The Problem With YA Fiction Today

Recently I watched a Youtube video created by CassJayTuck and I found myself agreeing with everything she said. She was talking about what she thinks is the problem with YA Fiction today, saying that the ideas in current YA novels are not as fresh or original. In other words, writers are simply recycling so much ideas to the point they forgot the whole point of writing.

I'd like not only to reiterate everything she said, but to add up to it, because I think this is definitely an opinion that needs to be heard among more hardcore bookworms out there. If you want to have a head start, you can take a quick look on Cass' video here:

Before I begin, I'd like to make one thing clear; I have nothing against the Dystopian or Romance Genre. I'm saying this because it is one of the most common genres we normally see in YA Fiction. That's the reason why I don't hate them, they are just genres. If a writer wants a Dystopia, then he/she has every right to write one. So if I have no problems with these, then what is the problem?

Cass mentioned in her video that most novels in YA lack this thing called, "world-building". One of the many joys in reading is that you get suck into a whole different world, that your reading experience becomes more or less surreal. YA Novels today, unfortunately, do not give that much world-building. It only focuses on a certain element that the writers think will excite their readers, as well as editors and publishing companies. And this is what happens when you pretty much recycle from a classic YA Novel. You end up focusing on things that you think will make your novel become a hit, but let's establish the fact that all novels are not similar and shouldn't be. You might as well stick to fanfiction writing if you intend to recreate something that's already there. The main challenge of a writer will always be the creative juice. A reader will be able to notice right away if you're trying to rip something off. I'm not saying that writers shouldn't draw their inspiration from other books. If they intend to base their ideas on previous published stories, might as well put a little bit more flare and not put other used ideas in one book. There's a difference, yes. That's why being a writer is not as easy as you think. You shouldn't be using other techniques or styles. Use your own. Basically, most writers are missing the fun part in writing. You get to create your own world. The time and effort must be focused on that, as well as in character development and in plot ideas. Not in just who ends up with who. So Cass is right, give your stories a little bit more love. This is my challenge for aspiring writers. Create stories wherein I can enjoy a whole new world. Follow the example of children's books. Please. Or maybe, you can take notes from Anime, because most anime shows do that very well.

Back on the genre issue... genre should never be an issue. It becomes an issue when a book fails to deliver a promise. For example, you want to create Dystopian novel (sorry if I constantly use this as an example, but it's the most common one at the moment), but you want to put a bit of romance. I've read tons of novels similar to this problem, and instead of focusing on the main problem, it concentrates on the love triangles. In other words, the secondary genre suddenly becomes much more important than the dominant genre. Then the story strays from what it originally was. Twilight is a perfect example of a novel that is able to deliver its promise. Stephenie Meyer made it clear from start to finish, that this whole saga will be a love story in between a huge vampire-politic problem. And it was a love story that was in the middle of a huge vampire-politic problem. I've read many books that imply that this is gonna be a story about a conflict two parties, but when I read it, the story is purely or mostly about romance and how the character is so awkward about puberty.

I also want to challenge writers about writing protagonists, because they can also be a YA issue. Main heroes and heroines now lack a bit of originality, nowadays. We always get the following:

1.) The person who doesn't want anything to do with the situation but gets into the situation anyway.
2.) The sassy or blunt person with a terrible or sad past, becomes very indifferent to almost everything but still gets loved by everyone
3.) The confused person who runs into a middle of a crossfire, and surprisingly becomes a major part of the crossfire.

As you can see, the similarities between the three are endless. I'd like future writers to come up with a whole new and realistic main character. I guess this is why I like the Insignia Series so much. Tom Raines had sass all over his body, but he didn't conform to any typical YA cliche I mentioned above. So the perspective was new, fresh, and absolutely interesting.

I would like to discuss another cliche. I know romance is something that any young adult can relate to, but I am sick of love being the driving force or main motivation for any YA character. There's more to life than relationships and all that shiz. I am starting to get tired of YA for creating characters who would just participate in a war or do something totally crazy for the sake of their significant other. I give kudos for The Hunger Games, for giving Katniss a whole new realistic motivation, which is her family. It made perfect sense for her character and for the world she was in. So perhaps another challenge? If writers cannot write a straight YA Fiction without inserting a few love stories here and there, make it subtle then? Give your characters different kinds of motivations? Give your readers a whole new thing to be inspired about?

That's all I have to say about YA for now. If you have other misgivings about the current situation on YA (which won't end right away), let me know on the comments. Also, you can share this so it will reach to more people, particularly to authors (aspiring ones, included). And I will see you till the next post~

Tama Reads 2014

Hi! Happy New Year!

It's been a while since I blogged. Let's say I've been enjoying my holiday break and tried to have a life (not really). I know it's kind of too late to reminisce about 2014 now, but I am going to do it anyway. Last year was actually a very pleasant. It may have not been that eventful, but most of the memories for I have for 2014 were full of bliss. I reached my second year, I turned 20, I got brand new pets, I discovered cosmetics, I learned many things, and I started this blog to share many of the things I learned...and cherish. So yeah, it was a good year.

So for this post, I would like to talk about all the books I managed to read for 2014. I saw Rick Riordan do something similar to this and I thought why not share my reading list. I may have not read thirty books like he did, but I still think it is worth sharing.

source

1.) The Lake by Banana Yoshimoto
At the beginning of the year, I sort of made a resolution that I would read a book that's beyond my comfort zone; meaning I would read a completely different author, since I was so used to Riordan, Clare, Rowling, and all those amazing authors. Then one fateful school day, I encounter this in a secondhand book sale. It's a simple story about a frustrated artist who recently lost her mother and then meets this male medical student with a tortured past. Sounds like a pretty generic love story to most people but as I started reading it, it wasn't. Yoshimoto had a different way of writing it. The situations were pretty simple, but each word was heavy with the sorrows and whatever feelings the characters were having. Whilst reading this I could mentally hear dramatic violin and piano music playing. The story was that dramatic. It would be cliche for me to say that this isn't a typical love story. In its own way, it is like every love story ever told but I've never seen a relationship between two characters that is filled with so much sincerity. Most love stories I've read are bursting with passion, but the love these characters had  was so sincere, simple, sad, but absolutely beautiful. Reading this was a refreshing experience and a good way to start the year.

source

2.) The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
Believe it or not, this was my first  Neil Gaiman book. And before reading this over the summer, I have always wanted to try one of his works. In this very odd tale, we have a boy named Nobody Owens, who grew up in a graveyard. In this coming-of-age story, I was so overwhelmed with how the main character was raised. And I was immediately drawn by the plot the moment I read the first chapter. The  beginning had an eerie aura to it, which I enjoyed. I almost forgot what it was like to read something strange but interesting. But in the end, it gave me a glimpse of what it's really like to grow up and live. Now that I'm two decades old, I fully grasped what Gaiman meant at the end of the story. If that's really the message he wanted to evoke here...

source

3.) Blood of Olympus by Rick Riordan
Okay, I honestly do not know how to explain the plot of this book. All I can tell you is that it is the very last book of The Heroes of Olympus series, which is the sequel series to Percy Jackson and the Olympians. Basically the entire series revolves around Greek and Roman mythology, with young Greek and Roman demigods as the main characters of the story. Riordan has never failed to impress me with not only his witty writing skills, but also how he has managed to make something modern out of something that is absolutely ancient, which are the elements of Greek and Roman mythology. I love how he builds the suspense (campers, let's give him a hand for this, even if we suffered every year. If you know what I mean), and the character developments in these books are well written, especially in the last book. The Blood of Olympus gave me a chance to appreciate other characters, which did not have much appearances in the other books. And to be honest, I was emotionally preparing myself to cry every time I turned to the next page. The suspense that he has been building up for years has finally led to the pages of final book, and Rick can be very good with surprises. 

source

4.) Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
The first thing I said to myself when I first saw this book was, "Wow. This is my book" Why? Well, this story is about Cath, a fangirl who writes fanfiction about her ultimate fandom. Just like the main character, I'm a fangirl who has a hard time of letting go of a fandom. The only difference between her and I is that I have multiple fandoms. She only has one. Plus, I do not write authentic slash fanfiction that can reach the parts of Japan. I do not know if you consider this as a Chick Literature, but if it is then it is the best one I've ever read. Perhaps the reason behind this is because I could relate to everything Cath went through. I know what it's like to write fanfiction, I know what it's like to really love a fandom and become very attached to it, and I know the feeling when your talents are being put into question. Cath's life was almost similar to my life. But what I really love most about this book was that Cath did not easily say that she was awkward in every situation, she demonstrated it. She fully expanded how she felt in every chapter and I was able to grasp it. I just love how Rainbow showed the life of an Otaku (introverted people who stay in their room and spend most of their time, being passionate towards their interests or hobbies), and I just love how she showed how human we Otakus actually are. She showed that we Otakus, do not just selfishly love our fandoms. We bleed for friendship, we bleed for accomplishments, we bleed for a life, we bleed for love. Being an Otaku is not that easy, you guys.

I know what you guys are saying... Tama? You call this a reading list? What happened? Haha, I apologize. I am actually disappointed with myself because this is all that I've read for the year. I would usually read more than this. I guess this is what happens when you have a smartphone and 24/7 WiFi. This year, I would like to try more books. I don't know if I should consider this as a New Year's resolution, because they usually do not end well. But I will try to read more this year. And currently, I am starting with this:

source

5.) The Mortal Instruments: City of Heavenly Fire
Just like the Blood of Olympus, this is the final installment to the Mortal Instruments series (gah, I can't believe my favorite series ended this year!). How am I holding up with this book? Not so well, since my feels are just overflowing my house at the moment. But it's getting good, so far. Good job at breaking my heart, Clare.

Any books you would like to recommend to me?

Bash Crime: Women Empowerment in Literature

Ok I've never been serious in a blog post before. So it here it goes.

A few days ago, I encountered the most interesting quote on Tumblr (it has been around the site for a long time, mind you).  And it goes like this,

"Screw writing “strong” women. Write interesting women. Write well-rounded women. Write complicated women. Write a woman who kicks ass, write a woman who cowers in a corner. Write a woman who’s desperate for a husband. Write a woman who doesn’t need a man. Write women who cry, women who rant, women who are shy, women who don’t take no shit, women who need validation and women who don’t care what anybody thinks. THEY ARE ALL OKAY, and all those things could exist in THE SAME WOMAN. Women shouldn’t be valued because we are strong, or kick-ass, but because we are people. So don’t focus on writing characters who are strong. Write characters who are people."

When I saw this, both my mind and heart leaped for joy. Finally! Someone said it! Someone finally agrees with me! I'm sure you are reading this right now and you are thinking the very same thing. I shared this quote on Facebook and it has gotten a fair amount of likes. And I never get that much likes on that form of social media.

Honestly, I grew tired of the "purely badass" archetype for women. Sure, seeing women fight better than men seemed amusing at first, but now I think it is slightly overdone. Don't get me wrong, though. I have nothing against women who can kick ass. I just wish that literature can show to everyone that women are more than just fighters...and homemakers. They're also realistic beings that walk on this Earth. Correct me if I'm wrong but if there's a character that a reader or a viewer needs to hate, they're usually female. And yes, I think we should count King Joffrey as a lady (just kidding). But yeah, people would hate on a female character if she's helpless, a whiner, a stubborn bitch, a crybaby, or basically too weak. A perfect example to further emphasize my point would be Bella Swan of the Twilight Saga. A lot of readers hated her for being too clingy on Edward Cullen. I'm not a huge a fan of her character, but let's face it. I'm sure not everyone can think straight when they're in love with someone (people who were/are in love say "yeaaah!"). But yeah, the moment a female character does something that is stupid, weak, or not so "empowering" she gets bashed terribly.

I know that each and everyone of us is entitled to their own opinions and that we can hate whoever we want to hate, but whether we like it or not, flaws--whether they are big or small--are inevitable and we can't make the characters flawless otherwise they would turn into a Mary Sue...and we (yes I am including myself since I am also guilty of the bash crime) would still end up bashing the poor character for being too perfect. Am I saying that we need to stop the bashing? Not really. As fellow members of our current fandoms, we need to be more open to different kinds of female characters. Not just stoic female leaders who take no shit from anybody. So if you are a writer or you are aspiring to be one, then I implore you not to focus on making your characters strong. Make your characters real, because that's what makes them awesome.

So what if this female character is so helpless? So what if she's too perfect? So what if she's too stubborn and hotheaded? If you hate Clary Fray for being too irritating, then that means Cassandra Clare is actually doing a great job as a writer. I guess you can say that I have a firm belief that a writer should not write at all if all they're going to do is to please their readers. Write what you believe in, write yourself in your stories, heck...write about anything you want just as long as you are knowledgeable about it. I mean, what's the point about writing about math equations, when you don't know how they work right? Call me confusing, but yeah you can bash on a female character. But don't you dare say that "Oh! Cersei Lannister is not representing women the right way! Oh! Elena is so not an empowered woman because she screwed both Damon and Stefan!", because they are--in their own weird way--empowering you and me. They're somehow setting an example for everyone out there. So I guess it is up to you, if you want to follow their actions or not. One day you are going to thank Cho Chang for making yourself a stronger person after your almost-perfect boyfriend lets you go. You are going to make certain that you are not gonna end up as an alcoholic and a grudging sister like Laurel Lance of Arrow. Despite their terrible decisions in life, we all learn from them (hopefully). So yeah, it's not entirely a lose-lose situation for a story to have such characters. Women are still people, and they can make mistakes too. You can't expect every woman in every book, movie, or TV show to be like Black Widow or Wonder Woman, because that would be hell. Like seriously, that would be overrated and scary. If you can't deal with that, then that's your problem. If you think that this character is not doing a very good job as well, her own character, then let's see if you can do a better job.

If you ask me, I think being a demigod, a shadowhunter, or even the Mockingjay is a demanding task, especially if you're a teenager. The fact that someone young is handling anything of these tasks is absolutely insane. Technically speaking, these women are pretty strong and they definitely got the man balls for doing whatever they're doing. Perhaps this is why I appreciate Arrow very much. I know there are other shows or other forms of media that show amazing female characters, but Arrow is definitely one of them. These women are not just strong. They can be weak, insane, complicated, deep, gentle, annoying, and powerful. Basically most of them have depth and they show empowerment in many different ways, which I appreciate very much.

Now that I got that off my chest, I hope I didn't really hit anyone. Well if I did, then I can assure you it is not my intention. I am only ventilating my thoughts, and you may or may not agree with everything that I have said here. My simple request is that we all should appreciate any female character, whether she can look smoking hot in a spy outfit or not. Any woman...any person can be powerful.

Fangirl Moment! The Mortal Instruments as a TV Show

Yesterday was very tiring...

I studied my butt off for an intense exam the day before, so I lacked sleep. I studied again in the morning, tried my best not to feel tense and all, took the exam, pigged out, then I return home to my laptop and saw this announcement on my Facebook news feed. 

For source of photo, read more about the news here

That's right! The Mortal Instruments is going to be TV show (and hopefully, a series), which is awesome! 

I logged on to Twitter the other day and saw TMI fans across the globe going crazy over this announcement, bombarding Cassie Clare (the awesome author of the book series) with so many questions (including me) regarding it. 

I guess operation, "Turn The City of Ashes into a film"did not go so well, but hey, I do not know with you guys, but I think moving this to our personal TV screens is a better idea. Why? Here's why: 

1.) The script will most likely go by the book

According to the article I read, Constantin Film and Martin Moszkowicz said that TMI's plot will be further explored compared to that of movies. Let's be honest, a maximum of three hours is definitely not enough to show all the wonders of The City of Bones. Although the movie was very satisfactory for me, I have a good feeling that we will get to see a whole lot more when it turns into a series. Plus, they are most likely going to start the story from scratch, so they can definitely make up for minor inaccuracies shown in the film last year.

2.) Watching the series will feel like reading the book all over again.

I don't know with you guys but that's how I feel whenever I watch a series. Just watching an entire season is like reading the first book. The feels will get even more intense if you hear the words, "tune in next week" (but not for the Shadowhunter readers, because we all know how it officially ends), and you will be craving for more. Sure, series breaks can be very aggravating but they keep you excited about something, which is very effective. And watching an entire season is obviously longer (and better) than watching a film. 

3.) It will be relaunched as "High-end Drama series" 

Yeah...? YEAAAH? :> 

(source)

(source)

source

source

source

Although the casting and network is still not yet official, I have my own opinions and options concerning these. 

In case they do a recasting, I honestly hope that Godfrey Gao (the actor who played Magnus), Kevin Zeger (who played Alec), and Lena Headey (who played Jocelyn--and yes, Cersei Lannister) to stay in the series. The rest can just go. Also they need to put Raphael in The City of Bones this time, he is not some insignificant character that you can just flick away. So let's hope the writers can put him in. Apart from that, I cannot say who I want specifically to play the rest of the characters because my expectations are just way too high. I'd love to describe how my ideal Izzy, Simon, Jordan, or whoever would be like but it would take an entire novel. Don't get me wrong, I appreciated Lily Collins, Jamie Bower, and the rest of the bunch. In fact, I think they did a great job, really. But at the end of the day, I am not so sure if they were the right fit for their roles. If they do intend to return then that's fine. But I still think a recast is a better idea. 

As for the network, I honestly want CW or HBO to take on the series. Yes, I choose them because my favorites series come from these networks and it would be really great to know that TMI will be featured in any of them. Just imagine it getting an Emmy Award for whatever. That would be give TMI fans across the globe a whole bowl of ecstasy. 

And yes, as a hardcore fan of the Shadowhunter series, I want The Infernal Devices to become a spin-off series. If you think about it, it would be really cool. Furthermore, it is my favorite Shadowhunter Series so far. But I still think they will have a hard time looking for the right Will Herondale. It simply can't be done. Even the ducks will agree with me. As for The Dark Artifices and The Last Hours, it is really hard to say because for one thing... Lady Midnight and Chain of Thorns are not even out yet (No kidding, Tama). I do imagine The Bane Chronicles being a mini-series, though. 

So yes, I am very excited about this whole thing. It makes me want to reread all the books of TMI. Hopefully this will push through and that the series won't flop. Go shadowhunters! 

Till the next post~

Read the original article here

Check out Cassandra Clare's website here 

Also check out her Tumblr 

More from Tama-chan
ETC || Vinyl on Vinyl || Debut + Reunion
Tama Travels || Explore the Wonders of Cordillera Administrative Region!