How to get published: Writers for teen talk

Abby Loomis Staff Writer

They write novels on such tough topics as substance abuse, date rape, and child abandonment. What’s more, E.R. Frank ’90, Mariah Fredericks ’88, and Carolyn Mackler ’95 push the envelope farther by bringing this sort of difficult material to a unique audience—young adults. On Wednesday, March 30, the three authors spoke in Josselyn Parlor about the unique challenges and joys that a career in writing fiction for teenagers presents.

After discussing their individual paths from Vassar to successful writing careers, the three authors responded to questions from the audience. The first topic on the table was censorship. All agreed that they did not feel the need to monitor their writing for their younger audience.

“I’m just reflecting what’s real in the world already,” said Frank, a psychotherapist whose first novel, Life is Funny, deals with teen pregnancy, alcoholic parents, and intolerance. “I’m not doing anything particularly shocking. To the parents, it is.”

Fredericks spoke of one hard and fast rule she uses to decide if material should be included in her book. “The key word that comes up in my mind is, ‘is it exploitative?’” she said. “If it comes up from the character, you should use it.”

Mackler also emphasized the importance of telling a story truthfully, even if it involves controversial material. One example she gave was in a letter from a boy who identified with a plotline in her first novel, The Earth, My Butt and Other Big, Round Things. In the novel, the protagonist’s brother gets kicked out of Columbia for date rape. The author of the letter said that her book had helped him to get perspective on his own similar crime.

“It’s those kind of letters that make me keep writing,” Mackler said.

After tackling the question of censorship, Mackler, Frank, and Fredericks spoke about their experiences in the field of young-adult fiction. For Mackler, writing for teenagers was a natural decision. “I feel like I live in that voice still,” she said. “I always thought I was writing adult novels. However they want to market it, I don’t care. I think you have to be ten or 15 years past the age you want to write about anyway.”

Frank spoke of a “love/hate relationship” with young-adult fiction. While she greatly appreciates the relevance the genre has for teenagers, she also expressed frustration that the books are marketed only to that age range.

“If A Tree Grows in Brooklyn or Catcher in the Rye was marketed to teens, a lot of adults wouldn’t have read it, and that’s a shame,” she said.

Genre-writing was one of the topics discussed that interested Elsbeth Pancrazi ’05, a senior composition student and member of Helicon, who co-organized the event.

“One issue we talk about [in class] is writing in genres, if it can be taken as seriously,” she said. “There’s a big question whether literature writing is simply a style like sci-fi or young-adult.”

Pancrazi noted a growing interest in genre-writing outside the classroom as well.
“[Helicon is] getting a lot of submissions of different genres, like detective stories,” she said. “It’s exciting, and it’s stuff people want to read.”

Mackler, Fredericks, and Frank have all experienced first hand the rabid interest in their specific genre and praised their largely teenage fan bases.

“Teens are a great audience to write for,” said Fredericks. “They’re truly genuine. If they think it sucked, it sucked.”

The conversation turned more practical when the authors were asked to describe how they’d managed to obtain the holy grail desired by so many English majors—getting published. Frank detailed “the ABCs of trying to get published,” while Fredericks advised not to be afraid “to change gears.” Mackler attributed her success to simple manners.

“My whole career is here because of thank you notes,” she said.

The discussion on achieving success as a writer was just what Amelia Herring ’05 had been looking for in the lecture. “I want to write children’s books and I’m trying to find out where to begin,” she said. “The ABC’s of publishing were the main reason I came. It was really encouraging and informative.”

Herring also said she was encouraged by the writers’ alumni status. “[Their Vassar history] makes them much more accessible,” she said. “They’re actual people with a similar background to mine who actually got published.”

The authors spoke to this sense of hope when asked about their own Vassar experiences.
“The major thing I took away from Vassar is that college success is not an indicator of later success,” said Fredericks.

Mackler, described the liberal arts environment at Vassar as a prime influence on her own success as a writer.

“It took the pressure off and allowed us to dream and think about pursuing dreams as our future,” she said. “You learn to chill, have some fun in your world, and think about what you love.”