Writing for Young Readers - by Eugie Foster

August 2007
An Interview with Tansy Rayner Roberts of Shiny

Tansy Rayner Roberts is the co-editor of Shiny, a new e-zine of young adult speculative fiction published by Twelfth Planet Press, which will launch August 2007. She also edits the shared world webzine, New Ceres; has edited two issues of Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine; co-edited AustrAlien Absurdities (Agog Press), an anthology of humorous speculative fiction; writes reviews for ASif (Australian Specfic in focus), and was an Aurealis Awards judge from 2003-2006. Tansy is also a creative writing teacher, PhD student, and fantasy writer. Her children's novel, Seacastle: Book 1 of the Lost Shimmaron, was released May 2007, and she is the author of the award-winning Splashdance Silver, its sequel Liquid Gold, and the chapbook novelette Hobgoblin Boots.

In addition to being an editor, writer, teacher, and mother, you're also a PhD student. How do you manage to coordinate and prioritize all of your writing projects, editing obligations, and home life?

Actually, as of 11 August I will be a PhD graduate! And am I glad to have that over... My multitasking isnÕt so much a superpower as a necessity. When my daughter Raeli (now two and a half) came along, I happened to be still enmeshed in my postgraduate studies, and had the bizarre notion that I was ÒalmostÓ finished. The writing is something that I had to keep going to keep myself saneÑand feeling like myself! I did find that juggling study, motherhood, and fiction writing was far too much, thoughÑtwo of the three is fine, but all three is a nightmare. (Did I mentionÑ sooooo glad itÕs over?)

As to how I manage everythingÑwell, I have an understanding partner who views my writing career as an Òinvestment,Ó and I neglect the housework shamefully. I think I thrive best when having several balls in the air at onceÑIÕm proud that I havenÕt taken on any new projects since realizing that my PhD is finally over, but itÕs only a matter of time.

Can you tell me a little bit about what spurred you and your co-editors, Alisa Krasnostein and Ben Payne, to create Shiny?

The three of us have a real cross-section of publishing/editing experience and interests, and we formed Twelfth Planet Press in order to bring our various projects together under the one brand. One of our big passions is trying to find a financial model that works for Internet publishing, and weÕve tried several experiments towards that end.

Shiny came about because we discovered that one thing the three of us have in common is a love for the current wave of YA science fiction and fantasy novels. I think that some of the most innovative and interesting spec fic authors are working in YA right now! We realized that, apart from the occasional anthology or collection, there isnÕt a specific market for short YA fiction, and thought it would be worth investing some effort in seeing if it would be viable and sustainable as a webzine.

Our plan at the moment is to release three short issues of our webzine, to see what the subscriber interest is, but also whether we receive enough story submissions to make it worthwhile to continue the project.

What about young adult literature distinguishes it for you compared to works geared towards an adult audience?

I think that part of the appeal of YA novels (to adult as well as teenage readers) is that they have such a strong focus on character and narrative. The plots are tighter, and the characters fresher. I donÕt think that this is something that is automatically better about YA, but thatÕs the trend that IÕve seen in recent times. ThereÕs no room for padding and long-winded epic journeys in YAÑinstead we have short, fast, loud, passionate, fun. It also seems to me that thereÕs more room for experimentation in YA fiction, and less constraint to fit in with genre and sub-genre parameters.

But basicallyÑthere has just been so much exciting fiction published in YA lately! Authors like Scott Westerfeld, Holly Black, Cassandra Clare, and AustraliaÕs own Justine Larbalestier are writing such cool, funny and heartbreaking speculative novels that itÕs hard not to feel enthusiastic about the YA spec fic scene.

Have you observed any new trends in young adult literature either in Australia or worldwide? And do you find the Australian literary scene, both for young readers and adults, to be very different or distinctive from that of non-Aussie ones?

The obvious one is that YA fantasy has stopped being a dirty word and started being practically compulsoryÑ internationally, that is. In Australia weÕre only just at the Òstopped being a dirty word unless youÕre talking about Harry PotterÓ stage. I think that the international success of Garth Nix and Margo Lanagan has had a tangible effect in how the Australian literary scene regards YA fantasyÑBlack Juice in particular was so startling because itÕs a single author collection of YA short stories, and thatÕs such a marginalized area of publishing that no one expected it to receive such immense acclaim. Not that the book isnÕt deserving! But those of us working in the spec fic field in Australia are used to either being dismissed as ÒcommercialÓ or ignored altogether by mainstream awards/critics. Lanagan changed that, and broke down quite a few boundaries while she did so.

Other than the relative youth of our spec fic scene, I donÕt know of any particular difference between Australian YA and internationalÑexcept that there are more of you, obviously, and we do have a tendency to all know each other. Australia is a big country, but a small place. Also there are the obvious cultural elements that you will find in our fiction that make it uniqueÑas a British colony & home of European migration we have a lot of Mother Country issues, but more and more you will see our fantasy writers incorporating our own geography, botany, zoology, and sociological hang ups into their work, which is where things really get interesting.

The other big difference between the Australian and international spec fic scene is that science fiction has all but disappeared from our publishing industry, even as fantasy has blossomed. Five years ago, there were quite a few Australian SF authors, and now thereÕs almost no oneÑthose who are still having SF published are doing so with overseas publishers. We still have some thriving SF short fiction writers in the small press scene, though, and that was one thing we were keen on with ShinyÑwe wanted a balance of fantasy and science fiction with appeal to teen readers.

Shiny's guidelines state that the "style and substance of Shiny stories should be up there with the best current YA fiction." Can you clarify what you're looking for with regard to "style" and "substance"? What is your vision for Shiny that will distinguish it from other young adult fiction magazines?

We want stories that are page-turners, very readable, but with some depth to them. Characters we can believe in, and stories that matter. A lot of what weÕve received so far has either been overly dark, or so fluffy it makes our teeth ache. The authors I mentioned aboveÑWesterfeld, Black, Larbalestier, Clare, have all written excellent books in which credible teenage characters are faced with great, important challenges in original, inspiring, and magical situations. ThatÕs what we want, and then some.

There actually isnÕt much competition when it comes to young adult magazines, especially in AustraliaÑapart from a couple of educational publications. What we really want is to put stories out there that make the blood pump and the eyes brightenÑreading for the love of reading, stories that excite people.

In a similar vein, what makes a manuscript really stand out for you?

A protagonist we care about, doing something that matters. Prose that doesnÕt make us want to gouge our eyes out. Stories can convey that emotional, painful, hilarious time that is the teen years, with some added challenges of the otherworldly variety.

WhatÕs the most common thing you encounter in ShinyÕs slush pile that will result in a speedy rejection?

Heh. Middle aged protagonists (hint: just because your main character fancies a teenage girl does not make the story YA!). Child protagonists. Utter grossness. Stories in which nothing actually happens. Stories that feel like bad teen slasher movies. Vomit. Rape. Child abuse. Stories that do not conform to our word limits, or other guidelines.

Can you provide an overview of the consideration process a typical manuscript goes through when it's submitted to Shiny? With an editorial board of three editors, do you strive for unanimous consensus or majority vote? Or maybe do you arm wrestle each other when you have divergent opinions?

We all try to read all the stories that come inÑright now, we can still do that. We have a joint Google spreadsheet that enables us all to go in and vote yes, no, maybe, and leave comments. If two of us say no, the story gets sent back straight away, no need for the third person to read it. We really only want to publish stories that all three of us love, as weÕre publishing such a small number that we can afford to be choosy. If two adore a piece and one isnÕt keen, that one can possibly be swayed, but I think weÕve pretty much all been in accordance with those stories weÕve accepted so far.

ItÕs lucky that the three of us are a good team, and we do have a lot in common with the kind of stories we likeÑwe do argue a lot, but usually more about theoretical stuff to do with the type of stories we want to see or accept. When thereÕs an actual story on the table to consider, we are very civilized in exchanging opinions.

What do you think is the most important thing beginning writers need to work on when writing for children and young adults?

Authenticity. The characters have to feel like they are the age you say they areÑand that means a coherent, believable voice in the dialogue and, in most cases, the narrative. Also, with contemporary stories, they have to feel like they are children/teenagers of now, and not of the previous generation. Just chucking in slang terms that your kids use wonÕt do it, though, however accurate they may be. It has to feel authentic to a variety of people, and thatÕs a tricky balancing act.

With so many other mediums competing with young people's entertainment time and interestsÑTV, video games, the InternetÑwhat do you think a writer needs to do in order to effectively engage young people and encourage them to read?

Write interesting stories. I may be an idealist, but I think thatÕs enough. If the ideas and style and characters are engaging enough, then they will come. Harry Potter proved that, if nothing else. ItÕs also worth looking deeply at those other interests and asking yourself what the appeal is, and how you can use those insights to make your fiction more enticing to young readers.

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