Dear Middle Grade Minded: Why Do Authors Write So Many Depressing Books?

Dear MG Minded Team,
My question is this: Why must authors continue to write such horribly depressing books when my middle school students don't want to read them? If we believe the Scholastic survey as well, 70% want humorous books. Why can't people write happy, hopeful books? Funny books, even? Do we as a society need to medicate all of the writers? I know that authors are big on saying that they write what moves them, but if their target audience doesn't want to read it, what is the point?

Here’s a link to the results of the Scholastic survey mentioned above, provided by the person submitting today’s question. I suggest you give it a look before continuing since I’ll be referencing this data. The results are displayed in a very friendly and colorful pictographic format:

What Kids Want in Books

In addition to the link, our submitter also provided examples (twelve, in fact) of what she describes as “depressing” books available from a source of new releases. Her selections illustrated her point of view, but out of respect for the publishers and the authors involved I’m choosing not to include the excerpts she quoted. Instead, I’ll take the hit myself: My manuscript would likely meet her criteria of a “depressing” book, at least on the blurb level, since a character dies in the first sentence and that serves as a catalyst for everything that follows. Of course I intended it to be much more than that, and, frankly, I feel like I pulled it off. Thankfully my agent enthusiastically agrees.

Okay then. The Middle Grade Minded team had some great online discussion about this question. When I saw it, the first thing I noticed was (and I don’t mean this to seem dismissive in any way) how the question is built around a false premise. True, authors decide to write the books they write. However, the large majority of authors have very little say in what gets published. Frankly, if publishing decisions were left to the writers, there probably wouldn’t be enough shelf space in all of Retail America to stock the books we’d collectively want seeing the light of day. The harsh truth is that not all of the manuscripts we write and hold so dear to our hearts will make the cut. Agents have to sort through an avalanche of manuscripts to decide what they feel strongly enough to represent. After that, publishers decide which manuscripts they’ll turn into books and offer to the public. Publishing is ultimately a business, so the books that get published are the ones the editors and publishing houses believe their customers will want to buy, which is essentially determined by the marketplace. It’s all supply and demand, straight out of a third grade economics lesson (which I can speak to with authority since I taught that very economics lesson to my third graders this past winter). So if it seems like there are a lot of “depressing” books being published? Well, somebody must want to read them.

I’m not really comfortable with that “depressing” label, though. I’ll concede there are a lot of books that begin with depressing subject matter, but subject matter alone isn’t what defines a book, not to mention that a book can be funny and depressing and hopeful and challenging all at the same time, and many of them are. Take my manuscript, for example. At its core, it’s about a young girl coping with loss, but there’s much more to it than that. It’s also about the importance of family and friends, it follows an adventure filled with moments of self-discovery for the main character, it has (I think) some pretty funny scenes, and ultimately it’s hopeful.

But how is any reader going to know what really happens inside of a book unless they open it and give it a shot? Isn’t writing off a book as “depressing” because of what’s said in a blurb only a lateral degree away from judging it by its cover? Describing a book as any one thing can be limiting. I think a better description of books that are able to integrate so many different elements into one cohesive story would be “complex.”

The Scholastic survey referenced states that 70% of young readers want books that will make them laugh. Okay, 70% is a big number. However, speaking as someone with a fair amount of experience working inside of our data-driven education system, I can say the worst kept secret about data is how easily it can be massaged to support just about any point of view. For example, that 70% covers an age range of six through seventeen, which extends well beyond what would be considered the middle grade audience. But if we scroll down a bit and examine those results more closely, we see a timeline of sorts that helps us narrow down preferences to the 9-14 ages which people would more readily identify as middle grade. It tells us that the kids in that narrower range -- when compared to readers respectively older and younger than they are -- want books that have mysteries or problems to solve, or have smart, strong, or brave characters. I would offer that middle grade characters are able to show themselves as smart, strong, and brave by solving mysteries or problems, and sometimes the problems they face aren’t easy ones, just like in real life.

As for books that make young readers laugh, like those 70% between six and seventeen in the survey enjoy? Humor is just as subjective as anything else. Two kids the same age could provide as drastically different opinions about what’s funny as two others with a decade between them might. Something even a mildly dark seventeen-year-old might find funny could easily give a six-year-old with a sunny disposition horrifying nightmares. Conversely, I have personally known six-year-olds who were forced to endure lives defined by hardships that many high school seniors wouldn’t be able to handle. Kids of any age who are burdened with problems would probably like to read happy books full of jokes or funny pictures that would make them laugh and give them brief existential time-outs, but why shouldn’t they also have books available that could reflect the circumstances of their lives? Isn’t it possible such books might help them understand themselves better?

Middle grade readers can have such a magical connection to the books they read since they have so many chances to learn about life and the greater world through the characters they meet. Every reader brings their own particular set of preferences and life experiences to what they read, and that’s why readers need to have so many different kinds of books (one might even go as far as calling them diverse) available.

I have nothing against happy or hopeful or funny. I love seeing my students laugh themselves red in the face over something they’re reading, because I know they’ve made a connection to it. But it’s been my experience that when a book proves to be therapeutic for the author, it often will be for the reader as well. If someday my own intentionally challenging book will give a reader the chance to recognize something in their own life, and maybe help them process some kind of struggle they’re facing, I’d be both proud and humbled.

Plus I’d be pretty confident they got some big laughs out of it, too.

*****

If you have questions for the MG Minded team, send them to:

MGMinded@gmail.com

Dear MG Minded — On MG and Profanity

Dear MG Minded,

I would like to use the idiom 'shot to hell.' The question: Is the mild curse 'hell' appropriate for a MG contemporary fantasy? Thanks!

This week's question is one I've seen come up in discussions many times. And it's a tough one to answer, because both sides offer up equally good points. Since that's the case, I could just give the same advice my dad did when I came to him with a question he didn't know the answer to:

Go ask your mom.

But I won't do that to you all. Not today anyway. No, today I'm going to pitch in my own two cents on the subject. I've had this discussion with many writers, my agent, and my editor, so I've got several people who are much smarter than me to guide me. 

*clears throat, pushes up glasses, looks all professorly*

There have been many successful MG books which have shows us that mild profanity in kidlit can work. But that doesn't mean every MG book needs it. If you're faced with a word or phrase you're on the fence about in your kidlit story, there are some things you have to consider.

1. Character
2. Story
3. Gatekeepers

Let's take a closer look at each one.

Character

I guess the first thing you need to think about is whether or not the character would need to use mild profanity. If you're writing for a lower MG crowd, then I'd say no. Never. Nuh-uh. There is no need. But if you're writing a character who's thirteen, then there might be a chance he or she might. And when I say need, I'm talking about the need for authenticity. And that encompasses a lot of things like where the character's from, what time period the character lives in, what the character's family is like. That kind of stuff. However, there's a lot to be said for made-up profanity. Words that'll get the point across without stepping over that line. Again, that comes down to your characters, their age, their lives, and their experiences.

Story

Our job as writers is to tell a compelling story. And if our compelling MG story can survive without the use of profanity, no matter how mild, then why not go that route? But sometimes, a story won't be light and fluffy. Sometimes a story is going to be heavy and dark. And sometimes the characters caught up in the situations within those types of stories are going to express themselves accordingly. However, as a writer, I edit heavily while I write my first drafts. And if there's ever a line or a word that I can take out and still keep the scene as good as I want it, I'll remove it. So that might be a good way to think about mild profanity in MG stories. If the scene can survive just fine without it, maybe it's not needed after all.

Gatekeepers

Kids buy books, sure. But I'd say the majority of books kids end up reading are ones offered up by parents, teachers, or librarians. Not to say they're the ones who are choosing what our future leaders and novelists are reading, but they're certainly helping. That being said, it's a good idea to keep in mind that many adults won't want their children or students reading a book with profanity. We're writing for our target audience, but we've got a sort of filter we have to go through before our books ever reach the their eyes. 

All right, so . . . did I answer the question? Not really. Because it's not one for me to answer. It's up to the writer. Once a kid reaches a certain age, swearing becomes a part of the exploration of identity. That identity may end up being a non-swearing one, but that developmental stage is still there. We want authentic characters. We want compelling stories. And we want our audience to read them, which means we have to make it past the gatekeepers, so to speak. 

So I'd say write your story and decide for yourself. Just keep in mind that once it's out there, it's not yours anymore. It's theirs. So make sure it's going to be one they'll want (and get) to read.

For an awesome #MGLitChat Twitter discussion on this subject, click here.

If you have a question you'd like MG Minded to answer please email MGMinded@gmail.com.

Happy writing!

Dear MG Minded

Dear MG Minded Readers,
You've got questions?

We've got answers.

Send us your questions about Middle Grade. Whether it's reading, writing, recommendations, you name it! We're here to help. Send them our way and one of our awesome bloggers might answer them in an upcoming post.

So what are you waiting for? Send your deep burning questions to MGMinded@gmail.com and then check back on the blog for all those questions and answers!

Looking forward to seeing them.
The MG Minded Team

Dear MG Minded - On MG and Romance

Middle Grade Minded received a really interesting question in our inbox last week about middle grade and romance. It's a great topic to address for middle grade writers, so I decided to share the question and my response with all of you.

Dear MG Minded,
I'm really glad I found this group because I write MG and YA novels myself. Can you guys help me with a pressing question? My character is a fifteen year old girl. I made her fifteen because the story has a strong romantic subplot where she meets her first real boyfriend and gets a first kiss. I thought twelve was too young for that experience and thirteen and fourteen are in the dreaded tween range, which I'm told is hard to market. Still, a lot of people who read my novel think the MC comes across a lot younger, in the tween years. If I move her age down to twelve, can she still have romantic experiences and would any middle graders be interested in that?
Chuck

Chuck,

I’m glad you found us too! We always love to see more MG/YA writers in this community. As for your question, there’s no 100% straight forward answer, but there’s a couple of things you should consider.

The first thing is the age of your main character. Fifteen can sometimes also fall in the no man’s land in terms of age and fitting in to MG vs YA. Kids usually read up so the characters they read about are usually, but not always, older than they are. That said fifteen typically falls in lower YA territory. If your character is presenting as young, you could consider reworking her to sound more age appropriate at fifteen.

On the flip side, the other consideration is the appropriateness of romance in MG. Middle Grade is very much about discovery and figuring out where one fits into a group. It also has a lot of firsts, especially when you hit the upper middle grade where the main characters are typically twelve and yes, also thirteen. Upper middle grade often deals with those tween/middle school years, where kids are learning to navigate their lockers, their classes, their friends, and their first crushes. In upper middle grade crushes and innocent first kisses can happen.

So if your character does in fact present as a tween and is experiencing her first crush and first kiss, but not much beyond that I would say you are squarely falling in that upper middle grade range. Making her twelve or even thirteen shouldn’t make your book unmarketable. In fact, I had an agent once recommend that I make my main character thirteen and pitch it as upper middle grade. So the market is there for that.

That said, I’d be hesitant to go as far as calling it a full blown relationship even in upper middle grade. A little innocent romance is typically fine because kids are starting to feel that interest and those crushes. Do keep in mind, if the romantic subplot goes much beyond that point of the first crush/kiss stuff, you’re probably heading into YA territory. Romance beyond those innocent first couple of steps is fairly rare in middle grade. As long as you are sticking to that sense of innocence and firsts you should be okay in the upper middle grade realm.

Hopefully that helps as this can be a tough call.

Jamie

MG Minded

What do you guys think about MG and romance? How much is too much? Where is the line between romance in MG and romance in YA?

Thanks to Chuck for the question and allowing me to post it on the blog!

If you have a question you'd like MG Minded to answer please email MGMinded@gmail.com.