I wrote this on November 22 but I’m an idiot and saved it as a draft instead of publishing it.  Well, I’m publishing it now, and no, I’m still not ready to talk about House of Leaves.

Wow, almost 2 months since my last update!  I knew blogging regularly would take some getting used to.  Part of the problem is that I’ve been ill and also unmotivated lately.  I’m working on a variety of projects right now, but I seem to be stuck on all of them, or at least plowing through them rather sluggishly.  More details to come when I’m closer to completion.  Also, I finally read Mark Z. Danielewski’s House of Leaves in its entirety at the beginning of October and wanted to write about it but haven’t felt quite ready.  It’s a brilliant work of literature, definitely an inspiration to those who write experimental fiction.  Hopefully I will be able to devote a post to it soon.

What I want to talk about today are common themes of YA fiction.  A lot of the novels I grew up reading featured protagonists who were outcasts, who were hiding some sort of secret, who felt uncomfortable in their own skin somehow or felt they didn’t belong.  Often, they were insecure, didn’t think they were pretty or good-looking–sometimes overweight or plain, but definitely not homecoming queen material.  However, they were usually “beautiful on the inside,” that is to say that they were very kind or thoughtful, maybe smart or talented.  I can’t speak for other countries, but in America especially, we seem obsessed with teaching our children that it’s what’s inside that counts, and these types of stories seem to be the result.  I’ve always found myself more fascinated by characters on the other end of the spectrum though.  The girls or boys who seem to have it all on the outside (usually cast to a supporting role in YA lit) but are really quite ugly on the inside and often unlikable.  They seem to be the characters I enjoy writing most.  Just a couple hours ago, I wondered about converting that idea to something more visual and tactile.  A series of art pieces that have a clear “outside” and “inside,” where the beautiful hides the not-so-beautiful.  It would definitely force me to explore what the definition of beautiful is in each circumstance.  Anyway, obviously that idea needs some developing but I think there might be something there.

Until next time.