A Friday Reference to Friday Night Lights

I try not to, but I usually feel the need to defend myself when friends see me reading a young adult novel. I go to a school where being literary and high-brow is much more acceptable than reading the latest young adult release, especially in my writing classes. When I do defend my choices, I cite the same reasons:

These books are good. They are incredibly well-written. Just because they are written with teenagers in mind does not mean they aren't quality. And because I want to write young adult novels, it is important that I read them.

Things happen. And quickly. As someone who depended on murder mysteries and legal thrillers through middle school and most of high school, I need plot. And in young adult, most of the time even the books that aren't high concept still pull you in right away. Because, let's face it, teenagers aren't going to give a book 50 pages to see if they like it.

In high school, every little thing that happens feels like the most important thing ever. It just does. Because in high school we feel so old and grown up and we don't yet know just how complicated and messed up and tough things can really get, so everything that happens to us is either the best or the worst and every crush is a love we'll never get over.

This last reason is why I most enjoy both writing and reading young adult - the intensity and urgency of every emotion. But there's another thing I love: Friday Night Lights. I first started watching the show because my cousin was a regular extra on it, but after the first few episodes, there was no getting me to stop. I don't think it hurt that I began watching it shortly after I moved to Chicago for college, and I was definitely homesick for Texas.

From tvovermind.zap2it.com

I can't say what is so incredible about this show as well as well as this article does (which I found via the incredible Nathan Bransford's blog). But in the article by Sonya Chung, this resonated with me the most:

"FNL reminds us that high school is an entire lifetime.  Everything important that’s ever going to happen to you happens during those four years."


This isn't saying that nothing important will ever happen outside of high school, just that some version of every important thing will likely manifest itself in some way in those four years. That's the great thing about young adult novels - the emotions may be the same as in adult novels, but they're compressed and intensified in this way that reminds you that high school actually isn't everything, but life is indeed short. Sometimes, I think, the world could benefit from certain aspects of our teenage selves continuing with us into adulthood. (Though I'll never mind if the drama gets left behind!)

So young adult novels? They rock. No matter how old you are.

A Holiday Contemplation

I was thinking about Easter, which led to me considering holidays in novels. I could just be drawing a blank, but I can't think of a lot of novels in which a description of a holiday stands out or resonates. (Except maybe Harry Potter, because, let's face it, I'm always thinking about Harry Potter.) I think holidays are often just glossed over because, hey, it's November and Thanksgiving had to happen, or the holiday is just depicted with rather normal traditions.

Easter made me think of this because it's one of my favorite holidays, but nor for a very normal reason. (Though much of it is the religious aspect of the holiday, but I'm not going to focus on that here.) I'm very lucky to have not only grown up with all of my extended family in the same state, and most in the same city, but both sides of my family were also friends. As in, two of my aunts were best friends in high school and actually set my parents up. So my grandparents were all friends, too.

Since we all lived close by, I saw family members from each side together often. But Easter was the only holiday I got to spend with both sides at the same time, and that's why it was always my favorite. Each family would go to their respective churches, then we'd all meet up at a park for a picnic lunch. Then we'd split into teams and play soccer. My grandpas would set up a lawn chair in each goal and we'd all play a long, fun game of soccer. I don't really remember hunting for Easter eggs or a big brunch, I remember the picnic and the soccer - two things that aren't typically associated with Easter.

So, considering this, I'm trying to remind myself that when I do write a holiday into a novel sometimes it's the unconventional traditions that can say the most about the characters and add more to the story. Talking about turkey at Thanksgiving dinner is the easy thing to do, but what about the family whose tradition is pot roast, then a game of poker? That, when applicable to the characters, might make for the more interesting story.