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Tuesday, December 10, 2013

MG Novels and Relationships

I was reading reviews of middle grade novels the other day, and I noticed that certain phrases appeared more than any others: epic adventure, fast paced, action packed. Judging by these descriptions, you’d think successful MG books are all about the plot and non-stop, roller-coaster action.

Of course, some copy-writers had glommed on to that other aspect of a MG novel that is so important: friendship. I found that little addition tacked on to several novel descriptions: “but in the end, the adventurers discover the most important treasure of all, friendship” – or some lip-service drivel like that.

The fact is, the relationships in a MG novel are far more important than the plot. No one doubts that J.K. Rowling created a complex world and a delightfully tangled plot. But it’s the relationships in Harry Potter that make readers read the books over and over again.
And sorry, copy-editors. It’s not just friendships. There are siblings. And parents. Rivals and enemies. Mentors and protégées.

Characters worth reading about are complicated and flawed, and their relationships are multi-dimensional. Friends occasionally disappoint us. Rivals sometimes take our side. Mentors can turn out to be less than we thought, but also more than we imagined. Parents are strong, but also vulnerable. Even an enemy might sometimes have to collaborate with us for a common goal.

Yes, MG readers want action – but they also want relationships that help them navigate the complexities of real life. Chances are they will never tame a gryphon, battle a Cyclops, or find a lost treasure, but they will experience broken promises, unexpected friendships, betrayal, and random acts of kindness.

A MG novel also needs to focus on the right relationships. My upcoming MG novel features three main characters: the protagonist, a 13 year old boy, and two YA characters, an 18 year old boy and a 16 year old girl. In my original manuscript, the 13 year old protagonist had a crush on the 16 year old girl, and I thought that was central to the plot. But my editor wanted me to take the crush out.

I fought against that change. Puppy love is allowed in a MG story, I insisted. And yes, it is. But what I was failing to consider was whether it was right for my story. In the end, I reluctantly removed my protagonist’s romantic interest in this older girl – and I did so as a compromise, to save another aspect of the story that I wanted to preserve even more.

What happened in revisions was a surprise and a learning experience for me. When I removed the crush from the story, I opened the door for a much more important relationship – the one between the two boys. Without the girl coming between them, the 13 year old and the 18 year old were free to develop what had been lacking in the earlier version – respect, mentorship, trust, and eventually, brotherhood. Only when the new draft was completed did I really understand that I’d missed the boat the first time. It was far more important for my protagonist to develop a solid relationship with his 18 year old guardian than to get his little heart broken.

So, whether you’re crafting your own MG novel or choosing one to read, let the connection between the characters be your guiding light.  

22 comments:

  1. It's interesting how adding (or taking out) a relationship can have such a huge effect. I really like your point about the importance of connections and relationships in MG.

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    1. Thanks, Andrea! Looking back, I don't know why I fought so hard to keep a relationship that didn't need to be there, or how I overlooked the right one to focus on.

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  2. Very interesting post, thank you for your insights!

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    1. Thanks, Janice! I re-watched two of the HP movies over the weekend and was surprised by how little of the plot I remembered -- compared to the relationships between the characters, which I remembered very well.

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  3. This makes me think of an interesting question Lisa Yee (I think? Hard to remember!) posted on Facebook last month: Which is more important to you, plot or character? Most people answered character. Without powerful characters, a wonderful plot has no meaning.

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    1. Exactly, Caroline! Without powerful characters, you won't even remember the plot after you close the book!

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  4. I'm reading a totally plot-driven novel right now, and I have to admit I'm desperate for some relationship development. A snappy plot can have you page-turning like the dickens (The Da Vinci Code, anyone?) but after all is read and done, it's the strength of characterization that remains in one's memory. Thanks for sharing some great insights here, Dianne.

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    1. Yes, the Da Vinci Code and practically anything else by Dan Brown! Wooden characters with one-dimensional relationships.

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  5. Great post, Dianne! I agree, relationships are important in MG novels. Maybe that's what I have to develop more in my WIP: multidimensional relationships. Hmm ... Thanks for the insight!

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    1. Annie, that's what I plan on working on, too. I know as a reader, I enjoy the connections between characters more than anything else. (Which is why I'm not drawn to solo survival stories like Hatchet. Not that Hatchet isn't a good book. It's just not one I'll ever re-read.)

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  6. You make an excellent point. The one thing about the MG stories I've read, and loved, have been the interactions, the growth in different relationships between friends, comrades or the contrast between the protag and the nemesis.

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    1. Angela, the same is true for me. And those are the ones I end up reading to my class and choosing for their novel work.

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  7. Dianne, you make an important point. Sometime we get stuck on wanting our characters to do something that, as individual beings, they might not do without our 'imposing'. This is a great reminder that characters sometimes surprise us! Thanks!

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    1. Thanks, Eden. And it goes to show that a good editor knows her business! Sometimes authors need to let go of their original idea and see what develops in revisions that has greater depth.

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  8. Dianne, I love your honesty! It's so cool for those of us still in the unpublished trenches to hear that even a seasoned writer could have a learning experience about her characters. Glad you figured out what connections were right for the story (with your editor's help - yay for editors!). One of my favorite quotes is E.M. Forster's "Only connect." And I believe you've done that!

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    1. Joanne, any writer -- seasoned or not -- who claims to get it right on the first try is either lying, or not a very good writer!

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  9. I think some MG writers are afraid to say relationship as if all it is is people making out. You don't have that in YA and both fans and writers know relationships aren't all about lip locks. I have an MG in the works myself and I work to balance the different relationships including friendships, rivalries and young love and betrayal. I love that you shared your own writing story and how one big change made your book even better.

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    1. Thanks, Sheena! Yes -- relationships aren't just about locking lips. In fact, when a YA book relies too heavily on that, it fails ... at least in my mind. Harry Potter is so RICH in relationships of all sorts. It's what the rest of us aspire to!

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  10. Late to the party, but I love this post so much.

    For me, STORY will always begin and end with CHARACTER. Always. And characters are absolutely illuminated best by relationships with other characters.

    Brilliant point, Dianne.

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    1. Thank you, Matt!
      When I teach CHARACTER in school, I tell my students that character traits are revealed by what characters do, what characters say, and HOW OTHER CHARACTERS FEEL ABOUT THEM. Yup. So important!

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  11. I'm glad the crush was removed. If you'd left it in (and this is just a wild guess), the boy would have been slapped down by the 16-yo girl. 16-yos can be nice, but generally, anyone under 18 (and even older) is callous toward the feelings of younger kids. You would have had to tell a different story. Um, a 13-yo serial killer driving by a crushing turn-down by an older girl? Yeah, now that's a different story.

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    1. LOL, Marva! He didn't turn into a serial killer ... but it didn't help his bonding with the older boy. That's for sure. And their relationship turned out to be so much more important for the story. I'm SO glad I took it out.

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Thanks for adding to the mayhem!