When
I visit secondary schools, I sometimes end my presentation by asking teen
audiences what they think the world will be like in 50 to 100 years. Both my
teen novels are set in the future. Dark
Parties is dystopian. Half Lives is
an apocalyptic thriller. I’ve asked hundreds of teens in the US and UK the same
question. And initially I was shocked by their responses. 
I expected
a few pessimists; maybe even a 50-50 split – possibly someone who’d jokingly
mention a zombie apocalypse and another who might lean more toward a Star Trek version of tomorrow. But in each assembly, only one or two optimistic teens would
admit to being hopeful about the future. Overwhelmingly teens believed the worst. It didn’t matter whether I was
speaking to teens in the US or UK. It didn’t matter if it was an affluent
school or a school in a disadvantage community. The response was the same, bleak.
I
always tried to turn the tide and suggest advances in technology and medicine
which might make our lives better. Teens could imagine curing cancer and living
on the moon, but most focused on the negative. Usually a young man would
explain the demise of humanity with horrific efficiency: world war then total annulation.
I
wrote my futuristic novels because I wanted to explore interesting questions. Speculative
fiction offers readers an escape as well as the ability to consider
contemporary issue with a distance from reality. Now I’m afraid that teens are
reading my books as ‘how to survival guides’. I always thought that the recent increased
interest in futuristic teen fiction was because these tales allowed for real
action and adventure with teens at the heart. Now I’m concerned that teens
think books like the Hunger Games and
Divergent are prophetic.
I’m
an optimist. I believe in the fundamental good in people. I could only write my
dark futuristic stories because I saw them as complete and utter works of fiction.
They offered the opportunity create true heroes who conquer evil and give hope.
I never for one second believed that the futures I imagined would ever happen. I’m
still proud of my books and pleased I’ve written them. But after a year of
understanding teens’ vision of the future, I’m not sure I want to feed my
readers dark vision of the future any more.
Last
year I finished a teen novel about a girl who could travel among her parallel
lives with one life line set in a war-torn world. I wanted this story to
challenge readers perception of reality and like all my books, demonstrate that
one person can make a difference – and in the case of this book, save the
world. I still love the story and characters, but I’ve set it aside – at least
for now.
My
new work in progress is contemporary. There’s still action and adventure and
unlikely heroes. Bad things still happen to good people. But there are no
plagues, world wars or dystopian futures. The good guys win, and the future is
bright.
Maybe
I’ll write about the future again. Never say never. I do love the discussions
I’ve had with teens about the future and their roles in making it better. But
for now – I’m leaving the dark future behind me.
A brave decision, Sara, and I'm sure you're right to worry. Live long & prosper, everyone imagining a better future.
ReplyDeleteAs writers we should always be prepared to move in new directions and this is a very inspiring post Sara. Many thanks.
ReplyDeleteCourageous, Sara - it takes guts to abandon such a popular and successful theme. But despite the dystopian setting of your books, don't forget you manage to include a positive and upbeat element too: people continue to strive and, eventually, to thrive. That's a message of hope, not despair.
ReplyDeleteSara, I read and enjoyed both Half Lives and Dark Parties, and always hope for a sequel to Dark Parties, but agree with Linda in that both books are in the end optimistic about the futures within them, and full of brave teens fighting for better futures. There are rays of hope in a lot of dystopian teen lit, but it's very sad that the teens you've spoken to cannot see it in the real world.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Rowena, Miri, Linda and Savita! Futuristic tales can certainly offer opportunities for important discussions, brave heroes and messages of hope. I will continue to enjoy reading these types of stories -- and don't get me wrong, I loved writing DARK PARTIES and HALF LIVES.
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