Thursday, February 21, 2013
February 21, 2013 - Parents in Middle Grade
DanyelleLeafty All righty then, it's 9pm EST. Welcome everyone to #mglitchat. Tonight, we'll be discussing parents--their roles and such. -9:01 PM Feb 21st, 2013
helainebecker Ooh! How to kill them! *toodles fingies in delight* "@rachelnseigel: Its almost chat time! Parents are the topic tonight! #mglitchat" -9:01 PM Feb 21st, 2013
DanyelleLeafty @helainebecker Orphans do seem to be a popular staple in MG--especially fantasy. #mglitchat -9:01 PM Feb 21st, 2013
rachelnseigel @helainebecker Yes that's an option. ;-) #mglitchat -9:02 PM Feb 21st, 2013
ilanawaters RT @helainebecker: Ooh! How to kill them! *toodles fingies in delight* "@rachelnseigel: Parents are the topic tonight! #mglitchat" -9:02 PM Feb 21st, 2013
rachelnseigel @DanyelleLeafty @helainebecker #mglitchat I think I said this once b4- an author said the key to successful MG is Magic, Boarding School -9:02 PM Feb 21st, 2013
KDuBayGillis @helainebecker @rachelnseigel Hilarious. There is definitely that approach to parents make the parents disappear from MG plots. #mglitchat -9:02 PM Feb 21st, 2013
rachelnseigel @DanyelleLeafty @helainebecker and orphans. #mglitchat -9:02 PM Feb 21st, 2013
helainebecker @DanyelleLeafty #mglitchat hard to write an engaging plot with interfering adults stepping in to urge reason and take over -9:03 PM Feb 21st, 2013
Bec_AS So, what's your favorite way to get parents out of the MC's way? #MGLitChat -9:03 PM Feb 21st, 2013
DanyelleLeafty @rachelnseigel @helainebecker *takes copious notes on her quest for literary dominion* #mglitchat -9:03 PM Feb 21st, 2013
rachelnseigel @KDuBayGillis @helainebecker Interestingly, in CAN lit, there seemed 2 b a rash of what we called "Abandoned Kid" books. #mglitchat -9:03 PM Feb 21st, 2013
DanyelleLeafty Excellent question: RT @Bec_AS: So, what's your favorite way to get parents out of the MC's way? #MGLitChat -9:03 PM Feb 21st, 2013
ambermcturner They get r-u-n-n-o-f-t for naming their kids such ridiculous names. #mglitchat -9:04 PM Feb 21st, 2013
ericberlinct It's always tempting to have just one parent. Every character in a story has to be there for a reason... #mglitchat -9:04 PM Feb 21st, 2013
DanyelleLeafty @helainebecker For me, it depends on the story--but that does get to the heart of it. In MG, the kids need to solve the problems. #mglitchat -9:04 PM Feb 21st, 2013
ilanawaters @Bec_AS I like how Roald Dahl had them eaten by a rhino in JAMES AND THE GIANT PEACH. #MGLITCHAT -9:04 PM Feb 21st, 2013
KDuBayGillis My question is, is it lazy of MG writers (myself included) to kill off one or more parents so our MC can have independence? #mglitchat -9:04 PM Feb 21st, 2013
rachelgrinti I don't think MG parents need to be removed for fun, exciting, dangerous adventures to happen. I try to keep them. #mglitchat -9:04 PM Feb 21st, 2013
ericberlinct ...and with parents, you often have two characters present for the same reason. Easier sometimes just to have one. #mglitchat -9:05 PM Feb 21st, 2013
elliefalcone So far, I've kept parents in my stories. #mglitchat -9:05 PM Feb 21st, 2013
ilanawaters @Bec_AS Then, the peach rolled over the evil aunts to get THEM out of the way. Priceless. #mglitchat -9:05 PM Feb 21st, 2013
DanyelleLeafty @rachelgrinti Me too. #mglitchat -9:05 PM Feb 21st, 2013
helainebecker @rachelnseigel @KDuBayGillis #mglitchat this is why. How to remove parents is a big issue we discuss over beer, er, lemonade. -9:05 PM Feb 21st, 2013
PBWorkshop @DanyelleLeafty Makes a big difference if it is contemporary or HF- roles/relationships need to play out within/against context. #mglitchat -9:05 PM Feb 21st, 2013
rachelgrinti There are tons and tons of problems kids face that parents can't solve., and I think even more so in fantasy. #mglitchat -9:05 PM Feb 21st, 2013
DanyelleLeafty @ilanawaters @Bec_AS Roald Dahl is his own kind of awesome. #mglitchat -9:05 PM Feb 21st, 2013
rachelnseigel #Mglitchat @rebstead makes her kids Latchkey kids so they have autonomy. -9:05 PM Feb 21st, 2013
rachelgrinti But I will say that I am working on a portal story right now, so that's one way to get rid of them. #mglitchat -9:05 PM Feb 21st, 2013
matt_janacone Alright, what are we chattin' about tonight? #mglitchat -9:06 PM Feb 21st, 2013
helainebecker @DanyelleLeafty #mglitchat exactamente -9:06 PM Feb 21st, 2013
Bec_AS @ilanawaters I need to read that! [adding to TBR list.] #MGLitChat -9:06 PM Feb 21st, 2013
DanyelleLeafty @PBWorkshop This is very, very true. Different conventions depending on the genre. There tend to be more orphans in fantasy. #mglitchat -9:06 PM Feb 21st, 2013
ilanawaters @KDuBayGillis What is this accusation of laziness? You write the way the story presents, yes? #mglitchat -9:06 PM Feb 21st, 2013
mikegrinti @rachelgrinti But at least one parent will be a minor but important character, perhaps. #mglitchat -9:06 PM Feb 21st, 2013
rachelgrinti @KDuBayGillis I don't think it's lazy, just not always needed. It's just a choice. #mglitchat -9:06 PM Feb 21st, 2013
ericberlinct .@KDuBayGillis I say yes. Too many orphans out there, and single-parent families, in #mglitchat land. -9:06 PM Feb 21st, 2013
Bec_AS But *how* do you get them out of the way? RT @elliefalcone: So far, Ive kept parents in my stories. #MGLitChat -9:06 PM Feb 21st, 2013
helainebecker @rachelgrinti #mglitchat excellent. Dump em in a black hole. Or vice versa :) -9:06 PM Feb 21st, 2013
ilanawaters @DanyelleLeafty @Bec_AS He had fantastic ways of killing off the a$$hats. ;-) #mglitchat -9:06 PM Feb 21st, 2013
rachelnseigel @Bec_AS @elliefalcone If you make them work full-time, kids can b home alone a lot. #MGLitChat -9:07 PM Feb 21st, 2013
KDuBayGillis @DanyelleLeafty @Bec_AS In BREADCRUMBS, mental illness was a way to get a parent out of the picture. #mglitchat -9:07 PM Feb 21st, 2013
helainebecker RT @ilanawaters: @Bec_AS Then, the peach rolled over the evil aunts to get THEM out of the way. Priceless. #mglitchat -9:07 PM Feb 21st, 2013
DanyelleLeafty Yes. I think, more than anything, the story (at least for me) is the deciding factor re: fate of parents. #mglitchat -9:07 PM Feb 21st, 2013
elissacruz I try to find ways for parents to be around, just in the background. Sometimes their encouragement causes more problems for MC. #MGlitchat -9:07 PM Feb 21st, 2013
RosanneParry @MGMafioso Oh! good luck to your actor! I wonder if I have time for his show this weekend? I'd be sad to miss it. #deadline! #mglitchat -9:07 PM Feb 21st, 2013
helainebecker @ilanawaters @Bec_AS #mglitchat I always wanted a peach of my own -9:07 PM Feb 21st, 2013
PBWorkshop In early MG (10'-11's) the issue can be parents there but stuck in old roles- not seeing the emerging independence. #mglitchat -9:07 PM Feb 21st, 2013
ilanawaters @Bec_AS *blinks, stutters* You...you never read it? *faints dead away* WHAT ARE YOU DOING ON #MGLITCHAT? DOWNLOAD IT NOW!! -9:07 PM Feb 21st, 2013
merriehaskell @KDuBayGillis Often pondered the same thing, and yet I keep doing it. (Killing off 1 parent.) #mglitchat #mglitchat -9:07 PM Feb 21st, 2013
DanyelleLeafty @ilanawaters @Bec_AS Yes. I definitely would not have wanted to get on his bad side. :p #mglitchat -9:07 PM Feb 21st, 2013
brooksbenjamin @rachelgrinti My MC's get pulled back in to his adventure when he least expects it. He handled it well I think! #mglitchat #poorparents -9:07 PM Feb 21st, 2013
rachelgrinti @Bec_AS You give kids problems parents can't solve, IMO. Parents can't fix a kid's friendship or stop a magical apocalypse. #MGLitChat -9:07 PM Feb 21st, 2013
helainebecker @elliefalcone #mglitchat you sound like A Nice Girl. Not like us evil crones here ;p -9:08 PM Feb 21st, 2013
ilanawaters @helainebecker @Bec_AS Yes! With nooks and crannies and craggies and large insect friends. #mglitchat -9:08 PM Feb 21st, 2013
mikegrinti @KDuBayGillis I think that points out just how often parents can't fix things wrong with kid's life. #mglitchat -9:08 PM Feb 21st, 2013
Girl___Friday @rachelnseigel @rebstead Latchkey kids is a great idea for pre 1980's MG #mglitchat -9:08 PM Feb 21st, 2013
elliefalcone I'm not sure I understand this whole concept of removing the parents. #mglitchat -9:08 PM Feb 21st, 2013
Bec_AS @ilanawaters I can't even keep up with the chat, I'd never finish that book on top of this! #MGLitChat -9:08 PM Feb 21st, 2013
ilanawaters RT @helainebecker: @rachelnseigel @KDuBayGillis #mglitchat this is why how 2 remove parents is big issue we discuss over beer, er, lemonade. -9:09 PM Feb 21st, 2013
KDuBayGillis @merriehaskell I think in some ways, having one or no parents gives kids a chance to ponder "what would I do?" #mglitchat -9:09 PM Feb 21st, 2013
DanyelleLeafty @elliefalcone I think part of it is to make it easier for the kids to solve the problems. #mglitchat -9:09 PM Feb 21st, 2013
mikegrinti My parents solved basic problems: food, clothes, love. That left a whole childhood's worth of other stuff to deal with. #mglitchat -9:09 PM Feb 21st, 2013
merriehaskell RT @rachelgrinti: Give kids problems parents cant solve. Parents cant fix kids friendship or stop magical apocalypse. #mglitchat #mglitchat -9:09 PM Feb 21st, 2013
ericberlinct #mglitchat Certainly parents can allow their kids independence enough to have their adventures. They don't all have to be stifling. -9:09 PM Feb 21st, 2013
rachelnseigel @elliefalcone I think it's mostly that if parents of MG kids are too involved, they don't have freedom 2 have adventure. #mglitchat -9:09 PM Feb 21st, 2013
KDuBayGillis @mikegrinti Or how kids have to manage in spite of those problems. #mglitchat -9:10 PM Feb 21st, 2013
Bec_AS @rachelgrinti I love the equal weight of friendship and apocalypse. #MGLitChat -9:10 PM Feb 21st, 2013
mikegrinti They also created problems. Debt, marital drama, my dad's alcoholism. They could do nothing to stop bullying, depression, etc. #mglitchat -9:10 PM Feb 21st, 2013
merriehaskell @KDuBayGillis Yes, tho I think it's organic for me--had a single parent and lots of alone time as a tween. #mglitchat #mglitchat -9:10 PM Feb 21st, 2013
rachelnseigel #Mglitchat if story takes place outside of the home, parents might not b around. -9:10 PM Feb 21st, 2013
LaurelSnyder Oooooh, we talking about absent parents? MY FAVE #mglitchat -9:10 PM Feb 21st, 2013
Girl___Friday Single parent families can work well, the one parent is just busy, not necessarily neglectful - and it's common in real life. #mglitchat -9:10 PM Feb 21st, 2013
elliefalcone Kids keep secrets. Kids don't always talk openly with their parents. Kids go off on their own and do stuff. My bros. and I did. #mglitchat -9:10 PM Feb 21st, 2013
rachelgrinti @Bec_AS Hey, when I was a kid they were equally catastrophic ;) #MGLitChat -9:10 PM Feb 21st, 2013
DanyelleLeafty @KDuBayGillis @Bec_AS Great example! That was an interesting way to do it--and applicable to RL situations. #mglitchat -9:10 PM Feb 21st, 2013
mikegrinti Their effectiveness would not have increased if magic was added into that mix. #mglitchat -9:10 PM Feb 21st, 2013
PBWorkshop @DanyelleLeafty Exactly- as in Earwig and the Witch (Jones).Doesn't have to be extreme fantasy, orphan-ing opens up many options. #MGLitChat -9:10 PM Feb 21st, 2013
dianezahler I included parents in an ms, eds rejected it as being "too much family." MC-parent conflict was important but not main plot. #mglitchat -9:10 PM Feb 21st, 2013
RosanneParry @PBWorkshop So true. In some eras kids had considerably less oversight than they do now. Culture and $$ makes a difference too. #mglitchat -9:11 PM Feb 21st, 2013
MGMafioso @RosanneParry Good luck with the #deadline! #mglitchat -9:11 PM Feb 21st, 2013
mytweendom #mglitchat I think MG kids often *feel* like their parents are far removed in the understanding part, even if they are physically present. -9:11 PM Feb 21st, 2013
ilanawaters @rachelgrinti @Bec_AS Yes. I think parents have proven themselves quite useless against apocalypses. Apocali? #mglitchat -9:11 PM Feb 21st, 2013
mikegrinti @dianezahler Ours did too. In retrospect, I believe we should have dug our heels in more. #mglitchat -9:11 PM Feb 21st, 2013
merriehaskell @mikegrinti I think you're on to something--some parents CAUSE problems. #mglitchat #mglitchat -9:11 PM Feb 21st, 2013
DanyelleLeafty @PBWorkshop I'm pretty sure being an orphan also resonates w/many kids. We've all felt alone or wished we were at times. #mglitchat -9:11 PM Feb 21st, 2013
Girl___Friday I personally love it when an MG has well-written parents - like the dad in Dahl's Danny the Champion of the World #mglitchat -9:11 PM Feb 21st, 2013
elissacruz @LaurelSnyder Well, parents in MG in general. You're welcome to focus on absent ones, though. ;) #MGlitchat -9:11 PM Feb 21st, 2013
merriehaskell @elliefalcone Kids DO keep secrets. Something parents forget. #mglitchat #mglitchat -9:12 PM Feb 21st, 2013
helainebecker @mikegrinti #mglitchat yes, but in a story for kids, the kid has to solve the problems or the book won't engage the reader -9:12 PM Feb 21st, 2013
DanyelleLeafty RT @mytweendom: #mglitchat I think MG kids often *feel* like their parents are far removed in the understanding part, even if they are physically present. -9:12 PM Feb 21st, 2013
elliefalcone @RosanneParry I think that's it. For me at least. #mglitchat -9:12 PM Feb 21st, 2013
dianezahler @mikegrinti Did you take the parents out? #mglitchat -9:12 PM Feb 21st, 2013
KristineAsselin Hi all! Late, but I'm here. #mglitchat -9:12 PM Feb 21st, 2013
mikegrinti @merriehaskell Even the best parents are a mix of unsung hero and occasional villain in a kid's life story. #mglitchat -9:12 PM Feb 21st, 2013
Girl___Friday Orphans solve a lot of problems, but there are a glut of them in MG, it's true #mglitchat -9:12 PM Feb 21st, 2013
DanyelleLeafty @mytweendom I think this is a very important point. A lot of adults have forgotten how to see the world as a child. #mglitchat -9:12 PM Feb 21st, 2013
KDuBayGillis @dianezahler Wow. Really? So interesting. Too much family. Huh. #mglitchat -9:12 PM Feb 21st, 2013
ericberlinct #mglitchat "Free range kids" - kids with a 70s-80s level of independence - are so rare now that they may make for fascinating reading. -9:12 PM Feb 21st, 2013
ilanawaters @mikegrinti *hugs* #mglitchat -9:12 PM Feb 21st, 2013
Bec_AS @dianezahler That's interesting- I'd love to know how much you had to cut. #MGLitChat -9:12 PM Feb 21st, 2013
mikegrinti @dianezahler No, but we reduced how much family interaction there was. #mglitchat -9:12 PM Feb 21st, 2013
merriehaskell I like Saffy's Angel, in terms of parents not understanding the problem so kid sneaks away. #mglitchat #mglitchat -9:12 PM Feb 21st, 2013
merriehaskell @mikegrinti That is a certain truth. #mglitchat #mglitchat -9:13 PM Feb 21st, 2013
PBWorkshop @RosanneParry And sometimes avoiding independence/responsibility (in HF) was part of the conflict. #mglitchat -9:13 PM Feb 21st, 2013
dianezahler @Bec_AS Haven't yet! It's so integral to the story. But I'm thinking about it. #mglitchat -9:13 PM Feb 21st, 2013
elissacruz @KristineAsselin *waves* #MGlitchat -9:13 PM Feb 21st, 2013
ilanawaters @PBWorkshop @DanyelleLeafty I love that book! *sniff* Her last. #mglitchat -9:13 PM Feb 21st, 2013
ericberlinct #mglitchat Indeed, I think the "free range kids" aspect was a big part of the charm for "When You Reach Me." -9:13 PM Feb 21st, 2013
mikegrinti @ilanawaters I'll take free hug, but I had a relatively good childhood. Everyone has stuff like that. #mglitchat -9:13 PM Feb 21st, 2013
KristineAsselin I do like an MG that has parents who care...not negligent parents. But you can't have them hover...kid needs to solve problems. #mglitchat -9:13 PM Feb 21st, 2013
ca_london @mytweendom that gap between a parent and child's perspective gives me a lot of fuel #mglitchat -9:13 PM Feb 21st, 2013
DanyelleLeafty @ilanawaters @PBWorkshop The world changed irreparably when she died. :( #mglitchat -9:13 PM Feb 21st, 2013
helainebecker @RosanneParry @PBWorkshop #mglitchat yeah- back in my day (jurassic) kids did things like get to school on their own!!!!helicoptering is new -9:13 PM Feb 21st, 2013
merriehaskell @Girl___Friday I prefer a well-written parent too, over a merely absent one. #mglitchat #mglitchat -9:14 PM Feb 21st, 2013
KDuBayGillis @LaurelSnyder Thought you might pop in for this one! : ) #mglitchat -9:14 PM Feb 21st, 2013
KristineAsselin Hi! :) RT @elissacruz *waves* #mglitchat -9:14 PM Feb 21st, 2013
ilanawaters I think this is not discussed enough. RT @merriehaskell: @mikegrinti I think you're on to something--some parents CAUSE problems. #mglitchat -9:14 PM Feb 21st, 2013
dianezahler @KDuBayGillis I know. I completely understand stories w/out parents, but I don't see why they all have to go that route. #mglitchat -9:14 PM Feb 21st, 2013
elliefalcone In one story, I have the parent as part of the conflict. She's a subplot (and a royal pain the butt). #mglitchat -9:14 PM Feb 21st, 2013
helainebecker @RosanneParry @PBWorkshop #mglitchat ..and makes it harder to write contemporary w/o someone wanting to call childrens aid. -9:14 PM Feb 21st, 2013
rachelgrinti @KristineAsselin Parents trying to solve the problem and making it worse is also a good option. #mglitchat -9:14 PM Feb 21st, 2013
Girl___Friday @mytweendom Very good point! Crucial to remember that. #mglitchat -9:14 PM Feb 21st, 2013
ilanawaters @Girl___Friday OMG--I love that book too! You guys are KEELING me. #mglitchat -9:14 PM Feb 21st, 2013
helainebecker @mytweendom ha! Welcome to m youth #Mglitchat -9:14 PM Feb 21st, 2013
KristineAsselin That works. :) RT @rachelgrinti: @KristineAsselin Parents trying to solve the problem and making it worse is also a good option. #mglitchat -9:15 PM Feb 21st, 2013
DanyelleLeafty @rachelgrinti @KristineAsselin This is my favorite option to read. #mglitchat -9:15 PM Feb 21st, 2013
matt_janacone My parents bought me my first mg book series - 'Encyclopedia Brown'. Loved it! #mglitchat -9:15 PM Feb 21st, 2013
PBWorkshop RT @DanyelleLeafty: @ilanawaters @PBWorkshop The world changed irreparably when she died. :( Absolutely! #mglitchat -9:15 PM Feb 21st, 2013
helainebecker RT @ericberlinct: #mglitchat "Free range kids" - kids with a 70s-80s level of independence - are so rare now that they may make for fascinating reading. -9:15 PM Feb 21st, 2013
kurtisscaletta RT @ericberlinct: #mglitchat "Free range kids" - kids with a 70s-80s level of independence - are so rare now that they may make for fascinating reading. -9:15 PM Feb 21st, 2013
LaurelSnyder I think it's a hard line to walk, being fleshing the parents out and keeping the focus on the kids. #mglitchat -9:15 PM Feb 21st, 2013
ilanawaters @ericberlinct *blinks* We are free range? Like chickens *buh-kaw* #mglitchat -9:15 PM Feb 21st, 2013
ericberlinct #mglitchat I made a conscious decision to give my main character two parents simply to fight the tide of 1-parent families in mg lit. -9:16 PM Feb 21st, 2013
KDuBayGillis @ericberlinct Agreed. There's an agent that wants a Super 8 type MG and I keep thinking, it would be historical...#mglitchat -9:16 PM Feb 21st, 2013
helainebecker @ericberlinct #mglitchat who'd believe what we got up to? And gasp we lived!!! -9:16 PM Feb 21st, 2013
SnowHydro RT @ericberlinct: #mglitchat "Free range kids" - kids with a 70s-80s level of independence - are so rare now that they may make for fascinating reading. -9:16 PM Feb 21st, 2013
kurtisscaletta Sounds like the topic is parents? #mglitchat -9:16 PM Feb 21st, 2013
merriehaskell @ilanawaters Yes, and not necessarily abuse, either--big spaces between abuse and absence to explore, however. #mglitchat #mglitchat -9:16 PM Feb 21st, 2013
DanyelleLeafty @kurtisscaletta That is correct. :) #mglitchat -9:16 PM Feb 21st, 2013
PBWorkshop @KristineAsselin Parents trying to solve the problem and making it worse is also a good option.<<Or having to watch painfully. #mglitchat -9:16 PM Feb 21st, 2013
elissacruz @kurtisscaletta Yeppers. #MGlitchat -9:16 PM Feb 21st, 2013
elliefalcone @ericberlinct See! I grew up in the 70s and was a free range kid. #mglitchat -9:16 PM Feb 21st, 2013
matt_janacone I still love reading mg novels today @ 44! #mglitchat -9:16 PM Feb 21st, 2013
KKittscher Kid said to me: "One thing I've learned from books is to never go to anyone in authority b/c they never know anything." #yikes #mglitchat -9:16 PM Feb 21st, 2013
ericberlinct @ilanawaters Google it -- "free range kids." Great blog and a great way of thinking about parenting. #mglitchat -9:17 PM Feb 21st, 2013
helainebecker @ericberlinct #mglitchat good pt. I met Meg Rosoff at scbwi and determined we were secret lost sisters! -9:17 PM Feb 21st, 2013
KDuBayGillis @KKittscher SERIOUSLY? Yikes is right. But also sort of funny. #mglitchat -9:17 PM Feb 21st, 2013
mikegrinti @LaurelSnyder I think you do it like any other side character. Complex, but secondary. Always the goal? But tough, of course. #mglitchat -9:17 PM Feb 21st, 2013
KristineAsselin Finding ways to be realistic to today's world...but not have parents super involved in MCs life w/o negligence...it's tough. #mglitchat -9:17 PM Feb 21st, 2013
rachelnseigel @KKittscher Interesting take! #yikes #mglitchat -9:17 PM Feb 21st, 2013
Girl___Friday My WIP has one parent away a lot (& for the duration of the book) & the other there but very busy. And then the MC runs away ;) #mglitchat -9:17 PM Feb 21st, 2013
dianezahler @KKittscher That is SCARY. #mglitchat -9:17 PM Feb 21st, 2013
mytweendom @ericberlinct I do think there are still many free range kids... I see it in NYC at both ends financially... #mglitchat -9:17 PM Feb 21st, 2013
LaurelSnyder The crazy thing is the GAP. Exactly the MG years. Little kids are expected to be watched like hawks, and teens all date vampires. #mglitchat -9:17 PM Feb 21st, 2013
KristineAsselin hear, hear. :) RT @matt_janacone: I still love reading mg novels today @ 44! #mglitchat -9:17 PM Feb 21st, 2013
elliefalcone @ericberlinct I like the cut of your jib, sir! #mglitchat -9:18 PM Feb 21st, 2013
helainebecker @KristineAsselin #mglitchat yes, and one impt tool for writers is determine who your character relies on. Then up the stakes by yanking them -9:18 PM Feb 21st, 2013
elissacruz @KDuBayGillis @KKittscher Yes, what K said. #yikes #MGlitchat -9:18 PM Feb 21st, 2013
merriehaskell @KDuBayGillis Historical has a lot of room for independent kids. Particularly medieval! #mglitchat #mglitchat -9:18 PM Feb 21st, 2013
kurtisscaletta Has any KID every complained that parents were hovering enough in an MG book? #mglitchat -9:18 PM Feb 21st, 2013
ilanawaters @merriehaskell This is true. #mglitchat -9:18 PM Feb 21st, 2013
LaurelSnyder @mikegrinti Has a lot to do with POV, how much the MC "sees" the parent. #mglitchat -9:18 PM Feb 21st, 2013
helainebecker @ilanawaters @merriehaskell @mikegrinti #mglitchat in my YA a dickhead dad sets the whole story in motion... -9:18 PM Feb 21st, 2013
RosanneParry @ericberlinct There are still free range kids out there. Military bases and reservations are 2 places I've found them. #mglitchat -9:19 PM Feb 21st, 2013
AmyGaskin My favorite MG parents are Lowry's Mr. and Mrs. Krupnik. Each shines in his/her own way, but Anastasia's always the star. #mglitchat -9:19 PM Feb 21st, 2013
ilanawaters Sigh. Don't they always, @helainebecker? Don't they always? @merriehaskell @mikegrinti #mglitchat -9:19 PM Feb 21st, 2013
elliefalcone How many former free-range kids do we have in the audience tonight? Raise your hand, higher. *raises hand* #mglitchat -9:19 PM Feb 21st, 2013
ericberlinct @mytweendom There are a lot, but a bare percentage of what it was when I was a kid. #mglitchat -9:19 PM Feb 21st, 2013
Girl___Friday . @ilanawaters @merriehaskell And a Wrinkle in Time. Or just generally when not all adults are bad or absent. #mglitchat -9:19 PM Feb 21st, 2013
ilanawaters @Danaalisonlevy @ericberlinct Oh dear Lord! #ewww #mglitchat -9:19 PM Feb 21st, 2013
ilanawaters @Girl___Friday @merriehaskell Yes--a LOT of parental issues in there. L'Engle had a lot of issues w/her own dad. #mglitchat -9:19 PM Feb 21st, 2013
KKittscher @KDuBayGillis True. You can create a somewhat surreal environment, too -- that's my solution. #mglitchat -9:20 PM Feb 21st, 2013
merriehaskell @elliefalcone Free range kid here. #mglitchat (Latchkey too) #mglitchat -9:20 PM Feb 21st, 2013
helainebecker @merriehaskell @ilanawaters #mglitchat just a few key letters apart tho -9:20 PM Feb 21st, 2013
LaurelSnyder @elliefalcone Was anyone NOT free range back then? The challenge is to stay that way as a parent, to trust? #mglitchat -9:20 PM Feb 21st, 2013
elliefalcone Excellent question. RT @kurtisscaletta: Has any KID every complained that parents were hovering enough in an MG book? #mglitchat -9:20 PM Feb 21st, 2013
Girl___Friday @ilanawaters Was totally my favourite childhood book :) #mglitchat -9:20 PM Feb 21st, 2013
DanyelleLeafty I forgot the series, but there was an MG fantasy where the kids had to save their parents. When in doubt, enchant them. #mglitchat -9:20 PM Feb 21st, 2013
Bec_AS Yes cuz many are helicopter MT @KristineAsselin: Finding ways to be realistic, but not have parents super involved in MCs life. #MGLitChat -9:20 PM Feb 21st, 2013
ilanawaters @elliefalcone *raises hand* High enough? #freerangeforever #cluck #mglitchat -9:20 PM Feb 21st, 2013
mikegrinti @LaurelSnyder Yeah. A few really solid moments between MC and parent(s) can do more than any raw word count for develping char. #mglitchat -9:20 PM Feb 21st, 2013
rachelgrinti @KristineAsselin My parents paid attention, but I still roamed streets in middle of the night w/ friend when I slept at her place #mglitchat -9:20 PM Feb 21st, 2013
JoMarieBankston @elliefalcone I was a free range tom boy. It was the best! #MGLITCHAT -9:20 PM Feb 21st, 2013
kurtisscaletta @RosanneParry @ericberlinct Kids run all over the place in my neighborhood. #mglitchat -9:20 PM Feb 21st, 2013
KKittscher Ha! Good question RT @kurtisscaletta: Has any KID every complained that parents were hovering enough in an MG book? #mglitchat -9:20 PM Feb 21st, 2013
KDuBayGillis @elliefalcone I was, but in talking with n'hood parents, come to find out they always had eyes on us. We just didn't realize it. #mglitchat -9:21 PM Feb 21st, 2013
Danaalisonlevy I am battling revisions right now and one question is how much kids keep inside vs share with parents on internal conflicts #MGlitchat -9:21 PM Feb 21st, 2013
KristineAsselin The Time Travelers (aka Gideon, the Cutpurse). Kids time travel/go missing, & worried parents fret...but kids solve the problem. #mglitchat -9:21 PM Feb 21st, 2013
helainebecker @KKittscher #yikes #mglitchat I learned that from real life LOL -9:21 PM Feb 21st, 2013
elliefalcone @ilanawaters What's that smell? Yes, put it down. PLEASE. hahahaha #mglitchat -9:21 PM Feb 21st, 2013
PBWorkshop @elliefalcone #freeranger here- is that anything like the Lone Ranger? I always had a sidekick, or was one. #mglitchat -9:21 PM Feb 21st, 2013
LaurelSnyder But as authors, we have to be aware of the norm. I get emails about this. The "fantasy" aspect of my characters' freedom. #mglitchat -9:21 PM Feb 21st, 2013
merriehaskell @mikegrinti Well-said! #mglitchat #mglitchat -9:21 PM Feb 21st, 2013
Girl___Friday I also have a total soft spot for cool aunts and eccentric uncles in place of parents #mglitchat -9:21 PM Feb 21st, 2013
ericberlinct #mglitchat It's hard to be a free-range parent now, because the 24/7 media harps on every abduction and pumps up the fear to the max. -9:21 PM Feb 21st, 2013
RosanneParry @KDuBayGillis @dianezahler It varies from ms to ms. My editor recently asked for more family interaction in a WIP. #mglitchat -9:21 PM Feb 21st, 2013
elliefalcone @JoMarieBankston Me too! Five older brothers and lots of woods to play in. #mglitchat -9:21 PM Feb 21st, 2013
ca_london RT @kurtisscaletta: Has any KID every complained that parents were hovering enough in an MG book? #mglitchat -9:21 PM Feb 21st, 2013
ilanawaters Good tip! RT @DanyelleLeafty: There was an MG fantasy where the kids had to save their parents. When in doubt, enchant them. #mglitchat -9:22 PM Feb 21st, 2013
KristineAsselin I think there are ways to be creative, realistic--yet still get the parents out of the MCs way. #mglitchat -9:22 PM Feb 21st, 2013
helainebecker @kurtisscaletta #mglitchat -9:22 PM Feb 21st, 2013
ilanawaters @DanyelleLeafty In fact, that will now be my new motto for everything. "When in doubt...ENCHANT!" #mglitchat -9:22 PM Feb 21st, 2013
PBWorkshop Anyone trying to write with current tech references? parents monitoring texts, GPS-ing the kids, etc. Chips in arm? #mglitchat -9:22 PM Feb 21st, 2013
merriehaskell @ericberlinct It's hard also because there's a big culture of mutual judgment between parents about that sort of thing. #mglitchat -9:22 PM Feb 21st, 2013
Girl___Friday RT @mytweendom: #mglitchat I think MG kids often *feel* like their parents are far removed in the understanding part, even if they are physically present. -9:23 PM Feb 21st, 2013
dianezahler Or from editor to editor. @RosanneParry: @KDuBayGillis #mglitchat -9:23 PM Feb 21st, 2013
DanyelleLeafty @ilanawaters It's been working for me. O:) #mglitchat #arcanepasses #whisperedmutterings -9:23 PM Feb 21st, 2013
Danaalisonlevy @KDuBayGillis @elliefalcone But that's the thing - kids feel they are more independent than they are. #mglitchat -9:23 PM Feb 21st, 2013
JoMarieBankston #MGLITCHAT In the Great Gilly Hopkins the foster mother was a huge part of the story w/out hovering - much. -9:23 PM Feb 21st, 2013
helainebecker @LaurelSnyder @elliefalcone #mglitchat and kids now don't have as many other kids to hang with- everyones in programs or after schl day care -9:23 PM Feb 21st, 2013
ilanawaters @LaurelSnyder Really? What kind of e-mails? #nosey #mglitchat -9:23 PM Feb 21st, 2013
KristineAsselin RT @ilanawaters @DanyelleLeafty In fact, that will now be my new motto for everything. "When in doubt...ENCHANT!" #mglitchat #mglitchat -9:23 PM Feb 21st, 2013
merriehaskell @Danaalisonlevy And sometimes kids don't know when they are being watched over. #mglitchat #mglitchat -9:24 PM Feb 21st, 2013
Girl___Friday @DanyelleLeafty @ilanawaters Haha I like it :) #mglitchat -9:24 PM Feb 21st, 2013
ca_london @KKittscher this is important preparation for being 15 #mglitchat -9:24 PM Feb 21st, 2013
LaurelSnyder @PBWorkshop CHIPS? #mglitchat -9:24 PM Feb 21st, 2013
mikegrinti @helainebecker I think that world is a largely mid-class world of kids. Not all kids. #mglitchat -9:24 PM Feb 21st, 2013
helainebecker @ilanawaters @elliefalcone #freerangeforever #cluck #mglitchat I was so free range I grew antlers. -9:24 PM Feb 21st, 2013
DanyelleLeafty @Danaalisonlevy @KDuBayGillis @elliefalcone Excellent, excellent point! #mglitchat -9:24 PM Feb 21st, 2013
ilanawaters *shoots belated spitball at @elliefalcone* #mglitchat -9:24 PM Feb 21st, 2013
LaurelSnyder @ilanawaters Oh, parents shocked that someone so young is allowed to babysit, to roam alone, etc. #mglitchat -9:24 PM Feb 21st, 2013
ilanawaters Bwha-ha-ha!! RT @helainebecker: @ilanawaters @elliefalcone #freerangeforever #cluck #mglitchat I was so free range I grew antlers. -9:24 PM Feb 21st, 2013
DanyelleLeafty @Girl___Friday @ilanawaters It has gotten me out of many a scrape. >:) #mglitchat -9:24 PM Feb 21st, 2013
helainebecker @KDuBayGillis @elliefalcone #mglitchat nope. Not in our hood. Totally la la land. -9:25 PM Feb 21st, 2013
PBWorkshop @LaurelSnyder Keep hearing the potential is there, wondering if any parents are trying it- creepy, no? #mglitchat -9:25 PM Feb 21st, 2013
ilanawaters @LaurelSnyder I know it's wrong, but this strikes me as funny. :-D #mglitchat -9:25 PM Feb 21st, 2013
merriehaskell @Girl___Friday Yes. I remember it from my childhood, saw it w/ my stepdaughter. It's a weird, mentally isolated time. #mglitchat #mglitchat -9:25 PM Feb 21st, 2013
KateMessner I recommend having international art thieves kidnap all the parents. Oh wait...that might have been a spoiler. #MANHUNT #mglitchat -9:25 PM Feb 21st, 2013
elliefalcone @ilanawaters OW! My eye. Why... you... #mglitchat -9:25 PM Feb 21st, 2013
ericberlinct #mglitchat Happily, as writers, we can envision the best possible world for our characters to inhabit. (1/2) -9:25 PM Feb 21st, 2013
LaurelSnyder Ole Golly. Everyone really just needs Ole Golly. Or Gumerry. #mglitchat -9:25 PM Feb 21st, 2013
KristineAsselin RT @KateMessner I recommend having international art thieves kidnap the parents. Oh wait...might have been a spoiler. #MANHUNT #mglitchat -9:25 PM Feb 21st, 2013
LaurelSnyder @ilanawaters CRAZYASS PEOPLE UP IN THIS WORLD #mglitchat -9:26 PM Feb 21st, 2013
ericberlinct #mglitchat Yes, many parents hover today, but maybe not in YOUR version of the world. (2/2) -9:26 PM Feb 21st, 2013
KDuBayGillis @ericberlinct This is true, but my 7 and 5 yos have freedom within boundaries. We do let them roam. #mglitchat -9:26 PM Feb 21st, 2013
ilanawaters @LaurelSnyder I was JUST thinking of HARRIET THE SPY! #mindreader #mglitchat -9:26 PM Feb 21st, 2013
LaurelSnyder @KateMessner LOL! I'll totally do that right now, in every book. #mglitchat -9:26 PM Feb 21st, 2013
stein_valerie @rachelnseigel @KKittscher WOW. #yikesindeed #mglitchat -9:26 PM Feb 21st, 2013
dianezahler @LaurelSnyder A version of the understanding/eccentric aunt or uncle. #mglitchat -9:26 PM Feb 21st, 2013
matt_janacone To parents, does reading mg novels on tablets turn tablets into tablets not toys? #mglitchat -9:26 PM Feb 21st, 2013
ilanawaters @elliefalcone *tries to look innocent* *fails* #mglitchat -9:26 PM Feb 21st, 2013
KKittscher Ha! RT @KateMessner: I recommend having intl art thieves kidnap all the parents. Wait,that might have been a spoiler. #MANHUNT #mglitchat -9:27 PM Feb 21st, 2013
elliefalcone @ericberlinct Exactly! You create the world. #mglitchat -9:27 PM Feb 21st, 2013
merriehaskell Writers spend so much time imagining what-if, it stuns me when I run up against parents who don't believe kids have variation. #mglitchat -9:27 PM Feb 21st, 2013
Danaalisonlevy It's a very different thing in contemp than fantasy. The goal: get in the kids' heads - they feel agency even when it's limited #mglitchat -9:27 PM Feb 21st, 2013
ilanawaters @KateMessner Not if we don't know where the thieves put them...#mglitchat -9:27 PM Feb 21st, 2013
kurtisscaletta @ericberlinct Parents will give your books bad reviews on GoodReads if they don't like how parents are presented (or absented). #mglitchat -9:27 PM Feb 21st, 2013
DanyelleLeafty The 13th Reality series has been interesting. 1) part of the "magic" and 1) realizes only his son can do what needs doing. #mglitchat -9:27 PM Feb 21st, 2013
RosanneParry @LaurelSnyder & there's an expectation that carrying a phone makes a MGkid safe. It might make him more inclined to take a risk. #mglitchat -9:28 PM Feb 21st, 2013
KKittscher @stein_valerie @rachelnseigel To be fair, this is in reply to me describing a mystery plot. #mglitchat -9:28 PM Feb 21st, 2013
Girl___Friday And of course, there's always boarding school. Even though there's even more adults lurking than at home, it still works better! #mglitchat -9:28 PM Feb 21st, 2013
helainebecker @mikegrinti yes #Mglitchat generalities never apply to all. But I can't write social classes I don't know.Not well anyway. And I'm boring mc -9:28 PM Feb 21st, 2013
FriendRsquared #mglitchat Loving the parent topic and this chat! Now back to lurking. -9:28 PM Feb 21st, 2013
merriehaskell @kurtisscaletta Or if the kids are too sassy, I've noticed! #mglitchat -9:28 PM Feb 21st, 2013
ericberlinct @kurtisscaletta We can't worry about that. We have to write our story. #mglitchat -9:28 PM Feb 21st, 2013
rachelnseigel @KKittscher @stein_valerie I don't think the opinion would change much with any genre. #mglitchat -9:28 PM Feb 21st, 2013
LaurelSnyder @PBWorkshop AAAAAGHHHHHHHH! I'm totally freaked out now. NOBODY WANTS THEIR SNOTTY KIDS! #mglitchat -9:29 PM Feb 21st, 2013
DanyelleLeafty @kurtisscaletta @ericberlinct Really? Wow. :( #mglitchat -9:29 PM Feb 21st, 2013
mikegrinti One thing we tried to do in CLAWS was having family history still shape the character's life. (1/2) #mglitchat -9:29 PM Feb 21st, 2013
VintageReader @matt_janacone My 7yo gets bored w/chapter books on tablet, but can use the Lorax "app" (really just an augmented ebook) all day. #mglitchat -9:29 PM Feb 21st, 2013
Girl___Friday @KateMessner Okay whatI WANT TO READ THAT NOW #mglitchat -9:29 PM Feb 21st, 2013
KKittscher @KateMessner Or make them rocket scientists who work in missile launch bunker with no cell service? #TotallyRandomExample #mglitchat -9:29 PM Feb 21st, 2013
elissacruz So, for those who want parents around, what have you done to make them there but in the background. #specificsplease #MGlitchat -9:29 PM Feb 21st, 2013
mikegrinti Having father's history leaving Vietnam as a kid, his emotional baggage in trying to protect his kids that way his father did #mglitchat -9:30 PM Feb 21st, 2013
ilanawaters @merriehaskell @kurtisscaletta Oh Lordie. There go all my sarcastic protagonists! #mglitchat -9:30 PM Feb 21st, 2013
Danaalisonlevy @merriehaskell Exactly! Which is my point. From the kids POV, they have freedom, and responsibility, beyond what adults think #mglitchat -9:30 PM Feb 21st, 2013
helainebecker @KateMessner #MANHUNT #mglitchat I wrote something similar in art theft plot.Told my plot was too arty. Snorf.artist was a jan van honker -9:30 PM Feb 21st, 2013
KateMessner @Girl___Friday I am writing as fast as I can! (But it doesn't come out until 2014. 1st in series, CAPTURE THE FLAG, is out now!) #mglitchat -9:30 PM Feb 21st, 2013
merriehaskell We've talked about absenting parents so kid characters can have adventure, but it's also abt learning to operate outside family. #mglitchat -9:30 PM Feb 21st, 2013
mikegrinti A kid's parent's life and outlook and history all shape a kid's world in complex and messy and good and bad ways. #mglitchat -9:30 PM Feb 21st, 2013
helainebecker @elliefalcone @ilanawaters #mglitchat children...CHILDREN!!! -9:30 PM Feb 21st, 2013
KristineAsselin Eek. Really? RT @ericberlinct Parents will give your books bad reviews on GoodReads if they dont like how parents are presented. #mglitchat -9:31 PM Feb 21st, 2013
ambermcturner @elissacruz Super busy with keeping the family store in the black. #mglitchat -9:31 PM Feb 21st, 2013
LaurelSnyder My solution with now is to set kids in 1987, then send them back to 1937. Talk about free range. #depressionerafuntimes #mglitchat -9:31 PM Feb 21st, 2013
AniProf Better late than never! #MGLitChat -9:31 PM Feb 21st, 2013
KKittscher @elissacruz I've found workaholism useful! #mglitchat -9:31 PM Feb 21st, 2013
matt_janacone I'm not a parent, but I would like reading books on tablets would make reading fun for childrens. #mglitchat -9:31 PM Feb 21st, 2013
DanyelleLeafty @elissacruz They function as the anchor @ beg. & end. (Story is HF, so MC, while young, is old enough to apprentice out.) #mglitchat -9:31 PM Feb 21st, 2013
ilanawaters @helainebecker She started it------>@elliefalcone *whines* #mglitchat #Igottagopotty -9:31 PM Feb 21st, 2013
merriehaskell @ilanawaters Never! Sass 'em up! It's not all parents either, or even 99%. #mglitchat -9:31 PM Feb 21st, 2013
dianezahler @elissacruz Made them unable to solve the main problem -- only the MC can. #mglitchat -9:31 PM Feb 21st, 2013
KateMessner @KKittscher Bunkers without cell service are the BEST. #mglitchat -9:31 PM Feb 21st, 2013
word_working In one of my fav. childhood books (Look Through My Window, Jean Little), I loved the parents (2 sets). They were great & complex. #mglitchat -9:31 PM Feb 21st, 2013
JoMarieBankston #MGLITCHAT Not all parents are interested in what their kids find fascinating. That can separate them - Magic Tree House parents... -9:31 PM Feb 21st, 2013
Girl___Friday Basically it's FAR easier to sideline adults in general, in fantasy or historicals. Contemps are much trickier. #mglitchat -9:32 PM Feb 21st, 2013
ilanawaters @word_working For some reason I read that really fast, combining "sets" with "complex." You know what I got.... >.< #mglitchat -9:32 PM Feb 21st, 2013
PBWorkshop @helainebecker Who can invent an emoticon for the teacher face that goes with "children, CHILDREN!"? #mglitchat -9:32 PM Feb 21st, 2013
rachelgrinti @elissacruz I think partly by showing the lasting effect the parents have on the MC's life #MGlitchat -9:32 PM Feb 21st, 2013
kurtisscaletta The truth is that my own parents were so uninvolved in my life, I have a hard time writing about them. #mglitchat -9:32 PM Feb 21st, 2013
VintageReader I love the Penderwicks' free-ranging, but wonder if it works because the books have such a retro feel. :-) #mglitchat -9:33 PM Feb 21st, 2013
LaurelSnyder @JoMarieBankston Do you really think the MT parents are characters? #mglitchat -9:33 PM Feb 21st, 2013
DanyelleLeafty @JoMarieBankston Very true. Adults and kids have very, very different perspectives. #mglitchat -9:33 PM Feb 21st, 2013
kurtisscaletta I think in every book, the fact that they exist but disappear from the story is commented on in the revision process. #mglitchat -9:33 PM Feb 21st, 2013
rachelgrinti @elissacruz Even if the parents are not always physically present, they have had influence and it shows with kids #MGlitchat -9:33 PM Feb 21st, 2013
ilanawaters @dianezahler @elissacruz "YOU must do it, Harry. YOU ah the chosen one. And yaw parents ah conveniently dead." #mglitchat -9:33 PM Feb 21st, 2013
kurtisscaletta I have to work them in more, find stuff for them to do with the kid. It's not natural for me. #mglitchat -9:33 PM Feb 21st, 2013
RosanneParry @LaurelSnyder @ilanawaters I get that too. "How does a 13 yr old know how to ride the Paris Metro?" Me: reads map.'sigh' #mglitchat -9:33 PM Feb 21st, 2013
AniProf What about adults that act like kids? #MGLitChat -9:33 PM Feb 21st, 2013
DanyelleLeafty RT @VintageReader: I love the Penderwicks' free-ranging, but wonder if it works because the books have such a retro feel. #mglitchat Yes! -9:34 PM Feb 21st, 2013
LaurelSnyder @VintageReader Yeah, I feel like Birdsall reached for a strange middle ground. They ARE contemp, but "exotic" in remoteness. #mglitchat -9:34 PM Feb 21st, 2013
rachelgrinti @elissacruz But at the same time, kids go off and do things their parents wouldn't expect, so that keeps parents distant enough #MGlitchat -9:34 PM Feb 21st, 2013
KKittscher @rachelgrinti This is a great point - it's easy to have kids reflect about what their parents/gparents would do before acting #mglitchat -9:34 PM Feb 21st, 2013
KDuBayGillis @elissacruz I also think setting can play a role. My WIP is set in rural area of Maine. Less urban related fears=freedom. #mglitchat -9:34 PM Feb 21st, 2013
PBWorkshop @DanyelleLeafty Reminds me of May B- MC needs to live away from home briefly, then ends up entirely alone. #mglitchat -9:34 PM Feb 21st, 2013
elliefalcone @elissacruz Story#1- dad was dealing with his own grief ; #2 mom part of problem #3 pre-teen angst mc doesn't talk w/parents much #mglitchat -9:34 PM Feb 21st, 2013
ilanawaters @AniProf We are NOT talking about you tonight! And welcome. :-) #mglitchat -9:34 PM Feb 21st, 2013
KKittscher @LaurelSnyder @VintageReader Yes - and since it's a consistent and believable world, we go with it. #mglitchat -9:35 PM Feb 21st, 2013
AniProf @rachelgrinti But what their parents say is always in the back of their minds. #MGLitChat -9:35 PM Feb 21st, 2013
elissacruz @kurtisscaletta Me, too. However, I am very involved in my kids' lives (sometimes more than I'd like). Can use myself as a model. #MGlitchat -9:35 PM Feb 21st, 2013
mikegrinti @KKittscher Yes! Parents are always psychically present. Even lacking parents have an effect. #mglitchat -9:35 PM Feb 21st, 2013
DanyelleLeafty @PBWorkshop Awesome! That one has been on my TBR list for a while. Striking cover and premise. #mglitchat -9:35 PM Feb 21st, 2013
AniProf Oops! RT @ilanawaters: @AniProf We are NOT talking about you tonight! And welcome. :-) #MGLitChat -9:35 PM Feb 21st, 2013
Girl___Friday @elissacruz Set it mostly at school, or in clubs, or have parent v busy, or neglectful, or go back in time a bit, or fantasy etc #mglitchat -9:35 PM Feb 21st, 2013
helainebecker @PBWorkshop #mglitchat hee hee -9:35 PM Feb 21st, 2013
kurtisscaletta It's not whether or not I want parents involved, I just don't have any feeling for the topic. #mglitchat -9:35 PM Feb 21st, 2013
helainebecker Ah me2"@kurtisscaletta: The truth is that my own parents were so uninvolved in my life, I have a hard time writing about them. #mglitchat" -9:36 PM Feb 21st, 2013
word_working #mglitchat In that favorite book by J. Little, 1 of the MC's has 1 Jewish & 1 Protestant parent, both non-practic.-- brings up int. issues. -9:36 PM Feb 21st, 2013
ilanawaters @PBWorkshop @helainebecker Not me. They don't really have one for "I-can't-wait-to-get-home-and-start-drinking." #mglitchat -9:36 PM Feb 21st, 2013
ca_london @elissacruz I knocked Oliver & Celia's father unconscious every few chapters... for 3 straight books. It becomes a running joke #MGlitchat -9:36 PM Feb 21st, 2013
ambermcturner @KDuBayGillis @elissacruz So true, Kellie. Small town = a lot more trust with these things. #mglitchat -9:36 PM Feb 21st, 2013
AniProf Unless we're talking about Lord of the Flies, or such, kids and adults live in the same world, true? #MGLitChat -9:36 PM Feb 21st, 2013
KKittscher @KDuBayGillis Rural areas! But that's where are the serial killers are! ;-) #mglitchat -9:36 PM Feb 21st, 2013
DanyelleLeafty @Girl___Friday @elissacruz The school setting is another excellent example. #mglitchat -9:36 PM Feb 21st, 2013
dianezahler Urban or rural, fantasy or real, kids have to have a secret life -- even if it's only in their heads. #mglitchat -9:36 PM Feb 21st, 2013
JenniferCEstes Sad Sporty McSporterson kid & all the painful sporty mcInjuries is keeping me from #mglitchat. Again. Thank you, hostesses, for transcripts! -9:36 PM Feb 21st, 2013
helainebecker @kurtisscaletta #mglitchat actually realized years after I finished first draft of a ya that teen with emotionally absent parents was ME! :( -9:36 PM Feb 21st, 2013
helainebecker Agree"@VintageReader: I love the Penderwicks' free-ranging, but wonder if it works because the books have such a retro feel. :-) #mglitchat" -9:36 PM Feb 21st, 2013
DanyelleLeafty RT @dianezahler: Urban or rural, fantasy or real, kids have to have a secret life -- even if it's only in their heads. #mglitchat For sure! -9:37 PM Feb 21st, 2013
PBWorkshop @DanyelleLeafty Move it to the top of the pile- you won't regret it. #mglitchat -9:37 PM Feb 21st, 2013
elliefalcone Ditto. RT @kurtisscaletta: Its not whether or not I want parents involved, I just dont have any feeling for the topic. #mglitchat -9:37 PM Feb 21st, 2013
elissacruz @ca_london LOL. Yes, you did. Maybe we could all use that. ;) #MGlitchat -9:37 PM Feb 21st, 2013
rachelgrinti Thinking about Harry Potter, he kind of had 3 sets of parents present in varying degrees. Dead parents, always present in mind #mglitchat -9:37 PM Feb 21st, 2013
RosanneParry @elissacruz I like alternate adults. Found mentors. Grandparents. Can do some of the parent role but less oppressively. #mglitchat -9:37 PM Feb 21st, 2013
ArianaWrites RT @dianezahler: Urban or rural, fantasy or real, kids have to have a secret life -- even if it's only in their heads. #mglitchat -9:37 PM Feb 21st, 2013
ilanawaters @helainebecker @kurtisscaletta Sigh. I'm running out of hugs here! *hugs* *goes to get more* #mglitchat -9:37 PM Feb 21st, 2013
merriehaskell In the end, the story is what it wants to be, and the parents are either vital or window-dressing based on that. #mglitchat -9:37 PM Feb 21st, 2013
DanyelleLeafty @PBWorkshop Definitely will be. There's been a rash of truly excellent MG novels. #mglitchat #inneedofatimeturner -9:37 PM Feb 21st, 2013
edithcohn @KateMessner @kkittscher Remote islands without cell service also nice. #mglitchat -9:38 PM Feb 21st, 2013
rachelgrinti Dursleys, then Weasleys, both showing two different sides of family, and he was involved with both even though at school a lot #mglitchat -9:38 PM Feb 21st, 2013
LaurelSnyder I always want to write MORE parent-focused than I should. #mglitchat -9:38 PM Feb 21st, 2013
helainebecker @ilanawaters @dianezahler @elissacruz #mglitchat and where were those narnia or poppins parents, hmmmmmh??? English wankerents -9:38 PM Feb 21st, 2013
KDuBayGillis @JenniferCEstes There's your contribution. Busy sports mom is present but absent in MG! Thanks! LOL. #mglitchat -9:38 PM Feb 21st, 2013
elissacruz @DanyelleLeafty @Girl___Friday And one I've used in my own books. I also added in conflict with dad when at home. #MGlitchat -9:38 PM Feb 21st, 2013
RosanneParry @elissacruz Or kids can just get lost in the woods, run away to Paris, paddle off in a kayak, sail away in a boat. #adventure! #mglitchat -9:38 PM Feb 21st, 2013
ericberlinct #mglitchat I realize that I handle parents the same way in all three of my books... (1/2) -9:38 PM Feb 21st, 2013
KristineAsselin RT @rachelgrinti: Thinking about Harry Potter, he had 3 sets of parents present in varying degrees. Dead parents, always present. #mglitchat -9:38 PM Feb 21st, 2013
elliefalcone RT @merriehaskell: ...the story is what it wants to be, and the parents are either vital or window-dressing based on that. #mglitchat -9:38 PM Feb 21st, 2013
Girl___Friday @edithcohn Yep any kind of fantasy helps #mglitchat -9:38 PM Feb 21st, 2013
ilanawaters @helainebecker @dianezahler @elissacruz LOL. And in Dahl's books, they were often horrid people. Think MATILDA. #mglitchat -9:38 PM Feb 21st, 2013
DanyelleLeafty @elissacruz @Girl___Friday Awesome! This reminds me of the Wayside books. #mglitchat #fearofapples -9:38 PM Feb 21st, 2013
helainebecker @elissacruz @kurtisscaletta #MGlitchat which is your best side? ;) -9:38 PM Feb 21st, 2013
KristineAsselin What I hate? Conveniently stupid or inept parents. *hate* But that's just me. #mglitchat -9:39 PM Feb 21st, 2013
VintageReader @KKittscher @LaurelSnyder True. And even when it's unbelievable, I still *want* to believe. #mglitchat -9:39 PM Feb 21st, 2013
DanyelleLeafty @ilanawaters @helainebecker @dianezahler @elissacruz Sounded like the adults in Roald Dahl's RL were horrid. #mglitchat -9:39 PM Feb 21st, 2013
ericberlinct #mglitchat Main Chrctr: "Can I have permission to do this amazing opportunity?" Parents: "Yes." MC: "Cool! See you at the end of the book!" -9:39 PM Feb 21st, 2013
AniProf @ilanawaters The grandmother in Witches was wonderful! #MGLitChat -9:39 PM Feb 21st, 2013
ilanawaters @DanyelleLeafty @helainebecker @dianezahler @elissacruz He had a lot of cruel adults in his life in boarding schools. It showed. #mglitchat -9:40 PM Feb 21st, 2013
elliefalcone @KristineAsselin Me too. I'd rather they'd be completely invisible instead of that. #mglitchat -9:40 PM Feb 21st, 2013
kurtisscaletta RT @ericberlinct: #mglitchat Main Chrctr: "Can I have permission to do this amazing opportunity?" Parents: "Yes." MC: "Cool! See you at the end of the book!" -9:40 PM Feb 21st, 2013
helainebecker RT @KKittscher: @KDuBayGillis Rural areas! But that's where are the serial killers are! ;-) #mglitchat -9:40 PM Feb 21st, 2013
DanyelleLeafty @ilanawaters @helainebecker @dianezahler @elissacruz Very much! He usually had at least 1 kind adult--not parent, though. #mglitchat -9:40 PM Feb 21st, 2013
ilanawaters @AniProf Oh yes. That's true. But the parents were technically dead. #mglitchat -9:40 PM Feb 21st, 2013
KDuBayGillis RT @ericberlinct: #mglitchat Main Chrctr: "Can I have permission to do this amazing opportunity?" Parents: "Yes." MC: "Cool! See you at the end of the book!" -9:40 PM Feb 21st, 2013
helainebecker Yes! "@dianezahler: Urban or rural, fantasy or real, kids have to have a secret life -- even if it's only in their heads. #mglitchat" -9:40 PM Feb 21st, 2013
merriehaskell @KristineAsselin I prefer when seemingly inept parents are presented through a filter, and show up adept at the end. #mglitchat -9:40 PM Feb 21st, 2013
edithcohn I don't think you can completely get around developing parent figures. Even dead parents need some presence in novel. #mglitchat -9:40 PM Feb 21st, 2013
Girl___Friday @DanyelleLeafty @elissacruz You can also have parents who are nice but just not helicopter parents, who give kids more freedom #mglitchat -9:40 PM Feb 21st, 2013
KDuBayGillis @ericberlinct Smart approach. I'm sure the rationale for convincing parents to say yes can get tricky. #mglitchat -9:41 PM Feb 21st, 2013
KristineAsselin Better. :) RT @merriehaskell I prefer when seemingly inept parents are presented through a filter, and show up adept at the end. #mglitchat -9:41 PM Feb 21st, 2013
DanyelleLeafty @ilanawaters @AniProf Being a parent in a fairy tale or fantasy is a dangerous job. #mglitchat #usuallyendupdead #ormissing #orenchanted -9:41 PM Feb 21st, 2013
mikegrinti @elliefalcone Conveniently stupid parents is just another trope that can be used thoughtlessly/carelessly, like dead, invisible #mglitchat -9:41 PM Feb 21st, 2013
AniProf Can we treat parentus-in-locus the same as parent? #MGLitChat -9:41 PM Feb 21st, 2013
kurtisscaletta All the previous stuff being said, many people praised the single dad in Mudville. Great dad, funny but not bumbling. #mglitchat -9:41 PM Feb 21st, 2013
merriehaskell @Girl___Friday Would be nice to see conflict between helicopters & free-rangers subtly in the background. #mglitchat -9:41 PM Feb 21st, 2013
helainebecker @ilanawaters @kurtisscaletta #mglitchat heh heh we're playing for hugs AND those drinks. -9:42 PM Feb 21st, 2013
DanyelleLeafty @AniProf I do. O:) #mglitchat -9:42 PM Feb 21st, 2013
cbnickras @ilanawaters @aniprof and if The Witches were written today, she definitely wouldn't smoke cigars. #mglitchat -9:42 PM Feb 21st, 2013
LaurelSnyder @Girl___Friday This is my current WIP, a mom/daughter where Mom is a little flaky, but basically great. #mglitchat -9:42 PM Feb 21st, 2013
AniProf Are "legal guardians" parents? #MGLitChat -9:42 PM Feb 21st, 2013
DanyelleLeafty @Girl___Friday @elissacruz Very true. I like this one too. :) #mglitchat -9:43 PM Feb 21st, 2013
AniProf @cbnickras Why not smoke cigars? #MGLitChat -9:43 PM Feb 21st, 2013
ericberlinct .@KDuBayGillis #mglitchat In the first book, there was an element of danger involved, so I had to show Dad being swayed. (1/2) -9:43 PM Feb 21st, 2013
ilanawaters @cbnickras @aniprof OMG, you're right! But I've found British kid lit can get away w/so much more than same in US. True? #mglitchat -9:43 PM Feb 21st, 2013
KDuBayGillis @merriehaskell @KristineAsselin I worry about using the inept part when writing my MG parents. But many are. #mglitchat -9:43 PM Feb 21st, 2013
merriehaskell @AniProf I think it depends: are the parents stand-ins part of the "origin story" or not? #mglitchat -9:43 PM Feb 21st, 2013
ilanawaters @helainebecker @kurtisscaletta Every time you feel emotionally neglected, take a shot! #mglitchat -9:43 PM Feb 21st, 2013
ericberlinct .@KDuBayGillis #mglitchat In the other books, the danger developed only later, and so at the start no real convincing was needed. -9:43 PM Feb 21st, 2013
cbnickras . @kurtisscaletta any other good single dad recommendations? #mglitchat -9:44 PM Feb 21st, 2013
ilanawaters @DanyelleLeafty @AniProf This is why I am NOT volunteering for the job. #mglitchat -9:44 PM Feb 21st, 2013
dianezahler That would be real challenge to treat along with a kids' story. @merriehaskell: @Girl___Friday #mglitchat -9:44 PM Feb 21st, 2013
elliefalcone Where did this idea for absent parents or busy parents originate? I'm just curious. #mglitchat -9:44 PM Feb 21st, 2013
ixtumea A good example of missing parents has to be Max and Ruby. Son loved the show when little. I'm like, where are parents? #mglitchat -9:44 PM Feb 21st, 2013
KateMilford Shoot! Sooo late, but reading and catching up. #mglitchat -9:44 PM Feb 21st, 2013
OrigamiYoda #mglitchat HardyBoy: they were shooting at us, but we took off in borrowed airplane b4 they hit us! Mrs Hardy: let me iron those sweaters! -9:44 PM Feb 21st, 2013
merriehaskell As a stepmother who had a stepmother, I spend a lot of mental energy on stepparents. MG or otherwise. #mglitchat #mglitchat -9:44 PM Feb 21st, 2013
DanyelleLeafty @KateMilford Welcome! #mglitchat -9:44 PM Feb 21st, 2013
ixtumea Also a lot of Disney/Nick TV shows have either no parents or ones that are clueless. #mglitchat -9:44 PM Feb 21st, 2013
ca_london RT @OrigamiYoda: #mglitchat HardyBoy: they were shooting at us, but we took off in borrowed airplane b4 they hit us! Mrs Hardy: let me iron those sweaters! -9:44 PM Feb 21st, 2013
ilanawaters I must run, tweeples. This has been interesting AND fun. Hugs to all the neglected. Where/when will transcript be? #mglitchat -9:45 PM Feb 21st, 2013
DanyelleLeafty @ixtumea I think this is my least favorite trope. #mglitchat -9:45 PM Feb 21st, 2013
ixtumea I wonder if a lot of these prep school books are ways to go over the parent thing? #mglitchat -9:45 PM Feb 21st, 2013
ambermcturner I like the Pippi Longstocking approach to the parent. The working-my-way-back-to-you-babe thing. #mglitchat -9:45 PM Feb 21st, 2013
ilanawaters @LaurelSnyder @RosanneParry I'm begging you to tell me that was not based on an actual e-mail. *clasps hands* #mglitchat -9:45 PM Feb 21st, 2013
KDuBayGillis @KateMilford Hi there! Parents, the good, the bad, and the dead. #mglitchat -9:45 PM Feb 21st, 2013
merriehaskell @ixtumea Everyone I know who has seen Max & Ruby has that reaction. When the grandma showed up, was confused. #mglitchat -9:45 PM Feb 21st, 2013
AniProf @ixtumea Are we praising the Disney formula re parents? #MGLitChat -9:45 PM Feb 21st, 2013
edithcohn @cbnickras @kurtisscaletta I loved the single dad in The Penderwicks. Dead mom also had brief but nice presence. #mglitchat -9:45 PM Feb 21st, 2013
KateMilford @DanyelleLeafty Hi! So bummed to be late. I love the challenge of writing parents/families in mg. #mglitchat -9:45 PM Feb 21st, 2013
Danaalisonlevy @mikegrinti @elliefalcone Yes! I hate the hapless parent. Esp. the hapless dad and uber-effective mom. #mglitchat -9:45 PM Feb 21st, 2013
helainebecker @ilanawaters @kurtisscaletta #mglitchat hic hic hic hic hic hic ha ha really I'm not as crazy as I sound *that's what She says don't listen* -9:45 PM Feb 21st, 2013
rachelgrinti Hah! Yes RT @OrigamiYoda: #mglitchat HardyBoy: [...] we took off in borrowed airplane b4 they hit us! Mrs Hardy: let me iron those sweaters! -9:46 PM Feb 21st, 2013
dianezahler In 3 fairy tales I've killed off 3 parents. 50 percent survival rate... @DanyelleLeafty: @ilanawaters @AniProf #mglitchat -9:46 PM Feb 21st, 2013
ilanawaters *guffaws* RT @KDuBayGillis: @KateMilford Hi there! Parents, the good, the bad, and the dead. #mglitchat -9:46 PM Feb 21st, 2013
ixtumea In my upcoming book I have the parents involved. Same with CROSSED OUT. #mglitchat -9:46 PM Feb 21st, 2013
elissacruz @OrigamiYoda If we all could be a HardyBoy (or girl)! Life would be full of adventure. And ironed shirts! #MGlitchat -9:46 PM Feb 21st, 2013
DanyelleLeafty @KateMilford Me too! I hate the idiot parent trope, & it's fun to come up with alternative ways of dealing w/families. #mglitchat -9:46 PM Feb 21st, 2013
ixtumea It's almost a cliche with the dead mother or missing father. #mglitchat -9:46 PM Feb 21st, 2013
ilanawaters @DanyelleLeafty Thank you! You are so full of awesome you are LEAKING! #nightie #mglitchat -9:46 PM Feb 21st, 2013
mikegrinti @Danaalisonlevy I think it's easy in stories not about family to try and rush past family via trope. But I think that's dangerous #mglitchat -9:46 PM Feb 21st, 2013
ambermcturner How about the Peanuts approach to adult characters? "Mwah mwah mwah mwah mwah..." #mglitchat -9:46 PM Feb 21st, 2013
helainebecker @elliefalcone #mglitchat I think out of need o make protag the agent of change and problem solver -9:47 PM Feb 21st, 2013
Girl___Friday @LaurelSnyder Which is nice because it's realistic, there are plenty of parents like that IRL #mglitchat -9:47 PM Feb 21st, 2013
DanyelleLeafty @dianezahler @ilanawaters @AniProf This is better than Disney's--particularly if you're the mom. #mglitchat :S -9:47 PM Feb 21st, 2013
elissacruz @ilanawaters Should be up shortly after the chat is over. Give us a few minutes. ;) #MGlitchat -9:47 PM Feb 21st, 2013
ilanawaters @dianezahler @DanyelleLeafty @AniProf Okay. I could guest-spot in one of your stories then. I suppose. #mglitchat -9:47 PM Feb 21st, 2013
merriehaskell @ixtumea Cuz there went my theory that the bunnies appeared by spontaneous generation. #mglitchat -9:47 PM Feb 21st, 2013
helainebecker @ixtumea and that cat in the hat- where were THOSE bad parents?? #Mglitchat -9:47 PM Feb 21st, 2013
AniProf In the past, we've talked about supporting characters. Seems to me that parents are important IF they support the MC. #MGLitChat -9:47 PM Feb 21st, 2013
ixtumea @merriehaskell LOL. #mglitchat -9:47 PM Feb 21st, 2013
ilanawaters @elissacruz NO--I WANT IT NOW!! *screams like Veruca Salt* #mglitchat -9:47 PM Feb 21st, 2013
DanyelleLeafty @ilanawaters Ha! Thanks! *clears throat* You also happen to be leaking awesomeness. #mglitchat -9:47 PM Feb 21st, 2013
Bec_AS @ambermcturner My kids think that's how we really talk... #MGLitChat -9:47 PM Feb 21st, 2013
elissacruz @ambermcturner Sometimes I feel like that's what my own kids think about me. Betting it would work in a book, too. #hahaha #MGlitchat -9:47 PM Feb 21st, 2013
ericberlinct #mglitchat I guess in the end, make sure you have a darn good story-reason to get rid of the parents, or a darn good reason to keep them. -9:47 PM Feb 21st, 2013
KDuBayGillis @ericberlinct Cool. Must read! #mglitchat -9:48 PM Feb 21st, 2013
helainebecker @ilanawaters #mglitchat abandoned again!!!!! -9:48 PM Feb 21st, 2013
dianezahler The occasional nonparent goes too...RT @ilanawaters @DanyelleLeafty @AniProf Okay.I could guest-spot in one of your stories then. #mglitchat -9:48 PM Feb 21st, 2013
merriehaskell @dianezahler I think you could do it in 2 seemingly throwaway sentences, actually. :) "Well, So and so's parents may think..." #mglitchat -9:48 PM Feb 21st, 2013
ericberlinct "Almost?" @ixtumea: It's almost a cliche with the dead mother or missing father. #mglitchat -9:48 PM Feb 21st, 2013
ilanawaters @LaurelSnyder @RosanneParry *wipes forehead* Phew. And I rly am going now! U guys R too funny. Even when discussing dead parents. #mglitchat -9:48 PM Feb 21st, 2013
FriendRsquared #mglitchat I like epistolary parents who write and exert influence while child is at camp, boarding school, with other family members etc. -9:49 PM Feb 21st, 2013
KateMilford @DanyelleLeafty Yup. Hate that & I prefer to avoid dead parents, too. I've done it, but it's my last resort. #mglitchat -9:49 PM Feb 21st, 2013
kurtisscaletta @KDuBayGillis @cbnickras SPORT by Louise Fitzhugh, THE TEDDY BEAR HABIT by James Lincoln Collier. #ChildhoodFaves #mglitchat -9:49 PM Feb 21st, 2013
DanyelleLeafty @AniProf And they're a great source of conflict if they don't. O:) #mglitchat -9:49 PM Feb 21st, 2013
dianezahler @merriehaskell Yes, not making it a main concern. But a scene between the 2 types of parents might be interesting! #mglitchat -9:49 PM Feb 21st, 2013
helainebecker RT @ambermcturner: How about the Peanuts approach to adult characters? "Mwah mwah mwah mwah mwah..." #mglitchat -9:49 PM Feb 21st, 2013
mikegrinti @ericberlinct I feel like sometimes "needs a reason" is used as an excuse not to show diverse characters and char situations #mglitchat -9:49 PM Feb 21st, 2013
merriehaskell @ambermcturner The Peanuts had it right, I think! #mglitchat -9:50 PM Feb 21st, 2013
edithcohn @ixtumea It's definitely cliche. But fully developing two parents in 45K MG book eats up words #mglitchat -9:50 PM Feb 21st, 2013
DanyelleLeafty @KateMilford Agreed. There are so many rich possibilities *with* families/parents. #mglitchat -9:50 PM Feb 21st, 2013
AniProf Could a parent BE the MC of a MG book? #MGLitChat -9:50 PM Feb 21st, 2013
mikegrinti @ericberlinct I think it's okay to have a family because you want the MC to have a family of some kind. But it does need to work. #mglitchat -9:50 PM Feb 21st, 2013
helainebecker @ambermcturner love! #Mglitchat would be so much easier to write than actual dialog too -9:50 PM Feb 21st, 2013
VintageReader @FriendRsquared Great phrase: The Epistolary Parent. :-) #mglitchat -9:51 PM Feb 21st, 2013
Bec_AS Very true, and cuts must be made! MT @edithcohn: fully developing two parents in 45K MG book eats up words #MGLitChat -9:51 PM Feb 21st, 2013
elissacruz @AniProf Not unless they were child-like themselves. And even that might be frowned upon by agents/editors. #MGlitchat -9:51 PM Feb 21st, 2013
KDuBayGillis RT @ericberlinct: #mglitchat I guess in the end, make sure you have a darn good story-reason to get rid of the parents, or a darn good reason to keep them. -9:51 PM Feb 21st, 2013
kurtisscaletta RT @OrigamiYoda: #mglitchat HardyBoy: they were shooting at us, but we took off in borrowed airplane b4 they hit us! Mrs Hardy: let me iron those sweaters! -9:51 PM Feb 21st, 2013
merriehaskell @edithcohn This almost becomes part of the discussion of making rich secondary characters. #mglitchat -9:51 PM Feb 21st, 2013
PBWorkshop @DanyelleLeafty As in #ReinventionOfEdisonThomas- parents role in supporting Eddy is evident, necessary, but non-intrusive. #mglitchat -9:51 PM Feb 21st, 2013
Bec_AS @AniProf Not if you want it to still be MG #MGLitChat -9:51 PM Feb 21st, 2013
KateMilford @AniProf It would be a challenge to make the story and character arc relevant to the kid reader, I think. #mglitchat -9:51 PM Feb 21st, 2013
DanyelleLeafty @ambermcturner Ha! I sometimes wonder if that's what my kids are hearing when I speak. >.< #mglitchat -9:51 PM Feb 21st, 2013
ixtumea Oops. Son likes parents to not be the main part of storyline! #mglitchat -9:51 PM Feb 21st, 2013
AniProf Why? RT @elissacruz: @AniProf Not unless they were child-like themselves. And even that might be frowned upon by agents/editors. #MGLitChat -9:51 PM Feb 21st, 2013
merriehaskell @AniProf Anything is possible, but I can't think I'd have enjoyed that book when I was a kid. #mglitchat -9:52 PM Feb 21st, 2013
elissacruz @AniProf Because MG kids want to read about people like themselves. They'd have a hard time connecting with a parent, methinks. #MGlitchat -9:52 PM Feb 21st, 2013
helainebecker RT @VintageReader: @FriendRsquared Great phrase: The Epistolary Parent. :-) #mglitchat -9:52 PM Feb 21st, 2013
kurtisscaletta If she's a mouse who befriends some super smart rats, maybe... :-) RT @AniProf Could a parent BE the MC of a MG book? #MGLitChat -9:52 PM Feb 21st, 2013
merriehaskell @AniProf Also: why? #mglitchat -9:52 PM Feb 21st, 2013
AniProf Seems to me that adults could be the MCs for MG books as long as the writing was targeted at that age group. Light SciFi? #MGLitChat -9:52 PM Feb 21st, 2013
ixtumea I love MGs that show family dynamics. But then again 11 yr old loves to read about kids similar to self. #mglitchat -9:52 PM Feb 21st, 2013
ericberlinct .@mikegrinti Yes - the reason can come 2nd, if you want your MC will have a particular fam. situation. But still need the reason. #mglitchat -9:53 PM Feb 21st, 2013
Girl___Friday Parents are actually crucial to my current MG. My MC's first problem is that he wants to make his dad proud but doesn't know how #mglitchat -9:53 PM Feb 21st, 2013
DanyelleLeafty @PBWorkshop Yes, excellent example. One of my favorites to do this is The Magicians of Caprona. #mglitchat -9:53 PM Feb 21st, 2013
KateMilford @kurtisscaletta Very nicely played, sir! #mglitchat -9:53 PM Feb 21st, 2013
helainebecker @elissacruz @AniProf #MGlitchat I don't want to read about my parents I want read about mEmEme!!!!! -9:53 PM Feb 21st, 2013
ambermcturner @helainebecker Yeah, you'd only have to add "sadly, happily, scornfully" and such. #mglitchat -9:53 PM Feb 21st, 2013
kurtisscaletta RT @ericberlinct: #mglitchat I guess in the end, make sure you have a darn good story-reason to get rid of the parents, or a darn good reason to keep them. -9:53 PM Feb 21st, 2013
Danaalisonlevy @mikegrinti Indeed. My WIP has a happy contemp family - w 2 dads (and that's not the "issue"). Am trying to avoid easy shorthand #mglitchat -9:53 PM Feb 21st, 2013
merriehaskell @kurtisscaletta Fair point! #mglitchat -9:53 PM Feb 21st, 2013
mikegrinti @Danaalisonlevy <3 <3 <3 #mglitchat -9:53 PM Feb 21st, 2013
DanyelleLeafty @AniProf I think it's not just the writing (words), but the perspective and world view that matters. #mglitchat -9:53 PM Feb 21st, 2013
ixtumea Son did bring up the parents in the WIMPY KID books but only because something funny happened to them. #mglitchat -9:54 PM Feb 21st, 2013
dianezahler All kids too. RT @LaurelSnyder: All parents should go back and read My SIde of the Mountain. #mglitchat -9:54 PM Feb 21st, 2013
Melwyk RT @VintageReader: @FriendRsquared Great phrase: The Epistolary Parent. :-) #mglitchat -9:54 PM Feb 21st, 2013
AniProf So, if readers need to read about folks like themselves, then we should not read MG or YA, true? #MGLitChat -9:54 PM Feb 21st, 2013
ixtumea I just find it interesting how what I love about MGs isn't necessarily what my 11 year old loves. #mglitchat -9:54 PM Feb 21st, 2013
Danaalisonlevy @dianezahler @LaurelSnyder LOOOOOVE that book #mglitchat #fangirl -9:55 PM Feb 21st, 2013
merriehaskell @ixtumea I'd love to see that analysis! #mglitchat -9:55 PM Feb 21st, 2013
ericberlinct Huh? @AniProf: So, if readers need to read about folks like themselves, then we should not read MG or YA, true? #MGLitChat -9:55 PM Feb 21st, 2013
DanyelleLeafty RT @ixtumea: I just find it interesting how what I love about MGs isn't necessarily what my 11 year old loves. #mglitchat Same here! -9:55 PM Feb 21st, 2013
Bec_AS @AniProf They don't need to be just like themselves, it's just that kids have an easier time connecting to other kids. #MGLitChat -9:56 PM Feb 21st, 2013
KateMilford @AniProf Readers want different things. There's no universal should. Kids *tend* to WANT reading experiences relevant to them. #mglitchat -9:56 PM Feb 21st, 2013
KDuBayGillis @ixtumea Or what I notice in MG now isn't what I focused on when I was 11. (I read for the relationships now, adventure then). #mglitchat -9:56 PM Feb 21st, 2013
elissacruz @AniProf I didn't say readers, I said kids. :) And since MG's target audience is kids...the rest of us are along for the ride. #MGlitchat -9:56 PM Feb 21st, 2013
dianezahler @AniProf I think we write for kids because we are like that. #mglitchat -9:56 PM Feb 21st, 2013
helainebecker @AniProf #MGLitChat there's a difference between what people need or want to read and what will sell. Some rules apply to current market or -9:56 PM Feb 21st, 2013
AniProf @ericberlinct MG readers should read about kids their age. Same for YA readers. Adults should read about adults. #MGLitChat -9:56 PM Feb 21st, 2013
merriehaskell @AniProf There is also Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom, all pretty much adult characters (not parents, though). #mglitchat -9:57 PM Feb 21st, 2013
AniProf @Bec_AS What about kids looking up to MCs who are much older? #MGLitChat -9:57 PM Feb 21st, 2013
Danaalisonlevy @ixtumea I agree. Often my kids and I pull out different aspects of a book that we love. Fascinating as a parent and a writer #mglitchat -9:57 PM Feb 21st, 2013
Bec_AS @KDuBayGillis Funny, but my DH was just saying her noticed adventure in Star Wars as kid, and now notices other things in movie #MGLitChat -9:57 PM Feb 21st, 2013
helainebecker @AniProf #MGLitChat to general humna nature. But a beautifully written, brilliant plotted captivating story can break rules and still work! -9:57 PM Feb 21st, 2013
helainebecker RT @ixtumea: I just find it interesting how what I love about MGs isn't necessarily what my 11 year old loves. #mglitchat -9:57 PM Feb 21st, 2013
KDuBayGillis Did anyone mention the parents in Matilda tonight. Love to hate them. #mglitchat -9:57 PM Feb 21st, 2013
merriehaskell RT @KateMilford: Readers want different things. No universal should. Kids TEND to want reading experiences relevant to them. #mglitchat -9:57 PM Feb 21st, 2013
ericberlinct Er... I disagree. @AniProf: @ericberlinct MG readers should read about kids their age... Adults should read about adults. #MGLitChat -9:57 PM Feb 21st, 2013
AniProf @merriehaskell True, but they are of the parents' generation. #MGLitChat -9:58 PM Feb 21st, 2013
helainebecker @ixtumea interesting indeed! Examples please! #Mglitchat -9:58 PM Feb 21st, 2013
elissacruz @merriehaskell @AniProf Yes, there are exceptions to every rule. Just make sure your book is DANG GOOD, and you'll be fine. #MGlitchat -9:58 PM Feb 21st, 2013
KateMilford @AniProf I think you might be intentionally oversimplifying the point under discussion. :) #mglitchat -9:58 PM Feb 21st, 2013
ixtumea Though the recent Lerner graphic novel books I received? He hid from me. Loves graphic novels almost more than me! #mglitchat -9:58 PM Feb 21st, 2013
AniProf @ericberlinct I was just playing devil's advocate, #MGLitChat -9:58 PM Feb 21st, 2013
merriehaskell RT @elissacruz: Yes, there are exceptions to every rule. Just make sure your book is DANG GOOD, and youll be fine. #mglitchat -9:58 PM Feb 21st, 2013
ixtumea @KDuBayGillis Ooh, ditto here! Love to hate Matilda's parents! #mglitchat -9:59 PM Feb 21st, 2013
AniProf @KateMilford Not over simplifying; just trying to avoid us falling into have-to's. #MGLitChat -9:59 PM Feb 21st, 2013
cbnickras @KDuBayGillis they are the worst parents ever! Also it's interesting that Matilda is MG but Matilda is five. #mglitchat -9:59 PM Feb 21st, 2013
Bec_AS @merriehaskell Well, adult-ish. :) They have their parents in the story, so maybe they are late teen-ish? #MGLitChat -9:59 PM Feb 21st, 2013
ericberlinct #mglitchat Reading about folks "like myself" doesn't restrict me to books about 45-year-old white men. @aniprof -9:59 PM Feb 21st, 2013
PBWorkshop TY, charming hosts and chatters- gotta go! My parents said so! #mglitchat -10:00 PM Feb 21st, 2013
elliefalcone No matter what you do someone will either hate it or love it. You can never tell. Do what's right for the story and rock on! #mglitchat -10:00 PM Feb 21st, 2013
Danaalisonlevy @KDuBayGillis Yes! A brave example of utterly negative parents. Hard to get eds to love (well, they'd probably love Matilda) #mglitchat -10:00 PM Feb 21st, 2013
DanyelleLeafty @PBWorkshop Thanks for coming. As always, it was a delight. :) #mglitchat -10:00 PM Feb 21st, 2013
VintageReader @KDuBayGillis @ixtumea When I was 11, I read Love's Tender Fury. For the adventure, of course. ;-) #mglitchat #noreally -10:00 PM Feb 21st, 2013
elissacruz Hostesses, are you going to announce our March event? If you don't, I will! #youhavebeenwarned :) #MGlitchat -10:00 PM Feb 21st, 2013
KateMilford @AniProf Don't think there are any have-tos; but it is true that the reader needs to be able to relate to the MC & their journey. #mglitchat -10:00 PM Feb 21st, 2013
helainebecker @PBWorkshop #mglitchat you have PARENTS? Golly! I thought they was just a made up story, like Atlantis or buttwhistles! -10:01 PM Feb 21st, 2013
DanyelleLeafty @elissacruz Heh. My brain cells are in Tahiti sipping umbrella drinks. #youhavethefloor #mglitchat -10:01 PM Feb 21st, 2013
Bec_AS I had to step out in the middle and feel like I missed SO much! Get that transcript up! :) #MGLitChat -10:01 PM Feb 21st, 2013
AniProf Agreed! RT @KateMilford: @AniProf [B]ut it is true that the reader needs to be able to relate to the MC & their journey. #MGLitChat -10:01 PM Feb 21st, 2013
KateMilford @aniprof Which I think is different from being able to enjoy/appreciate a character or look up to him/her. #mglitchat -10:01 PM Feb 21st, 2013
helainebecker @cbnickras @KDuBayGillis #mglitchat but not an ordinary 5 -10:02 PM Feb 21st, 2013
elliefalcone @helainebecker Buttwhistles? hahahaha #mglitchat -10:02 PM Feb 21st, 2013
AniProf Really? RT @KateMilford Which I think is different from being able to enjoy/appreciate a character or look up to him/her. #MGLitChat -10:02 PM Feb 21st, 2013
DanyelleLeafty Thank you all for coming tonight! Before we officially end, @elissacruz has an announcement to make. @elissacruz? #mglitchat -10:03 PM Feb 21st, 2013
kurtisscaletta Bye, #mglitchat folks. Thanks for distracting me from my blighted novel. ;-) -10:03 PM Feb 21st, 2013
ericberlinct #mglitchat Good night and thanks for the chat. Interesting as always. -10:03 PM Feb 21st, 2013
elissacruz Chatters, join us during the entire month of March for our 2nd Annual Tips From the Pros Series! Info up on the blog soon! #MGlitchat -10:03 PM Feb 21st, 2013
AniProf @KateMilford Perhaps I read far too much SciFi as a kid. #MGLitChat -10:03 PM Feb 21st, 2013
helainebecker @Bec_AS you were tonights absent parent! #Mglitchat -10:03 PM Feb 21st, 2013
elliefalcone Great chat. So much for writing. HA! #mglitchat -10:03 PM Feb 21st, 2013
elissacruz It will be EPIC. #yesIambiased #tipsfromthepros #MGlitchat -10:04 PM Feb 21st, 2013
AniProf Also, I suggest it might be a good idea to follow each other on Twitter. #MGLitChat -10:04 PM Feb 21st, 2013
helainebecker @AniProf @KateMilford #MGLitChat and tropes are tropes and rules rules, sometimes, because they work. Ignore at your own risk -10:04 PM Feb 21st, 2013
Bec_AS That was so you could all fulfill your adventures! RT @helainebecker: @Bec_AS you were tonights absent parent! #MGLitChat -10:04 PM Feb 21st, 2013
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