Oh, you poor sweetie. Please don’t feel at all self-conscious about asking this question, because it’s totally fine, and I so appreciate you saying you like the books (and I would love to have a TV show!) but this is actually something that comes up a lot. This ask about my books is really nice, which is why I chose it, because people have told me they find hostile asks upsetting. I do myself.
Since this question DOES come up a lot, sometimes in not-so-nice ways, I figured maybe I could use this nice question and write some kind of Ultimate Tumblr Answer to all such questions so I wouldn’t have to answer it again.
This is going to be kind of a BIG answer and it might feel overwhelming, so check out of it any time after the simple answer, which is:
None. Zero. Zip. Nada.
There is no Supernatural in my books. I promise you.
I have only seen a few episodes of the first season of Supernatural, back maybe six years ago, and I didn’t enjoy it. (Which doesn’t mean that people can’t enjoy it. Many people cooler than me enjoy it. I have a brilliant lady astrophysicist friend who owns all the box sets!) I’m not going to go into why I didn’t enjoy it, because then people will come and argue with me about my judgy ways, and criticise all the stuff like Vampire Diaries and Teen Wolf that I do like. Fair enough, people. Let us all like what we like, accept that we like different things, and everything will be lovely!
I always feel like I have to be careful talking about Supernatural: if any Supernatural fans read the Demon’s Lexicon series and think to themselves, ‘Hey, this contains some of the stuff what I like, i.e. demons and brothers (the only two things TDL and SPN have in common)’ – then fabulous. I want people to read my books, and whatever way they get to my books is wonderful.
But it’s also important to be clear and honest: I would not base a book series on a TV show I never saw much of, and which I didn’t enjoy. That would be a lot of time to devote to stuff I didn’t enjoy! I wouldn’t do it. (Why do people think I would? Well, we’ll get to that later.)
There are a lot of demon stories out there, and a lot of family stories out there, but here are some obvious dissimilarities between Supernatural and the Demon’s Lexicon series:
1. The brothers in Supernatural are actually blood related, while the brothers I wrote about are not blood related. They are not even the same species.
2. One of the brothers in Demon’s Lexicon is disabled.
3. Road-Trip-Through-Small-Town America is a very distinct aesthetic Supernatural seemed to be going for. Can’t be achieved when your setting is England. The magic system itself is rooted in American folklore—mine is totally different.
4. There are ladies in my series who are present in every book and important, whereas I do not believe the Supernatural series has a female lead present in every episode or indeed season.
5. There’s also a queer character present and important in every book, and I do not believe the Supernatural series has a queer character present in every episode. Or indeed season.
6. There are no angels in my world and I understand angels become pretty important in Supernatural. Obviously, they like angels and I like—other stuff.
This has come out seeming judgy of Supernatural after all. I understand that Supernatural now has a queer lady character played by Felicia Day, and that’s excellent. I don’t mean to bag on Supernatural. But it is a very different story to the story in my books, and its creators have very different priorities to me, and I think that’s pretty clear.
There’s something else to be discussed here, which is that people may say unto me: Why’d you write books about brothers and demons if you didn’t want people to think your books were fanfiction, you dumb jerk?
I have two answers to that.
1) I can write what I like and I think it’s gross to say that I can’t.
2) It wouldn’t have mattered what I wrote about. Every book I’ve ever written gets this. My books haven’t just been called Supernatural fanfiction. They get called Harry Potter fanfiction, too. Definitely! How would I have the ability to come up with my own characters?
No, the hero of Demon’s Lexicon is definitely Harry Potter. (Y’all remember that Harry Potter was an evil demon, right?) And Unspoken is definitely Harry Potter too. (Y’all remember that Harry Potter was a part-Japanese sassy girl detective? As well as being an evil demon. That Harry Potter. Such a multi-faceted individual.)
My books are also Twilight fanfiction. (What isn’t?) And Full Metal Alchemist fanfiction. Just ceaseless fanfiction. And that means of course that the books are very, very bad.
My books get called fanfiction all the time, I think, for two reasons:
a) I am a girl. Dudes get to write perceived-as-derivative/actually-derivative fiction all the time and it’s a HOMAGE, but girls can’t do either. People decide girls’ stuff is derivative and lousy all the time, whereas boys’ stuff is part of a literary tradition and an important conversation. This is sexist and terrible.
Neil Gaiman referenced Asimov in Neverwhere:
http://neil-gaiman.tumblr.com/post/66578815533/my-father-claims-the-line-violence-was-the-last-refuge
And G.K. Chesterton in Coraline:
http://neil-gaiman.tumblr.com/post/42909304300/my-moms-a-librarian-and-planning-to-put-literary
And William Gibson in Neverwhere:
http://journal.neilgaiman.com/2004/12/some-days-bears-on-top.asp
Yet I do not see Neil Gaiman getting chased around and called a plagiarist like I was this summer when I wrote three words which also appear in the Hunger Games! (And before that, as it turns out, in The Emperor’s New Groove. Llamas, sue the Hunger Games!)
I am very tired of seeing women insulted for things every dude in the world is allowed to do. It is not literary critique. It is violent misogyny.
b) I used to write fanfiction. (These two issues—sexism and fanfiction—are actually very closely intertwined, because writing fanfiction is something that mostly girls do, and thus like all things Associated With Ladies, such as sewing and pink, is treated as dumb and worthless. And fanfiction, as I’m going to discuss, provides people with a narrative that go ‘why this lady actually sucks’ and people love narratives which say that.)
For those who didn’t know I used to write fanfiction, it’s obviously irrelevant to your opinion of me, and honestly, you can cut out here. Definitely if the person who asked me about Supernatural this time around wants to cut out here… they should. I am about to get mad. It is not your fault. I have just got this too many times, and I have had it up to here.
When someone is traditionally published after writing fanfiction, they get treated like trash, both by people who think fanfiction is weird rubbish and by people who themselves like to write and read fanfiction.
This is a really important post, especially for all you young writers coming up now, because I have seen it happen to some of the smartest, most well-read writers I know, writers who care deeply about craft, who are generous and clever and good. And I have seen it happen over and over again.
Sarah is a fancy genius, who had six books published by the age I was when my first book was still being edited, who is a proud member of the Trollope Society, and whose very first novel received three starred reviews and numerous accolades. She deserves every good thing in her career a dozen times over.
Writers who once wrote fanfiction are not some different breed of writer. They’re not less original. They’re not less good. They’re not less anything. They’re writers, full stop.
What Holly said. And what Sarah said!
Tag: writing
September 25, 2013
Today we sat in the car and you admitted that you were upset. I don’t understand you and never will, so I sat and listened to my favorite songs. You told me to show you my favorite love song, I did, but explained how someone had already ruined it for me. I found one that hadn’t been ruined, and you asked if you could ruin it for me and you kissed me.October 1, 2013
You are like sunshine and I tell you that every time you kiss me and I giggle. Sometimes, the idea of “us” is a really bad idea. It probably is, but sometimes those real bad ideas are the best ones. I think I’m going to stop smoking cigarettes because your lips are the only nicotine I need these days.October 9, 2013
You feel like you’re wasting my time. I would waste my whole life with you and I would be okay with that.October 23, 2013
I don’t like it when you say that you have bad news. I knew something was wrong today when I kissed you, and we sat by that river, and kissed a whole lot. You kissed so desperately— I should have known and I should have kissed you more and harder. I didn’t know it would be our last kiss for a while.
You said you didn’t like me and that you just wanted me sometimes.
That hurt a lot, but I think you are lying.November 1, 2013
We talk like we are strangers now. I don’t know how to act around you. It’s hard when I like you so much and you don’t like me. I am trying to get over it, I really am. I guess the hardest part about moving on is when you’re not so sure you want to.
You made me tell you everything that was on my mind and I said sometimes I wished we were still together. You didn’t.
This is why I don’t tell anyone anything anymore.November 14, 2013
I have started smoking again.November 20th, 2013
I never understood why in the Bible He said, “God gave us light but instead humans chose darkness,” but then that night when hid from the cold winter weather and were entangled in nothing but sheets, I knew I would choose you over the sun any day, and that was very dark thing to do. I want to be here for you, and I am patient, but by doing this I am breaking my own heart again.You said you wished we could be like that all the time— not naked, but where we just talk and don’t fight. I do, too, but I am realizing it is impossible.December 10, 2013,
I think you are gone for good and I miss you in waves and it hurts like Hell, let me tell you. I went out with another boy, and he was very nice. I took him to the bookstore and it made me miss you a lot, and I am afraid when he kissed me goodnight all he could taste was your name.December 15, 2013,
You said you missed me. I said nothing, instead I went home, cried, and listened to one of the mixed CDS you made for me. I miss you, too. I want to try to quit smoking again.December 29, 2013
I should be happy, but I sort of just feel like drowning. I wonder if you are awake right now, too.January 25, 2014
I called you, and I am glad you did not answer. I think all this time I have been in love with the idea of you. I think I miss the person I wished you could be rather than you.February 17, 2014
I met somebody, and I think you guys would be good friends. He asks to kiss me, too. He’s funny and compliments me and says I should never apologize for being myself. I like that he doesn’t always correct me or find things about me that annoy him and tell me. I don’t fight with him, either. He’s filling that empty space that was left when you decided to give up and walk away.March 2, 2014
Thank you for letting me go.
The Periodic Table of Storytelling
I think an excellent and challenging exercise for narrative writing would be to select at random a handful of elements from The Periodic Table of Storytelling* by James Harris. It’s wonderful:
[make sure to click through for the full version]
*fair warning to teachers: unfortunately, some of this is probably not quite safe for the classroom.
Abandon the idea that you are ever going to finish. Lose track of the 400 pages and write just one page for each day, it helps. Then when it gets finished, you are always surprised.
John Steinbeck (via astrangerhere)
Grim anthology reviewed on Booklist
Catching up on reviews for the Grim anthology…
Check it:
“Johnson’s anthology of retold fairy tales, most based on Grimm, should be wildly popular as the 17 authors include such well-known names as Ellen Hopkins, Julie Kagawa, Amanda Hocking, and Malinda Lo.”
FYI, Malinda, according to Booklist you are famous. That’s official.
“Many authors bring the tone and focus back to the original Grimm tales, and graphic gore abounds.”
Yay gore!
And hmm, wait, what’s this???
“Jon Skovron’s “Raven Princess” has delightful contemporary touches, such as a same-sex giant couple rearing an infant, and a Shrek-like ending.”
Delightful, people. It’s delightful. And has gay giants.
*wordless mumbling*
Well Jon, I’d like to note that Booklist said I’m “well-known,” but they had to cut out the clause that followed it, “in a few internet circles, mostly lesbian ones,” due to word count limits. 🙂
But Jon’s story is delightful! I read it the other night!
More about Grim soon…
You must go on adventures to find out where you belong.
currently (via awelltraveledwoman)
writing prompt #241
I’m trying to track down the source for this image. Anyone know it?
Update: ok, I think got the source. It’s from Us Design Studio.
We look to books to take us to new places, to meet new people, to have new experiences. Yes. But we also look to books to find ourselves. To see yourself, your life experience, a face or name like yours in a book means something. I’m an adult who didn’t experience this as a child, and I still get goosebumps when I see a character that resembles me in a book. It legitimizes your place wherever you are. If you don’t understand this, if you can’t empathize with someone’s need for this sense of recognition, it’s because you have the privilege to not understand or care.
What keeps me going? Why write when there are so many other things I could be doing with my one and only life? Why not become a savior, a saint, a martyr? Why not make a ton of money and surround myself with luxury? Why not raise a litter of children and disseminate my DNA far and wide? Why not watch TV and drink beer all day? Why not stop breathing and maybe find out that I’m wrong about what happens next? … because every new book is the book that will float us above and away from (choose three) irrelevance, poverty, mediocrity, madness, obscurity, obloquy, ourselves.
Pete Hautman on the Book that Will Save Us (Writing for the Long Haul series)
Whoa, I needed to see this today. See, sometimes I feel like as a YA writer I’m supposed to talk about books in the context of readers needing them. I’m supposed to write Because [Something] Is Important. There’s a whole “books save lives” thing thing out there. Which may be true. But for me, when it comes to writing, I think about the Flannery O’Connor quote I put in the front of How to Save a Life – “The life you save may be your own." Truth is, writing is what I happen to need to do with my life, and the alternatives are terrifying.
(Also I learned a new word from Hautman in this piece!)
I am irritated by my own writing. I am like a violinist whose ear is true, but whose fingers refuse to reproduce precisely the sound he hears within.
Gustave Flaubert (via astrangerhere)
Question of Smoke 