Your Own Story
[Music]
i’m the sort of person that can read a
400 page book
faster than they can talk a mile i am
also the sort of person that loves to
write and read
to the point where i have written and
published three books and have a long
and growing to be read list
still i think we can all agree that we
have all read a book at one point in our
lives
and maybe some of you found your love
for reading then and
maybe some of you didn’t maybe because
you didn’t connect with the characters
or the story wasn’t one you were
interested in
but what if i told you that there now
more than ever
exists a world of stories out there that
can have
that story you have always wanted to
read and never found
i would first like to start by saying
that i am not here to tell you that you
should read
i’m sure a lot of people have probably
already told you that
and that you’re a little tired of
hearing it if not a lot
let’s be honest but what i am here to
talk to you about are the changes in the
ya book industry
or the young adult book industry because
it has become a place where you can talk
about
serious issues to what you might read
and write and a place
with so much more diversity in its
characters topics plotlines
and authors in the recent years so that
if you decide to pick up a book or start
writing after this stock
which would be amazing or if you decide
to do so in years to come
you know what is out there for you
books are never easy to pick especially
if you don’t know what you like reading
about
personally i love young adult fantasy
otherwise known as why fantasy and i
have loved reading since i was very
little
and that’s why i can tell you that the
young adult book industry
has changed tremendously in the recent
years
the stories that before predominated the
industry have
changed to become much more diverse and
inclusive
we might have read the story of the man
that saves stamp soul in distress
while today we read the story of the
damsel that saves herself
or even the man before we might have
also read this story
of the predominantly caucasian main
characters
while today we read about people from
all around the world as main characters
and about different cultures and sexual
orientations
stories have changed to better connect
with the new generation of young adults
take some of the ya classics around the
world in 80 days by jules byrne
frankenstein by mary shelley or even
damien by herman hess
all of those stories have caucasian male
main characters
and they help build the idea of what the
main character
and story should be that the industry is
now changing
even harry potter by j.k rowling or lord
of the rings by j.r.r tolkien
have male main characters and there’s
nothing wrong with that
but we now have more stories that have a
strong female main character
like mayer from the red queen series
written by victoria aveyard
that is leading a revolution that is
fighting for equality in this
world that is divided by blood or even
anes gaffa from the six of crows zoology
written by leigh bardugo that was
kidnapped and trafficked at a very young
age but managed to come out victorious
and participate in this
amazing heist or even the book by adam
silvera they both die at the end
and yes you heard me right they are
literally telling you the ending of the
book
in its title but it still does not
prepare you for all the wants to live
and cry that you will go through by the
end of it
and i can tell you that by experience
stories now also talk about current and
pressing issues
the hate you give is a book written by
angie thomas
that talks about police brutality and
racism in society
that before most likely would have been
censored like to kill a mockingbird by
harper lee
now it is an award-winning book for the
fictional story it tells
that is true to so many stories now
also not only show the good morals in
people but also the bad or green morals
people can have
renegades a trilogy by marisa mayer
shows us how that line between
good and bad isn’t as clear as we like
to think it is
and it does that through this world with
prodigies with powers
and normal people why books
also now talk about topics that before
most likely would have been reserved for
the adult
or neo-doll books like trauma the
journey many go through depression
thoughts of self-harm learning to love
yourself and to accept others
and to not believe everything you’re
told as a fact
reading about these topics as a young
adult can help you see that whatever
challenge you might be facing or going
through
you are not alone in it and that can
help you also feel some
comfort the ya book industry has changed
to better
show and embrace the world today one
where everyone
should be and is different and one where
you should not try to fit the single
mole
that was previously portrayed
stories aren’t the only ones that have
experienced change in the ya book
industry
others and publishing as well publishing
has become something
that does not have to be done with a
publishing house
but something that anyone can do with
their own resources
and a self-publishing service which
helps you print and edit the book that
you might have created
we also have more female authors being
picked up by publishing houses
and getting the recognition they deserve
because before
there were very few that had
best-selling novels we also now have
authors from
all around the world and with different
beliefs hafsah faisal is an american
muslim woman who wears the burka
and is of sri lankan and arab descent
and is the author of the book series
sans of arua
in which it gives us a taste of ancient
arabia
as the y a book industry changes the
community does as well
readers and authors now more openly
speak out against serious issues and
stories
denouncing stories and even authors that
are racist or that misportrayed a
marginalized community
and marginalized communities now more
than ever speak out to prevent any
misinformation or straight up offensive
information and stories
sometimes authors don’t listen and don’t
try to change and other times they do
like it happened with this author her
book raised controversy
because many people found it racist for
various reasons
like a passage in the story in which it
referred to dreadlocks in a way that
added to the stigma
that this hairstyle isn’t a good option
for hygienic purposes
later on she apologized and made sure
that the passage was taken out of future
copies of the book
and even then readers still found the
story problematic
this comes to show how racist
information can still be found in
stories
but because readers spoke out and better
educated the author and
others the spread of this offensive
passage and information
was stopped the reading community has
become
a wonderful place where you can hear
different perspectives
and opinions regarding stories both
praising them and
other times in the hopes to help the
industry further change
and to prevent any misinformation racist
homophobic
anti-semitic or any sort of offensive
writing to not be deemed as
okay or part of the art
i started writing when i was seven years
old and i can remember
every night before i went to sleep my
dad would always read me a bedtime story
but one night i got tired of hearing the
story that didn’t go how i wanted it to
go
or that didn’t have anything that i
wanted a story to have
so i took matters into my own hands by
basically hiring my dad to write down a
story that i would tell him
bit by bit every night before i went to
sleep
the next day is where he would earn his
faith by typing down in his computer
everything that i had told him since
back then i
barely knew how to tie my shoes never
mind typing a computer
i would then sit down with him and tell
him to change certain things to fit the
story that i had come up with within my
head
and that’s how slowly we published my
first book in east any other prophecies
a year later the second book of the
series was published alongside my father
elorigender crufix
and it followed a very similar dynamic
except this time
i managed to sit down and write a couple
of the pages of the book
later on i realized that my father’s
services were
no longer required and that i would have
to let him go
so i basically fired him and did the
next book on my own
sitting down on afternoons to write a
new story that had popped into my head
and it was sometimes really hard knowing
how to continue the story
or write a scene to fit specifically
what i had come up with in my head
but that taught me that you’re in no
rush to write your story
you will inevitably need breaks and you
should take them
leave the story for a few days so that
when you come back you have a fresh mind
and try it again
and don’t forget to edit edit edit and
edit some more
especially if you want to take your
writing more seriously or professionally
because there will always be small
things that you might have missed the
first time around
eventually i re-hired him and even
involved my mom for the translation and
to touch up the drawings for my third
book streaming course
that was published a year later i have
not stopped writing since because
writing for me is a way to let my
imagination go crazy and to also express
myself my emotions and my ideas through
the characters or the stories that i
might create
because it’s my story and it can be
anything i want it to be
in my more recent writing i concentrate
on creating characters from
all around the world to help tell my
stories and also talk about
issues that we as young adults might
face like not feeling like you’re enough
learning to love yourself and who you
are and the life is not completely black
and white
writing has also taught me that no idea
is too crazy or bad
so if an idea for a story pops into your
head and you’re doubting it because you
don’t think it’s good enough
stop yourself right there don’t kill any
ideas before even trying them
you will never truly know if it really
isn’t what you want
unless you give them a try make writing
your own personal channel to experience
issues and educate yourself through
research for stories you want to write
when needed and do it correctly
and speak out on things you believe in
even if you don’t share your writing
with anyone
my more recent stories i have not shared
with anyone because
i want to keep them to myself for now
and that’s another of the amazing things
about writing
it is something that you can and should
do for yourself
and yourself only whether you share what
you write is completely
up to you that’s one of the biggest
lessons that i have gotten from writing
right because it’s something that you
like and that you find a joy in
not because of external pressure you
might feel make writing a little safe
space for yourself that you can
count on and and go to whenever you want
i always read and write alone in my room
with music playing in the background
because
it makes me feel like i’m in my own
little world so make it your own little
personal bubble
we always taught how reading is a way
for us to learn more
language history or lessons and it’s
completely true
but reading for me is also a way to let
my imagination
run loose and to also learn grow and
help
understand myself and others better
yea has shown me a variety of characters
that i can relate to
on a personal level and that has helped
me understand much more of
who i am why i might feel certain things
act a certain way
because the characters and i are
sometimes driven by the same things
it is almost like seeing yourself fully
for the first time
why books have shown me characters that
vary in race
shape size belief sexual orientation
culture
and much more and issues from our world
today even through fantasy worlds that
are not even remotely similar in
structure
it have so many similar
even with all the progress that has been
made there is inevitably a gap for
growth and change
there’s still a lot of censorship around
the world and in the community which
limits the titles that young adults can
read and female authors still face a
disadvantage
compared to male authors when being
picked up by publishing houses
and diversity has gone from something
that was done to embrace the world today
and positively
to something that is done just for the
sake of being able to say the story is
diverse
because it has a character of color or
part of the lgbtq plus community
the ya book industry and the industry in
general is by no means perfect
but it has become a place that is
evolving alongside its readers to better
connect with them
especially in ya in all its genres
we have gone from having a very
established mold of what the main
character
storyline and plotline should be to one
where we can experience different
characters and stories that we can
relate to on a personal level
reading and writing can be a way for you
to express yourself
phrase your voice and grow as an
individual there can almost be a guiding
step into figuring out who you are as a
young adult
and it’s a way for you to step into a
thousand different lives and live them
as if they were your own
and sometimes even get a break from
everyday life with just a flip of a page
there have been so many times that i
have been so invested in a story
that i can help but freak out of
happiness surprise or anger
other times for the sake of my parents i
just go for the
slowly close the book because i need to
take a mental pause to process what just
happened
or the slightly more violent option
throwing the book across the room
but hey if a story isn’t causing you
that sort of reaction
is it really that good of a story
reading and writing can create amazing
roles that before the changes in the ya
book
industry we as young adults might not
have been able to experience it in the
same way
so step into that world look for books
in your local bookstore
check out booktube or booktalk which are
the book sites of youtube and
tick tock for book recommendations
search for that story you have always
wanted to read
and if you can’t find it write your own
story
you