an extreme amount of sheltering right there, for starters. Children do not live in a bubble. Also, if we're using ratings in the way that we do for movies, then that sends up all kinds of flags. How heavily-rated are certain triggers? Violence, sex, drugs, profanity? There can be an awful lot of violence in a PG-13 movie. Drugs can be glorified, or treated quite the opposite.

If this were to happen, how would it affect writers? Would they shy away from certain subjects, worried that their novel will be flagged, and potentially kept from readers? Would they try to "bump up" a rating? Shouldn't this be something agents and publishers worry about when putting a book out there--where along the spectrum it falls? That's why books are edited before publication. I wouldn't want to have to worry about this, and think twice about including something I thought should be part of the story, because I'm worried some parent who didn't bother to read a review (let alone the book) will automatically nix my book in the list of things their child could read, and form their own opinions on.

As a child, I read anything I could get my hands on. I still do. My parents trusted my judgment, figuring that I could discern books worthy of my time and attention. I read things that would have been WAY over what a ratings system would have said I could read (Stephen King's Firestarter at age seven comes first to mind, followed by Pet Sematary at age eight). They didn't scar me any. I didn't pick up things full of graphic sex or drugs before I could deal with them. There's a limit to what a person's mind will process, especially with kids. Sometimes it goes right over the head. It's quite different to seeing a scene in vivid color on a screen, complete with Dolby Digital surround sound. Besides, if you start flagging certain books, not only does it raise the possibility that it'll end up in banned-book territory (and let's not forget the AmazonFail thing not all that long ago), but it'll only entice some younger audiences to get ahold of a copy ("this book is flagged for sex? Alright!"). Besides, if you don't like some of the things presented in a story, what on earth says you have to keep reading?

I've been reading a lot of fan fiction lately. Most of this has content advisory. Things like "graphic sex, same-sex pairings, character death, angst, rape, profanity"... It's a common practice in fanfic. So little fanfic is PG-13 or below (I know it exists, but most of what I see is rated R or NC-17). I don't have so much of a problem with this. Mostly because if a book is published as Young Adult, I'm going to assume it's okay for the vast majority of young adults (I know, I'm silly like that). Also, things like rape and graphic sex are different from characters just making out. Fanfic is written by people of all sorts of persuasians (er... I may or may not be considering writing my first bit of fanfic, though it's not like I even have an OTP for this particular fandom). If there weren't the copyright issues, and fanfic had the option to follow the traditional routes of publishing, not a lot of it would pass that wasn't published by a house that didn't specifically deal in romance or erotic content. Some of it would, of course, but it'd be held to the same standard of any other bit of literature.

So, those are my general thoughts on the matter. I'd love to hear yours.

In other news, I've found a number of books that I really need to read. Thirty-eight, in fact, were added to my To Read list in the last few days alone. On the top of that list is probably Ash, by Malinda Lo, followed by Sarah Beth Durst's Ice and Seanan McGuire's Rosemary and Rue. I need to get a library card, and soon. If I can get any of these soon, expect a review. That reminds me. I have a review of Stiff done, but it's hand-written. I'll type that up and get it posted soon.

when "research" turns into 4 hours of clicking and laughing...

Again, it's been a while. This time, however, I do have a good excuse. My husband was hospitalized for a life-threatening condition. I had internet for the 9 days I spent in the hospital with him, but it cut out every couple of minutes or so, and the connection had all sorts of restrictions (it wouldn't let me sign in to post here, for example).

Unfortunately, there isn't much to report on the writing front. I didn't get much writing done in that time. That isn't to say I didn't think about it often (there really is only so much TV-watching you can do, especially in a hospital). I plan on getting my chapter nine finished this week. Well, that's the hope. I think I might have been *thisclose* to titling the current novel, but I was under insane amounts of stress and quite sleep-deprived, so I might have hallucinated almost finding a title. Not sure.

I am completely sure, however, that the titled YA urban fantasy is going to be my NaNo project for this year. I need to do a bit more brainstorming on that one. I believe there will be more humor in that one than in the current one (the current one has some humor, but I wouldn't consider it a comedy, whereas the new one will have much more in the way of comedy).

I was linked to TVtropes.com by a friend, and it is one of those sites that can be incredibly helpful, but is dangerous. Total "Wiki Walk" territory. I can spend hours at a time there. To the point where one friend mentioned that she was going to have to send several well-oiled, muscled men in to extricate me. But still, I love it, and I recommend giving it a little browse if you haven't already. Tropes like Crowning Moment of Awesome, Heroic Blue Screen of Death, Big Damn Heroes, The Reason You Suck Speech, and the Pre Ass Kicking One Liner are some of my favorites (those were just the first few to come immediately to mind). Yes, I use the site for research purposes, but I have a hard time making people believe that, as I spend so much time giggling while reading.

Progress. Also, looking ahead to NaNo '09.

It's been a little too long since I've updated. I apologize. I don't have some amazing excuse.

I haven't had a chance to read much lately (I haven't read anything in the last 2 months, which is highly unusual for me). I did see the 6th HP movie, which rekindled the desire to reread the books (went with a few people, and we spent lunch afterward discussing movie vs book canon). So that *may* happen in the next few weeks. I may have more time for reading, come mid-August. I'm hoping so.

I am still writing the fantasy. I have two friends working as beta readers. One has a degree in Creative Writing, and the other describes herself as someone like my "average reader" or target audience. It's good to have feedback from both. They each have a favorite character (or two) picked out, and they have picked different ones. That makes me feel a little better--more than one of my characters are likable, and it means that some of the characteristics I was trying to showcase actually came through in execution. I am writing the eighth chapter now, and so far, the story's about 180 pages. I'd say it's close to half done. It's about to take a fun turn here, in chapter eight. I'm looking forward to that part.

I still don't have a title for this story, but I'm much closer on that front. I have it narrowed down to the type of idea I want conveyed in the title. Hm. That sounds odd. Basically, there are three or four words that I'd like included in the title in some way (it doesn't have to be all four). So I'm currently brainstorming ideas and alternate words and phrases around these words, to see what comes up. Kind of like free association. Once I pick a title, I'll post about it.

The next story I do will likely be the fifth idea I've had (the one that came with a title). Yes, it will be out of order, but this idea forms more and more as time goes on, while the YA urban fantasy hasn't given me a lot in the way of new ideas. There have been a few (I've figured out who/what the sidekick is, and their personality. I might even have figured out who they're being named after), but not as many as with the other story. That one's either urban fantasy or magical realism. It could lean either way. I still have some time to decide. It'll be this year's NaNoWriMo piece. Speaking of, I've found some more friends who will be participating this year, and while none of the new NaNo friends are local (one on the West Coast, two in the UK), it will still be fun. We can still communicate through the Chat. I'm looking forward to it.

A New Idea

There was a two or three year period where I had writer's block, not all that long ago. And I mean that as in absolutely, completely, one hundred percent blocked. No ideas. No ability to write anything--no fiction, no creative non-fiction, no poetry, nothing.

Apparently, this current period is to make up for that.

I was hanging around in the chat (which, for the purposes of here, will be the Undead Chat, or just Chat) which I frequent, and some members were posting a few lines here and there of some of their bits of writing, and a new idea just hit me. A wonderful writer was giving us some of the beginning of something they'd written and haven't yet finished, and one line of hers triggered a new idea for me. They would very, very generally be about something similar, but the actual plot would be completely different. The amount of similarity is more like "a story about a guy who has xxxxx". I know it's an idea that's been done before (I think I may even have seen it around the NaNoWriMo boards last year, in a couple of incarnations), but there's really not anything new under the sun, now, is there? It's all how you work it.

The nice thing about this new idea, which is tentatively "Novel #5", is that it came with a title. A one word title, and I like it. I like the connotations (reminds me of domestication, and my pets, and loads of other stuff). It's kind of snappy. And it fits the general bits of the story, but doesn't give anything away that won't be known right off. It also lets me play with the idea in my head some more... I'm still trying to nail down if the character is in his current situation (which is the title, actually) of his own volition, or someone else's. Also, if his condition is more scifi, or fantasy.

I still have #3 to finish (trying to wrap up chapter 4 right now, in between typing this and keeping an eye on the Chat). Er... and #2, which was put on hold a bit for the freight train that was/is novel #3. And there's still novel #4, which needs to be fleshed out a good deal before I can begin to write it. And I really should edit #1...

For once, lots and lots of ideas, not enough hours in the day to get it all done and still function. I'm thinking I will concentrate on the 3rd novel, and take occasional moments to finish up the last 20% or so of #2, for now. #4 might be my NaNoWriMo novel for this year... and if it's not, #5 will be.

With Apologies To My Spell Check

I have stumbled upon yet another indication that I am writing fantasy. MS Word popped up with the message that there are too many spelling errors in my document, and it will no longer automatically check them. It is true very few of my characters have "normal names". Heck, *I* don't have a name the spell check will recognize. To give you an example of why there are little red squigglies all over my document, here's a list of some of the common words that are currently underlined:

Characters:

• MAIN: Varin, Laz, Melia, Theron, Ruele, Aedan, Cyne.
• SECONDARY: Kallista (Lista), Thais, Mataan, Okara, Kyto, Faran, Eirene, Finna, Uriel, Tillia... and some others.

Races:

• Prismata. Also, the plain old humans, called the Pallidus by the Prismata
  
• Subsets of Prismata: Laaien, Littorine, Viridian, Argenteum, Crymysin, Pleione.
  

Locations:

• Cereto and Arforah, at the moment. More starting shortly.

I am currently wrapping up the last bit of chapter four. All of the main characters have been introduced, and we've gotten a good feel for four in particular: Varin (our hero), Laz (his best friend. Laz is a nickname, by the way, and he hates the actual name), Cyne (the sister of Varin's love interest/girlfriend; also widow of Thais), and Aedan (an outcast due to his breeding, the only person who sees him as an actual person is Cyne, and she has good reason for it).

The plan is to finish the 4th chapter tonight and immediately start the 5th, where the actual physical quest begins. This story's actually been *fun* to write. Kind of exciting, too.

SRB's Big Idea, and Upcoming Reviews

Sarah Rees Brennan, author of The Demon's Lexicon, has promised to post a short story for each week her book hits a particular (modest) sales goal. Well, the first week has passed, and she has hit that goal. So, true to her word, she has posted a short story, set in the Demon's Lexicon world, and involving one of the minor characters. If you haven't yet read the novel, do not fear--the story contains no spoilers for the novel, and can be enjoyed completely on its own.

For what it's worth, I liked it. It's about one of the antagonists of her novel, and it shows a little of why he is how he is. While not the most likeable chararacter in TDL (for me at least, though he does have a few good lines and moments), this story made me feel for Gerald. There are some parallels to Harry Potter and Cinderella, and especially to The Sword and the Stone/the tale of Arthur and Merlin. ...Although I am curious about the "American shorts" comment in the first paragraph. It's probably not flattering to those of us in the States.

Also, I do plan on doing more book reviews soon. Several, in fact. Some of them will be from well-known series (I am rereading all 7 of the Harry Potter novels, at the moment, for example), some from stand-alone books. When I review something from a completed series, I will review each book individually, then the series as a whole. So, to let you all know what will be coming, here are the next (SEVERAL) books I will be discussing:

• Chocolat, by Joanne Harris (literary fiction)
  
• STIFF: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers, by Mary Roach (creative non-fiction)
  
• Naked, by David Sedaris (creative non-fiction)
  
• The Dark Tower Series (all 7 of them), by Stephen King (fiction, fantasy, western-fantasy)
  
• The Harry Potter Series (again, all 7), by J.K. Rowling (fiction, fantasy, urban fantasy, young adult)
  

Also, I am always open to suggestions. If you want something reviewed, let me know. If I don't already have it, I will attempt to acquire it in a timely manner, read it, and share my review.

Book Review: The Elegance of the Hedgehog, by Muriel Barbery (translated by Alison Anderson)

My rating: 4/5 (an average--3/5 for the slow start, 5/5 for the language)

I read this after a friend insisted I should. At first, I had to push myself through it. The pacing was slow, and for the first seventy or so pages, I didn't care much for the two main characters. I *wanted* to care for them, but the story didn't pull me in and let me do it. It's not a quick mainstream fiction read, and best for those times where you can curl up with a warm beverage and spend quiet time thinking about philosophy. What kept me reading at all (besides the sense of duty toward my friend) was Barbery's use of language. The best word to come to mind is "sublime". There were a great many moments where I admit I may have lost some of the nuances of idea and concept upon the first reading, simply because of the beauty of the language.

The styles of the two protagonists (fifty-four year old Renee and twelve year old Paloma) are different enough, yet each plays with words and phrases in a way that tells you that the characters themselves are in tune with language and put a great deal of stock in the beauty of words (this is constant throughout, but especially in the section entitled "On Grammar"). It took more effort to become comfortable with Renee's sections, and some of the passages seemed to preach a bit too much, but by the end, the book had won a place as one of my favorite pieces of literature.

I gave this book four points as a compromise. I'd have given it five points for the language alone--it really is beautiful. But the slow start dissuaded me from a giving a higher rating. I found that somewhere around page ninety, I did care for the characters after all, and I cannot really find a particular moment that switched on the feelings. The story came alive far too close to the end. If it had showed some of that same spark earlier on, I might have given this five points. But the end was touching and well-done. There were moments of humor interspersed with all the philosophy, and I could have done with a bit more of that, but I'd still recommend this for those I know who enjoy more than the easily-digestible bits of mainstream "airport" fiction (not that there's anything wrong with some of those tales), and especially for those who enjoy language and words.