Language, Timothy!

Edge author, Dave Cousins looks at swearing in teen fiction and asks – how far should we go?


It has to be said that in fiction, as well as in real life, certain circumstances require a response a little stronger than: “You know, old chap, I’d be jolly pleased if you’d go away”. This is especially the case if the words are coming from the mouth of a teenage protagonist in the pages of an edgy teen novel. The question is – how far should writers go in the quest for authenticity?


If we are hoping to portray believable characters in real situations, authentic dialogue is essential. Often the defence for pages packed with expletives, is simply: that’s how kids speak. Quite possibly, but isn’t it part of the writer’s job to distil the essence, rather than to doggedly transcribe? I mean … um … if we actually wrote down what people actually say … when they talk, yeah? It would be like … really annoying and repetitive and stuff. Saying the same things over and over again, like. You know what I mean?

I’ve read books with lots of swearing and others where bad language is noticeable by its absence. Then there are the books when you don’t even notice, because the dialogue, whatever it contains, feels so natural. If the story, the character and the situation requires swearing, I’ll use it (and argue with my editor later). Having said that, if the speech works just as well without, I remove it, because overuse reduces the impact.

The Pig of Profanity – my writer's swear box. Chapter 15 was expensive!

The books I put down and sometimes don't finish, are the ones where it seems the author has used swearing in an attempt to appear edgy and down with the kids. I’m not offended, just disappointed, because it gets in the way of a good story. 


But what do you think?

All comments, however colourfully phrased, will be very welcome.


15 Days without a Head by Dave Cousins, is out in January 2012, published by Oxford University Press

On the Edge of Things

As a writer, I think it’s natural that I’m often on the edge of things, standing slightly back, looking in.

I’ve done it all my life. I wasn’t part of the ‘in-crowd’ at school and even if I was invited to a party, there was always a part of me that stood back (usually making snarky comments in my head). I’ve always been hyper-aware of how I appear to others, perhaps because I’m so aware of how others appear to me.

I like to think that’s the writer in me.

Recently I’ve been noticing a common theme in writers’ interviews – in almost every one I’ve read in the last few weeks, the writer admits to being bullied at school. And here’s my confession – you guessed it - I was a victim of bullying too (sometimes physical, sometimes verbal – I once cried so hard at the prospect of going to school and seeing a particular set of individuals that I threw up) and I’d love to know how many other writers were victims. Bullies target people who are slightly … other; so does being a writer on the inside put you on the edge of things outside and make you a target?

Perhaps in order to write, especially edgy fiction, you need to have experienced being on the edge of things yourself. Being an outsider – perhaps being bullied.

And of course being bullied, if it doesn’t destroy you, can sometimes make you strong, able to cope with rejection, criticism, even vilification – come to think of it- the perfect set up for dealing with the publishing world.

Which raises the question … am I writer because I was so often an outsider, or was I an outsider, because I was always a writer?

One of the characters in Angel's Fury is terribly bullied, another grew past it. It was hard putting myself in the position of the bully, too easy to put myself in the position of the bullied ...

And I'd really like to know, fellow Edgars – were you bullied? Did you ever feel like an outsider? And if you were, do you think it influenced your writing?

Roller-Coaster Reads - Savita Kalhan

 

The first thing I ever wrote was an epic fantasy trilogy, set in a world that I created. There were battles on a grand scale, there were monsters of darkness, creatures of light, characters who were good but flawed, characters who were evil but understandably so, and there were three ordinary teenagers who were plucked from the mundanities of village life and hurled into the maelstrom of an adult world caught on the brink of war.

It was not contemporary realistic ‘edgy’ fiction, but there was definitely an edge to my epic fantasy trilogy, lots of edges.

I lived in the Middle East when I wrote it. I was teaching English there and my life and the world around me was pretty safe, very cosseted, very much home or compound based with little interaction with the world outside my front door. I returned to London in the late nineties and when I finally picked up my pen again a very different type of writing emerged. The only constant was that it was now firmly rooted in the in the present and much more immediate, so immediate it was practically on my doorstep. It almost felt as though I had stepped through a portal and emerged in a world where life was no longer at arm’s length, it was right there in your face. My writing became contemporary and real.

I was reading British newspapers again and worst amongst them was the ‘Local Fright’. What struck me was the terrible crimes that were still being committed to kids. Then a flyer went round the local schools warning parents and kids to be aware – the driver of a large flashy car had tried to snatch kids after school.

That was when the monsters I had been writing about became real, more real and terrifying than any monster in a horror story.

There were not many books for teens and young adults that even began to approach the subject matter of my book, The Long Weekend. But I wrote the book with the voice of my main character, Sam, without giving that much thought, without really considering the possibility that child abduction and child abuse was too hot a topic for publishers to be interested in – or take a risk with. By the time I had finished writing it, I knew it was very close to the edge, but I was also keenly aware of the fact that it was a teen book. And although I did not shy away from the horror of the abduction and what follows, I saw no need to be graphic. People have said to me that the fact that certain scenes are left to the imagination have made the book far more terrifying.

The Long Weekend is at heart a roller-coaster thriller that hurtles you so close to the edge that you feel you might almost tip over it. It is a book that teens, young adults and adults have picked up and not been able to put down. They’ve told me it’s an absorbing, scary, but ultimately satisfying read. It’s opened up debates in schools and homes about the whole topic of child abuse, and, as one reviewer said, “it’s better than any school talk on stranger-danger”.

So whether it’s fantasy writing, or contemporary modern fiction, there is an undeniable edge to my work, and the only thing that pulls me back from going over that edge is the fact that I don’t think my readers would ever forgive me for dragging them over the precipice with me!

Readers - What was the last roller-coaster book you read that sent you hurtling towards the edge?

Writers – How close to the edge does your work go and what, if anything, holds you back?

The Tight Rope Walk of Edgy Teen Fiction by Sara Grant

When I start a new novel, one of the first things I do is write a one- or two-page proposal. It includes my working title and a movie-style pitch (Willy Wonka meets Jack Bauer – that’s not my pitch, but maybe it should be. A kick-arse chocolatier? Hmmm...). I also create a short synopsis and brief character sketches for my main characters. And I include a few lines about why I feel compelled to write this story. What will keep me interested for the next months and, if it’s published, maybe the rest of my life?

So in my initial musings on what I’ll affectionately call Book3, I noted that my main characters would uncover plans for a horrifying and-yet-to-be-determined event. I wanted said-event to be original, shocking and significant. I considered an idea that came to me after 9/11 – a type of terrorist attack. (An idea that I can’t bring myself to mention in this blog for fear of giving budding terrorists any new nasty ideas.) Beads of sweat began to form on my forehead. Even if I had something interesting to say, a compelling story, and a new twist -- did I really want to add to the culture of fear and violence? 

                  

I'm not sure I can write that book.

Photo by Kristin Smith

Writing edgy fiction for teens can be a tight rope walk. I want to write authentic, issue-based stories that ask difficult questions, but another part of me feels a sense of responsibility to protect my teen readers.

Unlike writing fiction for an adult audience, I’ve also got a series of gatekeepers who stand between me and my reader. Even if I’m comfortable with the issues and antics in my story, teachers, librarians and parents might not be.

And it’s not always the big issues that can off-set this delicate balance. What about characters that don’t wear seatbelts or condoms, smoke cigarettes or drink to excess? I’ve got great ideas for silly pranks that might not always turn out well. I have an obligation to readers to write the most honest and interesting story I can. But I must admit I sometimes feel the desire to write “don’t try this at home”.

The bottom line for me: I’m a storyteller – not my readers’ parents, teachers or ministers. My job is to keep them engaged in the story and, I hope, make them think about something in a new or interesting way. But I have limits and so do my gatekeepers. Writing on the edge is about striking a balance – while remaining true to yourself and your story.

Anyone fancy a tango on the high wire? I think it might be easier than figuring out Book3...

DARK PARTIES -- a dystopian novel for young adults -- by Sara Grant will be published by Orion in October. Find out more about Sara and her book at www.sara-grant.com.

Getting Boys to Read

Edge Writer Paula Rawsthorne asks

“What will get more teen boys reading?”

I don’t want to generalise about the reading habits of teenage boys - I personally know just as many boys who are voracious readers as boys who wouldn’t dream of voluntarily picking up a book.  However, there is no getting away from it.  There are a lot of reluctant teen readers out there and the majority of them are boys. 

Research keeps finding that, after junior school, many boys stop reading for pleasure and seem uninspired by the books they are forced to read in school.  A survey of 500 secondary school English teachers reveals a picture of many boys who simply lose interest in a book if it’s longer than 100 pages (and far less than this, in many cases). 

Pearson’s the publisher, undertook the survey and publicised it this week to coincide with the launch of the `Heroes’ series.  These short books are in genres that particularly appeal to boys and are coupled with a website with teaching resources and group exercises that hope to get boys back into reading.  The wonderful writer, Frank Cottrell Boyce is series editor of ‘Heroes’.  He says, “Our hope is that the stories will be shared and enjoyed by pupil and teacher alike because pleasure is the most powerful motivation.”

I can empathize with these boys.  They may view those longer, literary novels they study in school the way I view `Wolf Hall’.  It’s been propping open a troublesome door in my house since I bought it- Yes!  I know I should read it.  I know Hilary Mantel is a genius, but blinkin’ heck, look at the size of it! 

Some might argue that the use of shorter story books in the classroom is just pandering to kids who should try harder to concentrate.  Some might argue that, no matter what the word count, if a book is compelling enough, the boys will be drawn in and want to finish it.   

But will the introduction of short, boy orientated books lead to more teachers ditching the novels that are considered of greater literary merit, or, is this the way forward to get reluctant boys into the habit of reading for pleasure?  Perhaps one day, like me, it will lead them to purchasing a tome such as Wolf Hall (and using it as a door stop).

Paula Rawsthorne’s thriller for young adults ‘The Truth about Celia Frost’, is published by Usborne on 1^st August.  Find out more at www.celiafrost.co.uk

We all do it! by Miriam Halahmy

Let's face it, everyone falls into the trap - judging others by appearances. If you wore the wrong length white socks when I was a teenager at school, ( we weren't allowed to wear tights!) then you had to run the gauntlet of the pretty popular girls, all down the corridor.
Not even wearing a mask could save you.
But if we only judge by appearances, then we never really get to know other people.

Being open minded, rather than judgemental, getting to know the Other, whether they are someone from another  religion, sexual orientation or just another town, is a rich field to mine in  teen fiction. Edgy fiction is about taking on a challenge and making extra demands on the reader. You might even change attitudes.
 "I didn't know we had immigrants in the UK," commented one teen reader of my novel, HIDDEN, about immigration and human rights. "But I learnt a lot from your book."
Result!

Daniel Finkelstein recently wrote in The Times, that immigration is "won or lost in the playground...by socialising with their British peers, immigrant children soon become British." Socialising is the key word here. We can't get to know someone if we put the barriers up - just because they listen to the wrong music.Or come from another country.

Fiction can tackle controversial and sensitive issues such as immigration more effectively than a lesson just before lunch. By  writing books with  strong, convincing characters and  plots, the edgy issues become part of the landscape of the novel as naturally as the streets or the beach.

 I believe that young people are very interested in the world around them and they like to take on a challenge. After all, growing up is all about taking risks.

Hmm - maybe its time I practised my Free Running moves for the next chapter!

Miriam Halahmy's new novel, HIDDEN, was published in March 2011 and is about two teenagers who rescue an illegal immigrant from the sea and hide him to save him from being deported.

www.miriamhalahmy.com

Sex on the Edge by Keren David

It doesn't always have to be this way

There are all sorts of ways that sex can make a teen book edgy.

There’s rape, and sexual assault. There’s gay sex between boys, lesbianism, bi-sexuality. There are teenage pregnancies - from the boy or girl’s perspective. There’s harassment,  phone sex and prostitution.

There’s underage sex, sexting, porn and stalking. All important topics, all ways in which a dash of sex might get you banned by anxious parents and librarians, talked about by teens.

But funnily enough, these aren’t necessarily the most controversial books, nor the hardest to get published.

No, one of the edgiest ways of putting sex into a novel for teens is to write about a girl who has sex, enjoys it and doesn’t get pregnant, humiliated, diseased or married.

Funny, that.

Keren David's first book for teens When I Was Joe won the North East Teen Book Award 2011. Her next book, Lia's Guide to Winning the Lottery is out in August. Find out more here