SJ Longthorne

Stories exist primarily to tell us something about ourselves and our world. We may not like their power, but they hold it regardless. We can't simply stop writing stories for YA because of that, because others certainly won't.

I'm not saying that we should write stories that tell us universal truths. I'm saying write stories that give us positive role models and expose us to unfamiliar ideas, simply by including them in the narrative. Stories that allow us to explore ideas.

The way that dystopia, for examples, sets a stage designed around ideological and philosophical principles, and then allows readers to explore that environment and arrive at their own conclusions with the materials they have available to them.

In that way, dystopia is probably one of the most exciting genres. You can create entire societies based around philosophical conundrums, such as freedom vs safety, strength vs empathy, which readers may not have given much thought before, and challenge them on it.

Yes, absolutely. Kind of what I was alluding to with stories that change your perspective. That is the power of fiction, and one of the reasons why I find storytelling appeals to me and why it's what I want to explore professionally. It's like my personal meta story of fiction :)

Same here. Fiction, for me, is both a creative outlet and an avenue by which I can try and make a positive difference because let's be real...I would make the world's worst politician

Never say never Sarah :) I find your opinions well informed, you're good at expressing yourself, and clearly your intentions are good. That's a lot more than can be said about many, if not most, politicians! But yes, sure, politics is much more than just those qualities.

Well thank you -- that's very kind! I still have a lot more learning to do in any case!