Read For Relief, a literary-based auction set up to benefit those who have been so affected by Hurricane Irene. There’s a LOT of great stuff up there, people, so head on over and bid on some wonderful items. I’m talking signed ARCs and hardcovers, agent and editor critiques, author critiques.

And, well, if you want to win something donated by Yours Truly, you can find it here.

Pinterest

I love having a nice little go-to place to pin all the things I like and find inspiring. It’s like bookmarking, but much, much better!

The Country Bookshelf, my local independent bookstore (and the largest one in Montana to boot), where you will find this awesome anti-censorship display:

Kinda Bugs: 

*It is still fire season in Montana. There is still smoke in the air. It was so thick yesterday while I was out and about that I could barely see the Bridger Mountains (and the Bridger Mountains are practically on top of us here in Bozeman, people). I know I mentioned this one last week, but my sinuses still hate life, and therefore it still applies.

*We have a new downstairs neighbor. Surely he is a nice man, and he is quiet and all, BUT…he smokes a lot of pot. And his vents pretty much dump right into our house. It got so bad today that I actually had to take Baby Caveman outside because I was a little scared for his health.

*I went to Payless today hoping beyond hope that they would still have these cute little grey flats in stock. They don’t. Sigh.

First things first: it is my sister Rani’s birthday today. Happy birthday, Goober!

I live in a really conservative society. Really, a lot of people in the world would call me conservative, but for the culture I live in I am actually a raging liberal. It’s really, really conservative (I mean, come on, I am Mormon). Which is why I understand wanting to monitor what your children read and what they are exposed to. I don’t think it is always right to do so – often monitoring turns into over-sheltering which turns into a kid that is in for a big shock when they get out into the real world.

But anyway, I get that people want to monitor what their children read. Which is why parents come out of the woodwork and start freaking out about the books in school curricula. And then they start trying to remove books from said curricula. And the school libraries. And anywhere else where their poor, precious child might be exposed to them.

I have to be clear here: banning books is never the answer. There is no room in this world for censorship. What is offensive to one is exactly what another needs to read. So, parents, might I suggest two alternatives to freaking out and trying to ban books when you don’t agree with the reading list?

1. Find an alternative for your child.

Little known fact: if a parent objects to a book on a public school reading list, she can ask that her child read an alternative title. Some parents balk at that idea, thinking their kid will then be singled out as being different, but really, it is not much to worry about. (And if you don’t want your kid singled out, being the head of a banning campaign is not the way to go about it.)

When I was a sophomore in high school, a new girl moved into the school. Kylee was pretty and talented and became fairly popular quite quickly. In our history class that semester, our teacher elected for us to watch Saving Private Ryan. (Which, by the way, is a fabulous movie). However, Kylee’s parents did not want her watching a movie with an R rating. They didn’t rant and rave and demand that the rest of the class not watch it either; instead they had Kylee talk to our teacher. Every day that the movie played, Kylee would quietly leave the class. She was never mocked or made fun of for this. It was just how things were.

So, if you really don’t want your kids reading the books their classmates are reading, talk to them, and talk to their teachers. Things can be worked out.

But, an even better strategy:

2. Read the books along with your kids.

Books that deal with real life situations – no matter how harsh – give us great opportunities for discussion. In one way or another, kids will eventually be exposed to the very things we are trying to keep from them. What better way to have a frank and honest discussion about the realities of life than to read about them in the safety of a book.

By reading what our kids are reading, not only do we know what it is they are exposed to, but we open up the lines of communication. Read your kids’ books, and let them know that you are doing so. That way they know that you know what they are reading and if they have questions about anything that comes up, they will feel comfortable coming to you for answers. When you read books with them, they won’t feel ashamed or embarrassed by what they are reading. Any confusion can easily be cleared up with you.

I know a lot of parents don’t believe they have the time to read what their kids are. But I have to ask: what is more important than your kids and your ability to connect with them? Read with them. Invite them to discuss what they have read. Be open to answering their questions. That will help them grow into well-rounded human beings way better than taking their books away ever will.

Their post on Banned Books Week lists the books that have been banned and challenged in 2008-2009, highlighting the ones they have read. As I read over their post, I was curious to see how many of these books I have read (or have on my to-read list). So, without further ado:

Books banned and challenged in 2008-2009:
*Books I have read
*Books on the to-read list

A
Alexie, Sherman. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part?Time Indian.
Anaya, Rudolfo A. Bless Me, Ultima.
Anonymous. Go Ask Alice.
Avi. The Fighting Ground.

B
Bailey, Jacqui, and Jan McCafferty. Sex, Puberty, and All That Stuff: A Guide to Growing Up.
Barron, T. A. The Great Tree of Avalon: Child of the Dark Prophecy.
Berendt, John. Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil: A Savannah Story.
Bowden, Mark. Black Hawk Down: A Story of Modern War.
Brannen, Sarah. Uncle Bobby’s Wedding.

C
Chbosky, Stephen. The Perks of Being a Wallflower.
Colfer, Eoin. The Supernaturalist.
Collier, James Lincoln, and Christopher Collier. My Brother Sam Is Dead.
Comfort, Alex. The Joy of Sex.
Cox, Elizabeth. Night Talk.
Crutcher, Chris. Chinese Handcuffs.

D
de Haan, Linda, and Stern Nijland. King & King.
Drill, Esther. Deal With It!: A Whole New Approach to Your Body, Brain, and Life as a gURL.
Dubberley, Emily. Sex for Busy People: The Art of the Quickie for Lovers on the Go.

F
Follett, Ken. Pillars of the Earth.

G
Gardner, John C. Grendel.
Green, John. Looking for Alaska.
Grove, Vicki. The Starplace.

H
Harding, Kat. The Lesbian Kama Sutra.
Harris, Robie H. It’s Perfectly Normal: A Book about Changing Bodies, Growing Up, Sex, and Sexual Health. Hartinger, Brent. The Geography Club.
Heinlein, Robert A. The Day After Tomorrow.
Holmes, Melisa, and Trish Hutchison. Hang?ups, Hook?ups, and Holding Out: Stuff You Need to Know about Your Body, Sex, and Dating.
Hosseini, Khaled. The Kite Runner.
Huxley, Aldous. Brave New World.

J
Jackson, Jon A. Dead Folks.
Jahn-Clough, Lisa. Me, Penelope.

K
Kaysen, Susanna. Girl, Interrupted.

L
Lee, Harper. To Kill a Mockingbird.
Lockhart, E. The Boy Book: A Study of Habits and Behaviors, Plus Techniques for Taming Them.

M
Maguire, Gregory. Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West.
Mason, Bobbie Ann. In Country.
Meyer, Stephenie H. Twilight Series.
Morrison, Toni. The Bluest Eye.
Myers, Walter Dean. Fallen Angels.
Myers, Walter Dean. Hoops.
Myracle, Lauren. ttfn.
Myracle, Lauren. ttyl.

N
Naylor, Phyllis Reynolds. Alice on Her Way.
Nixon, Joan Lowery. Whispers from the Dead.

O
Oh, Minya. Bling Bling: Hip Hop’s Crown Jewels.

P
Picoult, Jodi. My Sister’s Keeper.
Picoult, Jodi. Nineteen Minutes.
Pullman, Philip. The Golden Compass.

R
Rennison, Louise. Angus, Thongs and Full?Frontal Snogging: Confessions of Georgia Nicolson.
Richardson, Justin, and Peter Parnell. And Tango Makes Three.
Riley, Andy. The Book of Bunny Suicides: Little Fluffy Rabbits Who Just Don’t Want to Live Anymore.

S
Salinger, J. D. The Catcher in the Rye.
Schreier, Alta. Vamos a Cuba (A Visit to Cuba).
Sebold, Alice. The Lovely Bones.
Seierstad, Åsne. The Bookseller of Kabul.
Silverstein, Charles, and Felice Picano. The Joy of Gay Sex.
Sittenfeld, Curtis. Prep: A Novel.
Stroud, Jonathan. The Amulet of Samarkand.
Stroud, Jonathan. The Golem’s Eye.
Stroud, Jonathan. Ptolemy’s Gate.

T
Tarbox, Katherine. A Girl’s Life Online.
Taylor, Mildred D. The Land.
Tucker, Todd. Notre Dame vs. the Klan: How the Fighting Irish Defeated the Ku Klux Klan.
Twain, Mark [Samuel L. Clemens]. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

W
Walker, Alice. The Color Purple.

Z
Zinn, Howard. A People’s History of the United States.

My list of to-be-read books is much longer than my list of have-read books. This seems to be a trend with me; for every book I read, I think I add three to the to-be-read list.

In other censorship news:

For the third year running, a children’s book about penguins takes the #1 spot on the Top Ten Most Frequently Challenged Books of the Year list.

Wow. Just wow.

In honor of banned books week, this week I am reading some books that are frequently challenged/banned.

Of Mice and Men is an old friend of mine. I have read it countless times in the past. I love getting lost in the pages of a Steinbeck.

I have been pretty indifferent about the His Dark Materials trilogy. I have heard good things about it; I have heard bad things about it. I probably would not have bought it, since there are so many other books I am so excited about. I can’t imagine buying ones I am not excited about. A box set of the trilogy was sent to me at work (as a promotions for The Golden Compass, the movie). Banned Books Week gives me the motivation to pull these babies out and give them a shot! Also, at YA lit chat on Twitter last night, people RAVED about them, so I am a little more excited now.

Don’t worry, don’t worry. I have not forgotten about our daily linkage. Banned Books Week is just a more important topic, so it goes front and center!

In one of the funniest blog posts I have read in a while, Jim C. Hines writes about Slush Reading, Seuss Style.

Awesome ninja agent Nathan Bransford wonders if the e-book piracy issue will work itself out. It seems scammers are scamming the pirates. Pirates are catching deadly viruses and may soon be a dying breed.

The good people over at Write To Done have a great post up about why you should stop waiting for inspiration and just get writing already. I love the thoughts they share and completely agree with them. Writers write. Sitting around waiting for inspiration to strike is not writing.

In a (unintentionally) related post, Kathryn Magendie explains that you are not a writer unless…you write. Having all the great ideas in the world does not make one a writer. Writing makes one a writer.

Writers write.

So, I had started writing a different post today (which will now be posted tomorrow), but after reading Jamie Harrington and Elana Johnson‘s blogs today, I decided it was time for me to address this as well. This is a topic that has been on my mind for quite some time.

I have heard (okay, probably read) people talk before about Young Adult authors being responsible for what their audience is reading. “We are the adults,” they say, “we need to use our writing to teach the readers about life and the world.” Jamie wonders if by having her characters engage in bad behavior, is she promoting bad behavior or telling it like it is? Elana, on the other hand, believes young adult authors have a solemn responsibility to show readers the consequences of bad behavior. So where do I stand on this?

As a young adult author, I believe I have these responsibilities:

• Tell a great story.
• Write real, believable characters.
• Stay true to my characters and plot.
• Entertain.

You will notice that nowhere in this list is the term “teach readers morals and good judgement.” That is not my job. My job as a writer is to entertain the reader, nothing more. Morals and good judgement should be taught by the parents. Unfortunately, the sad fact is there are parents out there who do not teach their children these things. But that doesn’t mean the bill falls on authors.

If an author puts a scene in her book of characters participating in underage drinking at a party, it does not mean the author is trying to promote underage drinking. The author is merely putting a real element of life into her book (and hopefully it propels the story, so it isn’t just gratuitous). Yes, there are consequences of underage drinking, and maybe the author will show these. Maybe not. It should be shown only if it helps move the story forward.

Young Adults are smart, perceptive people. They will know if they are being preached to. I believe it is only appropriate to put lessons and consequences in a novel if they directly help move the story along. Are these lessons being learned by a character? Then great, they are an important part of character development. But if we as writers put lessons into our books to try to teach our readers morals, we are doing them and ourselves a disservice. Teenagers hate to be preached to, and they know when you are doing it. Chances are, they will put a preachy book down and not pick it up again.

I write novels, not lesson manuals. I am not writing to teach a moral code.

As many of you already know, Ellen Hopkins is feeling the burn of book banners. She was set for a school visit in OK; when a couple days before the visit, one parent demanded her books be taken off the library shelves. Her appearance at the school was canceled (though the librarian was great and found an alternate venue for her to speak at). Read Ellen’s story on her blog.

For Banned Books Week, Ellen wrote a poem, “Manifesto”. It is all kinds of powerful. Here is Ellen reading it:

To read the words of “Manifesto”, visit the Banned Books Week site.

I have actually never read Ellen’s books, though they are on my (incredibly long) list of books to read. Here is what I do know about them: my seventeen-year-old sister is not a big reader. There is a small handful of books she will actually read. But she devours Ellen’s books. She loves them. No matter what the subject matter of a book, I think that is a powerful thing.

If a person wants to protect their child from a certain book, that is fine. They should keep it from THEIR child. I will not stand for others telling my (future) children what they can and cannot read.

And now…

Personality Toolkit: Drive

Writing is a solitary process. Sure, writers have support systems. I have Bubba, who is always encouraging me, my first readers, my friends and family, who help me along, and countless others. But, when it comes down to it, getting the writing done is on me and me alone.

Without the drive and self-motivation to get things done, novels would never be written. There are too many things in life to distract from writing (except, of course, when I am really in it and writing becomes an almost unsafe distraction from the rest of life). Nobody else is going to motivate me to work (though Bubba does a great job of trying), so I need to motivate myself.

I have found the source of self-motivation is a sense of accountability.

Ways I have given myself a sense of accountability:

• I tell people I am a writer. I don’t write in the shadows, but out in the open.
• I share my writing goals with others.
• I built a website and put myself out there.
• I talk about writing and my journey to complete strangers (and friends as well) on this blog.

All of these things-and many more-keep me accountable. Accountability motivates me. So, even on days when I don’t really feel like writing, I put words on the page. I push the distractions aside and tell my story.

How do you motivate yourself?