But this one felt important enough to also post in it’s entirety here…
Today I’m going to talk very briefly about diversity in YA, but in a way that is bit different than what I expected to touch upon. Initially, I’d planned on talking about being a girl. It interests me how girls are constantly trying to break glass ceilings in life, but in the world of YA literature, the lion’s share of what is produced tends to be very girl-centric. It bends my mind a little bit to play around with the implications. I wanted to discuss it. I wanted your thoughts.
But unfortunately I can’t really focus on that today.
I’m too disappointed.
When I looked up the definition of diversity it said…A RANGE OF DIFFERENT THINGS.
The word range was the link I needed to write about my growing concerns. More and more it feels like people all over the internet (even in my beloved YA community) are taking pot shots at each other. It feels as if cyber lynch mobs, toting guns that shoot high powered words, are running wild. There is a mob mentality that feeds off the frenzy of taking someone down a notch–of putting them “in their place.” But for what? It appears to be for being “wrong” or dare I say DIFFERENT.
I’ve been watching it unfold for quite some time, but recent events have kickstarted my thoughts. I don’t want to take up your time discussing why so many of us act so deplorably. It makes my head hurt to think about it. Instead I’d like to do one small thing to at least attempt to be part of the solution. I’d like to publicly acknowledge that there are moments when we absolutely should stand up and fight for our beliefs. Those moments are–wait for it–diverse. They mean different things to different people. But I’d like to believe the things worth fighting for (for most people) are good intentioned. Which leads me to bullying. Bullying never comes from good intentions. It is selfish and cowardly. It is small. And it’s not just something children do. I’ve seen a room full of PTA moms make another woman cry. I’ve watched as authors, teachers, police, soldiers and many other dedicated professionals are disrespected when they are trying to give. Perfection is not interchangeable with intention. I can’t remember the last time I was perfect. But there aren’t enough stars to mark how often I’ve tried.
Taking pleasure in making other people hurt is disturbing.
I don’t know how to stop it.
But I believe that small acts, done by many, have the power to make big change.
Haters are always going to hate, but let there always be more of us who are doing something great.
Every day it is your opportunity to be diverse in your thinking and in your actions. Today is your opportunity not to be a bully. It’s your chance to be a range of different things.
All my writer buds are picking words. I know what you’re thinking. Writer’s pick words all the time–lots of them. It’s part of the job description. But this is different, everyone is talking about a mantra, goal or intention for the year. I LOVE this. And now I want a word too. An inspirational word is sooooo much better than a resolution, right?
As you might guess, picking one word to encompass a year’s worth of living is a challenge. As soon as I started to think about it, words began flying at me from every direction. Amazing, fabulous, exciting applicable words, but one stuck out.
internalize: to make (something, such as an idea or an attitude)
an important part of the kind of person you are
Why is this my word for 2015? Here are some of the random thoughts that connect the dots for me…
*Writing great books has to come from within. The true motivation can not be about my place in publishing. It can only come from knowing my own place in the world.
*What is inside of me is not contained within another person. It is my obligation to bring my unique voice to the table, where it can eventually move outward and connect with readers. This outward movement of my thoughts can only START from within.
*When I read books by A.S. King, I understand what it means to internalize the human condition and then share it with the world. Her books inspire me to pay attention to what is inside of me. I find the unique way she internalizes her thoughts to be fascinating and I want to be able to do that in my own right.
*I need to remember to slow down and move inward more often. The world moves at a speed that is almost incomprehensible. I need time and space to sift through the embers and fan the sparks. Day dreaming is a valuable use of my time despite what the rest of the world might think. I will not give it up.
*Making time to read more and more good books is not only a pleasure, but a catalyst for shaking up the things I have inside that have not yet marinated enough to be sufficiently internalized.
*Internalization is another word for truth in my twisted mind. I might be able to lie to everyone else and I may be able to pretend to lie to myself, but deep inside I always know the truth about me. Internalization is the brave acceptance of an undeniable truth.
*The “rules” I need to follow in the writing game are unfortunately always changing for me. What works one week may not work the next. Instead of letting that rock my boat, I need to understand that at my core, my needs are fluid. And because I truly can’t lie to myself (see above) I know when I’m living up to my own writerly potential. It is not healthy to compare my journey with anyone else’s. Internalizing this means knowing when to push and knowing when to cut myself a break.
I’m sure I could write ten more of these, maybe even twenty. The more I internalize one deep thought, the quicker another one steps into the periphery of my mind, reinforcing my word choice for 2015. I’m looking forward to next year already. This word thing is going to be addictive.
Did you pick a word for 2015? If you did, I hope you’ll share. If you haven’t, it’s never too late–words are free. And freeing.
Today it’s been a decade since my dad died. At first I started to say it’s been ten years since I lost him, but that didn’t sound right. As much as I miss him, I never feel as if I’ve “lost” him. He never seems absent to me. Rather it feels as if our relationship has been altered to fit our new circumstances–like he’s crossed through a magical wardrobe or passed through a wrinkle in time. He’s no longer huggable, which is a definite downside to this phase in our relationship, but the trade off is that there’s a fluid, intuitive connection between us that exceeds what we had when we were just an arms length away. But despite the continued love between us, I really miss having him here.
In memory of my “old life” with my Dad, my husband helped me find this video. It reminds me of why his absence still feels so big–he’d always showed up in a million small places. He was this guy for so many of us. He’s my role model.
Love you and miss you Dad. <3
Today in the comments, please celebrate someone living who is doing the little things that mean the most.
Happy New Year and don’t forget what’s important in 2015.
Life with Riley is starting to get a little bit more sane LOL! A little bit–he’s still a potty-training, chewing, puppy. But he’s quietly crating for about seven hours at night and ME getting a humane amount of sleep makes all the difference. He’s also learning to respond to his name, sit and go down on cue. He’s learning what off means and thankfully he hasn’t tested it too much at this point. Additionally he’s got a decent grasp of what easy and gentle mean and I’m happy to report he’s pretty darn good with his deposites. *fist pump*
As you can see, we wear each other out some days. And even though I have to remind myself how far we’ve come in a week, I try to not get my panties in a twist about how much there still is to work on. I try to visualize the dog he will become when we’ve got the kinks worked out. It’s exciting to contemplate. I’m a behaviorist at heart and training him has it’s own special kind of rewards for me. But even though I’m pretty good at operant conditioning, I still get frustrated some days, but I’m learning to watch him closely–so I can “hear” what he’s saying. It’s all part of training positively. And you’re going to hear me talk about this a bit in the future and how it pertains to writing because my mind (what little I have left) is spinning at the implications. But even though I’m having a sleepy puppy moment right now in which to blog…
SANTA’S COMING!!!!!
And that means I have a TON of other things to get done that just can’t wait. So, hold that thought. Enjoy your Christmas and I’ll be back here over the holidays if I can. But you can be sure you’ll see my in 2015 <3
