Molly O'Keefe's Blog, page 38
May 8, 2012
Unseemly Jealousy
I am absolutely green with envy at the moment. Green, I tell you! I'm listening to Joshilyn Jackson's A Grown-Up Kind of Pretty while I'm driving all over hell and back in northern California. It is so good that it's making me almost seethe. It's funny and smart and absorbing and so full of emotion and love that it's nearly overwhelming.
Not only is it flipping' fantastic, she's reading it and doing an awesome job. Some people have too much talent.
This is exactly EXACTLY the kind of book I want to write next. I am so jealous that she is already.
Professional jealousy is a topic that comes up on occasion in writers groups. It can be a really destructive force. In this case, I'm really hoping it's a positive one. I don't want anything bad to befall Joshilyn. In fact, I want her to keep writing so I can keep listening and reading. What I want is to take this book, rip it apart into little tiny pieces and figure out how she did what she did so that I can do it, too.
So anybody you're jealous of? Has it been a good thing or a bad thing?
P.S. Maureen, look at me getting the paragraph breaks in their correctly like a big girl!!!!
Not only is it flipping' fantastic, she's reading it and doing an awesome job. Some people have too much talent.
This is exactly EXACTLY the kind of book I want to write next. I am so jealous that she is already.
Professional jealousy is a topic that comes up on occasion in writers groups. It can be a really destructive force. In this case, I'm really hoping it's a positive one. I don't want anything bad to befall Joshilyn. In fact, I want her to keep writing so I can keep listening and reading. What I want is to take this book, rip it apart into little tiny pieces and figure out how she did what she did so that I can do it, too.
So anybody you're jealous of? Has it been a good thing or a bad thing?
P.S. Maureen, look at me getting the paragraph breaks in their correctly like a big girl!!!!
May 7, 2012
Inspiration Needed
So, I'm starting a new book and I've got a great idea I'm excited about and it got some great tweaking from Sinead and Maureen, but now, I find that with the changes, I can't picture my hero. I can't see where he lives, or what he's wearing when we first meet him. I'm not the kind of author who finds pictures of hot guys and then uses them as inspiration for my hero. Usually I do that after writing the book. I don't have a pintrest board, or a collage of themes. But what I do need is a vibe. And I totally steal my vibe from the greater world. For instance my heroine the vibe is a mishmash of Elizabeth Taylor, punk rock music, the book Eat Pray Love (don't hate me, Eileen, I'm sorry!!!) New York City, feminism and little girl lost. See, doesn't make much sense, but all that stuff - it gives me a picture of her. And right now, my hero has no vibe. He's rich. A Southern Gentlemen. Needs to get married. Sometimes he wears a suit...sometimes he doesn't. Has a kid. Maybe. See...nothing. I need a movie, an actor, I need some music, perhaps a drink. I need to see his office, think of a sexual hook or deviance. He's a suit with nothing in it right now... So, my question to you - southern movies? Actors? Books? Where the rich white guy isn't a bad guy, but a good guy. And hot. Any idea?
May 3, 2012
Kick ass and are you kidding me?
There has been a small trend lately towards women assassin movies, or CIA movies, and some are great, and some are laughable.
To contrast, we have Columbiana and Haywire. Columbiana is about a girl who becomes an assassin to avenge her parent's murder. She is played by Zoe Saldana, a really lovely actress, who I have enjoyed in other movies, but weighs max 100 pounds and looks like her limbs could snap pretty easily.
In Haywire, you have Gina Carano, a woman who had very little acting experience, and there were moments it showed, but came from a mixed martial arts back ground, was as tall as any of the men in the movie and when she fought them, I absolutely believed she could kick their asses. It was in her movements, her muscle tone, the way she stood. Even when she's running, and jumping in a sequence where she has to escape from the police, there's something in her movement, and her reactions that made her completely believable. I bought that she could run faster than the two police officers chasing her down.
I can suspend disbelief for a while if the movie is good enough, but a hundred pound girl kicking the crap out of a guy twice her size - well that's a bit of a stretch.
But I believed it in Serenity, which also had a waifish girl kicking some serious ass, but that's because she'd been given special powers by the corrupt government that turned against her. We see this a lot in urban fantasy and paranormal YA, young, slender girl with special powers and if it's done right, I believe it.
But once I start to question whether she really can do that, then I'm out and I can rarely get back in. It's what I liked about the Hunger Games movie. Jennifer Lawrence looked like she could run, and climb trees, and fight her way out of trouble. She made it believable. A tinier actress would not have. And I know the movie got some criticism, for casting an actress some believed was physically too large to play Katniss, as she's described as small and underfed in the book.
We see enough small and underfed on the large screen already. I'd rather see someone believable, rather than stick to the exact descriptions of the book.
To contrast, we have Columbiana and Haywire. Columbiana is about a girl who becomes an assassin to avenge her parent's murder. She is played by Zoe Saldana, a really lovely actress, who I have enjoyed in other movies, but weighs max 100 pounds and looks like her limbs could snap pretty easily.
In Haywire, you have Gina Carano, a woman who had very little acting experience, and there were moments it showed, but came from a mixed martial arts back ground, was as tall as any of the men in the movie and when she fought them, I absolutely believed she could kick their asses. It was in her movements, her muscle tone, the way she stood. Even when she's running, and jumping in a sequence where she has to escape from the police, there's something in her movement, and her reactions that made her completely believable. I bought that she could run faster than the two police officers chasing her down.
I can suspend disbelief for a while if the movie is good enough, but a hundred pound girl kicking the crap out of a guy twice her size - well that's a bit of a stretch.
But I believed it in Serenity, which also had a waifish girl kicking some serious ass, but that's because she'd been given special powers by the corrupt government that turned against her. We see this a lot in urban fantasy and paranormal YA, young, slender girl with special powers and if it's done right, I believe it.
But once I start to question whether she really can do that, then I'm out and I can rarely get back in. It's what I liked about the Hunger Games movie. Jennifer Lawrence looked like she could run, and climb trees, and fight her way out of trouble. She made it believable. A tinier actress would not have. And I know the movie got some criticism, for casting an actress some believed was physically too large to play Katniss, as she's described as small and underfed in the book.
We see enough small and underfed on the large screen already. I'd rather see someone believable, rather than stick to the exact descriptions of the book.
May 2, 2012
Trending... Dominant Men
So I posted a couple of weeks ago about the 50 Shades phenomena and why this book in particular was such a success. Recently I was watching an episode of Girls which is a new HBO show about twenty-something girls growing up in New York and a lot of it seems to be focused around their sexual lives.
One of the girls is in a committed relationship and has been for years – I think since high school. We see her getting frustrated with how sensitive her partner is. She’s clearly getting bored with the sex. Then along comes a co-worker she’s been flirting with and suddenly at a party he pulls her aside and basically tells her he’s going to f*** her and she’s going to like it. This sends her absolutely over the moon with excitement.
Forgetting the sex element, what surprised me about this episode was how once again we see this dominant, man taking control over woman, scene being played out. And I definitely think we need to take notice because I wouldn’t be surprised if this is a trend that’s going to dominate (no pun intended) stories, in particular romances.
Uber alpha males are on the rise. Certainly not starting with JR Ward’s Brotherhood series, but there we see it being taken to new extremes. And now he’s becoming even MORE dominating. We all know that millionaires/billionaires have always been popular. But their alphaness seemed to be defined by buying things for the heroine (like her car which no longer works) and protecting them and being fiercely jealous of any man who looked at them.
But now it seems we are taking this further so that in the bedroom the hero is turning her over his knee and spanking her. I don’t remember any Harlequin Presents like that!
I have my theories. I think we’re seeing a reaction by women who have broken or at least severely cracked the glass ceiling. Women can chose to work or raise a family. They can buy their own cars, pay their own taxes and make their own decisions. Let’s face it in the last 10, 20 years our dependence on men financially has changed radically. And more people are single now than they were before, mostly because in cases where women have divorced they are not rushing back into second marriages like they used to in order to be supported.
I’m no social psychologist. I don’t even pretend to think I might be right in my theory. I just think it’s not a coincidence that the stronger women are getting, financially, politically, etc… we’re seeing some trends in fantasy land (and let’s face it that’s where all of this stays) where women want to be f*** by men who are strong and dominating.
I might have offended people with this post. Not sure. But comment away!
One of the girls is in a committed relationship and has been for years – I think since high school. We see her getting frustrated with how sensitive her partner is. She’s clearly getting bored with the sex. Then along comes a co-worker she’s been flirting with and suddenly at a party he pulls her aside and basically tells her he’s going to f*** her and she’s going to like it. This sends her absolutely over the moon with excitement.
Forgetting the sex element, what surprised me about this episode was how once again we see this dominant, man taking control over woman, scene being played out. And I definitely think we need to take notice because I wouldn’t be surprised if this is a trend that’s going to dominate (no pun intended) stories, in particular romances.
Uber alpha males are on the rise. Certainly not starting with JR Ward’s Brotherhood series, but there we see it being taken to new extremes. And now he’s becoming even MORE dominating. We all know that millionaires/billionaires have always been popular. But their alphaness seemed to be defined by buying things for the heroine (like her car which no longer works) and protecting them and being fiercely jealous of any man who looked at them.
But now it seems we are taking this further so that in the bedroom the hero is turning her over his knee and spanking her. I don’t remember any Harlequin Presents like that!
I have my theories. I think we’re seeing a reaction by women who have broken or at least severely cracked the glass ceiling. Women can chose to work or raise a family. They can buy their own cars, pay their own taxes and make their own decisions. Let’s face it in the last 10, 20 years our dependence on men financially has changed radically. And more people are single now than they were before, mostly because in cases where women have divorced they are not rushing back into second marriages like they used to in order to be supported.
I’m no social psychologist. I don’t even pretend to think I might be right in my theory. I just think it’s not a coincidence that the stronger women are getting, financially, politically, etc… we’re seeing some trends in fantasy land (and let’s face it that’s where all of this stays) where women want to be f*** by men who are strong and dominating.
I might have offended people with this post. Not sure. But comment away!
Free Book Overload
I remember the first RWA conference I ever went to. I was bowled over by a lot of things--mostly all the great information and how much I learned about writing--but another was all the free books.
This was true at the first regional conference I went to in New Jersey in 2003 (especially since I won a big basket of books in a raffle) but even more so at my first National conference in Dallas in the summer of 2004.
At my first National RWA conference, I went to as many of the publisher sponsored signings as I could, glommed onto every free book I was offered and seriously needed another suitcase, or two, to get home. (It's not so easy to ship books back if you live in Canada...) Possible, just a slightly more of a hassle.
It took a few years of going to these conferences before I started to get pickier. I'd only take books home I thought I was likely to read, or thought one of my CPs might read, or books written by friends.
But even so, and even after giving away TONS of them, my house is still overloaded with books I haven't read, and let's face it, will probably never read. I ran out of shelf space even before the Disastrous Bedroom Bookshelf Collapse of '11 (disaster movie coming).
I have piles of books everywhere in my house. I could be on Hoarders. No joke. I already had a bit of a book shopaholic problem before I started getting free ones at conferences.
When Stephanie visited last fall, she looked at a row of books in my TV room and said something like, "For a girl who says she doesn't read much romance, you sure have a lot of them." And I looked at the row of books she was looking at, and she was right... About 15-20 romances. But guess how many of that row I'd read? Zero. Sad, but true. Some I kind of still mean to. Or at least mean to start them to see why that particular author is so popular or whatever... And some are by friends and I bought them at a literacy signing and don't feel right giving them away... But not one of them have I read. And they take up space. And attract dust. And add to the clutter in my house and mind.
I figured one thing that having an e-reader would fix was this book overload problem. And it is helping. A bit.
But, you know what I noticed recently? I've got kindle clutter.
After I first got my kindle, I'd click "buy" pretty much any time I found out about a free book written by someone on one of my writer loops or on facebook or twitter, etc.. I figured, not only might I help the author move up in the Amazon rankings, hey, it might be a good book and even if it's not, it's free! And it's not like I'd have to find room for it on my shelves. What the heck. *clicks buy*
But I've hit my saturation point. It's not like I'm running out of storage space (and that cloud business solves that, even if I were) but I'm running out of brain space to even organize or process all the stuff I've downloaded that I really have very little intention of ever reading. And I end up forgetting that I've bought books that I really wanted to read that are now buried below a bunch of free or super cheap books I'll probably never read more than 5-10 pages of and I've already lost control of the quasi organizational system I'd set up.
Just because something's free, doesn't mean it has no cost...
Does anyone else have this problem?
This was true at the first regional conference I went to in New Jersey in 2003 (especially since I won a big basket of books in a raffle) but even more so at my first National conference in Dallas in the summer of 2004.
At my first National RWA conference, I went to as many of the publisher sponsored signings as I could, glommed onto every free book I was offered and seriously needed another suitcase, or two, to get home. (It's not so easy to ship books back if you live in Canada...) Possible, just a slightly more of a hassle.
It took a few years of going to these conferences before I started to get pickier. I'd only take books home I thought I was likely to read, or thought one of my CPs might read, or books written by friends.
But even so, and even after giving away TONS of them, my house is still overloaded with books I haven't read, and let's face it, will probably never read. I ran out of shelf space even before the Disastrous Bedroom Bookshelf Collapse of '11 (disaster movie coming).I have piles of books everywhere in my house. I could be on Hoarders. No joke. I already had a bit of a book shopaholic problem before I started getting free ones at conferences.
When Stephanie visited last fall, she looked at a row of books in my TV room and said something like, "For a girl who says she doesn't read much romance, you sure have a lot of them." And I looked at the row of books she was looking at, and she was right... About 15-20 romances. But guess how many of that row I'd read? Zero. Sad, but true. Some I kind of still mean to. Or at least mean to start them to see why that particular author is so popular or whatever... And some are by friends and I bought them at a literacy signing and don't feel right giving them away... But not one of them have I read. And they take up space. And attract dust. And add to the clutter in my house and mind.
I figured one thing that having an e-reader would fix was this book overload problem. And it is helping. A bit.
But, you know what I noticed recently? I've got kindle clutter.
After I first got my kindle, I'd click "buy" pretty much any time I found out about a free book written by someone on one of my writer loops or on facebook or twitter, etc.. I figured, not only might I help the author move up in the Amazon rankings, hey, it might be a good book and even if it's not, it's free! And it's not like I'd have to find room for it on my shelves. What the heck. *clicks buy*
But I've hit my saturation point. It's not like I'm running out of storage space (and that cloud business solves that, even if I were) but I'm running out of brain space to even organize or process all the stuff I've downloaded that I really have very little intention of ever reading. And I end up forgetting that I've bought books that I really wanted to read that are now buried below a bunch of free or super cheap books I'll probably never read more than 5-10 pages of and I've already lost control of the quasi organizational system I'd set up.
Just because something's free, doesn't mean it has no cost...
Does anyone else have this problem?
May 1, 2012
Wrapping up In Plain Sight
So we're big fans of the USA Network series here at the Rendahl Ranch. They're wrapping up one of our favorites right now, In Plain Sight. I did have this witness protection fantasy about being swept out of my life after witnessing a murder because of the show. Beyond that though, we love the cranky main character (Mary), her brainiac partner (Marshall) and even her dysfunctional family. I miss her boyfriend (Rafe) from the first season like I miss an old friend that moved away. They're wrapping up the series. I like that they're tying up the story lines and bringing closure to a lot of things. It's nice. We get to see this character have her final arcs. I'm really worried about the romantic side of things, though. There's always been this tension with the brainiac partner. Throughout the series, they've both been with other people, yet there's always been those lingering glances and a few other instances that make it clear that they have feelings for each other. Normally, I'd be all in favor of the two of them getting together. This time, though, I'm not. I want Marshall, the brainiac partner, to stay with his current girlfriend/fiancee. I'd rather have her end the series alone with no one than have her end up with Marshall. First of all, I love the relationship between him and his fiancee. It's sweet and supportive. Second, Mary would eat Marshall alive. Every day would be a battle and eventually he would get tired. She can't get back together with the boyfriend from the first season because he's already with someone else who is nice. She can't be with her baby daddy because ... well, he's unworthy. There was this military guy from last season that there was a glimmer with, but he'd have to come back in the very last episode and I don't want her to be swept off her feet. She's not that kind of woman. I don't want her to end up alone, though. I really don't. She deserves love. Is anyone else watching this show? What's your feeling? Who should Mary end up with?
April 30, 2012
Michael Fassbender's Penis...Again
I was going to call this post: Uncomfortable and Adult, a good, hard look at Michael Fassbender's SHAME. But then I remembered that putting Penis in the blog title really brings in the hits. So, instead, we'll take a good hard look at his penis. HA! I joke. Sort of. Husband had rugby and I finally took the bait and watched Shame. Maureen really liked this movie and after Fassbender's award nominations, I've been pretty eager to see it, but it's a movie you need to be in the right frame of mind for. What that frame of mind is? I have no clue. This is what I do know after watching that movie - it's really really really uncomfortable. On about every different level. He's uncomfortable to watch, there's no release to the tension, there's no explanation for the tension. It's one long teeth-clenching tension filled movie. But, I think as Maureen said - it's also a master class in Show, Don't Tell. Fassbender has about six lines of dialogue. I'm only slightly exaggerating and the big long dialogue scene with his sister - doesn't come off right. I'm not sure if that was intentional, or it just honestly, didn't work. I think intentional - he couldn't say what he really wanted to say to her so instead he said these false, heavy hurtful things...? Thoughts from anyone who saw it? He has this big threesome scene - and it's raw!! RAW. And hot. And then...totally totally sad. And then, I'm feeling shame for thinking it was hot. And that is how the movie works. But he's pretty freaking great in that movie - one of those subdued, but electric performances. Totally electric.
April 27, 2012
Ode to Josh Whedon
I'm a bit of a Josh Whedon fanatic. I've seen all his TV shows, even all 5 seasons of Angel, the Buffy spinoff, all of Firefly and up to the very last episode of Dollhouse. Serenity, his movie spin off of Firefly is definitely one of my favourite, if not my favourite Sci fi movie of the past couple of decades and this week I finally saw Cabin in the Woods. And it's amazing. I know a lot of people will be scared off by the horror tag line, and it is s horror, I suppose, but it's more than that, it's funny, seriously funny, and entertaining and only a little gory. And it has some of the best examples of genre writing in movies today. The movie was made with a true love of horror movies and the stereotypes that have emerged from the genre. It not only understands those stereotypes but turns them on their head. I'm trying not to give too much away, but I can say, the first five minutes of the movie articulates perfectly and in ridiculously little dialogue who these 5 main characters are, and they are not the typical horror movie cliched tropes. If I say any more I'll ruin the surprises in this movie and the surprises are more than worth the cost of admission. But if horror isn't your thing, than Serenity is a great example of what John Whedon does well. It has the great, funny dialogue, the way he can sum up a character perfectly in just a few lines of dialogue, and the seemingly frail girl who is anything but and will usually end up saving the world. For another example of this, see Buffy, Dollhouse and well, almost anything he does. And Serenity has one of my favourite endings. Just the captain of the ship and the heroine sitting in the cockpit, and he starts to tell her one of his favourite sayings, but stops, because she knows what he's about to say, but she asks him to anyway, because she likes to hear the words. And by all early accounts, the Avengers is another great example of a Josh Whedon movie. Me, I'm hoping maybe he can resurrect Firefly again, I'd settle for another movie, but another TV would be great, maybe on HBO? Anyone else seen Cabin in the Woods, or Serenity? Am I alone in my Josh Whedon love?
April 26, 2012
I need a book for Book Club
So I want to recommend a book for my book club. We had our first meeting, which was really cool and in the end started talking about books in general. I explained why romance appeals to me and of course one of the men in the group had to say... "Really? Romance? They're all alike."
Of course I lept quickly to romance's defense and in the end they all conceeded that I could give them a book that would change their minds about romance.
So what do you think? I'm thinking Sherry Thomas's Delicious. It's so untypical of what romance is. My other thought is Joanna Bourne's Forbbiden Rose... or really anything by Joanna Bourne. I want something that's meaty. Something the group can sink their teeth into so I can say HA!
We also actually discussed doing a category romance... they are curious about what I write. I don't want to sit around and talk about one of my books obviously and I don't want to do Molly or Karen W's books because I don't want to be biased.
So I'm open to any recommendations from the crowd. Or if anyone else has a book they loved in general.
Our next is ROOM. I'm nervous as heck to read this after Molly's post about it, but I've been dragging my tail for too long on this book so it's good I'm being pushed to read it.
Of course I lept quickly to romance's defense and in the end they all conceeded that I could give them a book that would change their minds about romance.
So what do you think? I'm thinking Sherry Thomas's Delicious. It's so untypical of what romance is. My other thought is Joanna Bourne's Forbbiden Rose... or really anything by Joanna Bourne. I want something that's meaty. Something the group can sink their teeth into so I can say HA!
We also actually discussed doing a category romance... they are curious about what I write. I don't want to sit around and talk about one of my books obviously and I don't want to do Molly or Karen W's books because I don't want to be biased.
So I'm open to any recommendations from the crowd. Or if anyone else has a book they loved in general.
Our next is ROOM. I'm nervous as heck to read this after Molly's post about it, but I've been dragging my tail for too long on this book so it's good I'm being pushed to read it.
April 25, 2012
Eternal Youth
Recently I did a talk at my local RWA chapter's meeting about YA fiction and we discussed the "age difference taboo" in YA fiction.
That is: if you have a 30 year old man with a teen girl it's a huge issue (the age difference will be what the book is about) vs. if you make the man 300 it's no big deal--and doesn't have to be what the book is about.
We were talking about some of the things that authors do to pull this huge age difference trope off. Like:
Joss Whedon gave Buffy a superpower and made her capable of killing Angel, which evened out the power imbalance created by their extreme age differences.
Stephanie Meyer placed Edward in high school and in a family life situation with parental figures and siblings. Plus she made him freaking sparkle. (Edward came off like a teen, albeit a creepy, stalkerish, control-freak teen.)
Basically, making a character immortal can make an age difference irrelevant. Immortal characters in YA fiction are usually written as ageless, rather than ancient. And I think that's why it works.
But watching The Vampire Diaries last week, I just realized another thing writers do to erase the "age problem", and perhaps more interesting for me, I gained another insight into why YA paranormals work for so many adult readers as well as teens.
There was a scene in TVD where Rebecca, one of the "originals", who's supposed to be 1000 years old, questions why a mortal teen boy, Matt, is being so nice to her. And the way it's played, the way he does actually play her, and the way she reacts is so teen. It's so relatable. The boy is nice and the girl is skeptical of his motives and questions them, but he says, "Why do I need a reason to be nice to you? Maybe I just like you." And for the girl, his attention is nice and she wants so, so badly to believe in this boy and that his intentions come from a good place, even though part of her knows that she shouldn't trust him.
That is such a teen feeling.
I'll bet one we can all remember. At least I can. And here they have a 1000 year old "girl" feeling those insecurities.
And it got me thinking that what they're doing on that show (and in a lot of YA fiction) that's really smart with some of the very, very old characters, is to give them teen-like emotions and insecurities. I think it makes the show relatable to both teens and adults. Those teen emotions and insecurities are kind of primal.
Maybe some of you are more evolved/mature than I am, but regardless of my body's age, and my accumulated life experience, and the things (I hope) I'm more mature or wise about now than I was as a teen... in many ways--deep inside--I still feel like the same person I was at 15 or 16. I sometimes look in the mirror and expect to see that girl. I still feel many things the same way. Like meeting new people, or attention from "boys", or wanting to belong, or feeling left out, or feeling humiliation or embarrassment or shame when I've made a mistake or hurt someone's feelings.
Yes, I do think/hope I process and deal with these things better now as an adult, but the emotions are still the same.
And that, I think, is one of the many, many reasons why YA fiction, when it's done well, works for adults. too. Maybe YA fiction allows us to tap into eternal youth?
Am I off my rocker? (I am getting old enough for one. LOL)
That is: if you have a 30 year old man with a teen girl it's a huge issue (the age difference will be what the book is about) vs. if you make the man 300 it's no big deal--and doesn't have to be what the book is about.
We were talking about some of the things that authors do to pull this huge age difference trope off. Like:
Joss Whedon gave Buffy a superpower and made her capable of killing Angel, which evened out the power imbalance created by their extreme age differences.
Stephanie Meyer placed Edward in high school and in a family life situation with parental figures and siblings. Plus she made him freaking sparkle. (Edward came off like a teen, albeit a creepy, stalkerish, control-freak teen.)
Basically, making a character immortal can make an age difference irrelevant. Immortal characters in YA fiction are usually written as ageless, rather than ancient. And I think that's why it works.
But watching The Vampire Diaries last week, I just realized another thing writers do to erase the "age problem", and perhaps more interesting for me, I gained another insight into why YA paranormals work for so many adult readers as well as teens.
There was a scene in TVD where Rebecca, one of the "originals", who's supposed to be 1000 years old, questions why a mortal teen boy, Matt, is being so nice to her. And the way it's played, the way he does actually play her, and the way she reacts is so teen. It's so relatable. The boy is nice and the girl is skeptical of his motives and questions them, but he says, "Why do I need a reason to be nice to you? Maybe I just like you." And for the girl, his attention is nice and she wants so, so badly to believe in this boy and that his intentions come from a good place, even though part of her knows that she shouldn't trust him.
That is such a teen feeling.
I'll bet one we can all remember. At least I can. And here they have a 1000 year old "girl" feeling those insecurities.
And it got me thinking that what they're doing on that show (and in a lot of YA fiction) that's really smart with some of the very, very old characters, is to give them teen-like emotions and insecurities. I think it makes the show relatable to both teens and adults. Those teen emotions and insecurities are kind of primal.
Maybe some of you are more evolved/mature than I am, but regardless of my body's age, and my accumulated life experience, and the things (I hope) I'm more mature or wise about now than I was as a teen... in many ways--deep inside--I still feel like the same person I was at 15 or 16. I sometimes look in the mirror and expect to see that girl. I still feel many things the same way. Like meeting new people, or attention from "boys", or wanting to belong, or feeling left out, or feeling humiliation or embarrassment or shame when I've made a mistake or hurt someone's feelings.
Yes, I do think/hope I process and deal with these things better now as an adult, but the emotions are still the same.
And that, I think, is one of the many, many reasons why YA fiction, when it's done well, works for adults. too. Maybe YA fiction allows us to tap into eternal youth?
Am I off my rocker? (I am getting old enough for one. LOL)
