Book Review- Ready Player One

I finally got around to reading (listening to the audiobook version of) Ready Player One by Ernest

Cline. I wasn't expecting much, but wanted to see what all the hype was about. It turned out to be a fun read.

In a future world where society is in decline, people spend most of their time in the OASIS, a virtual reality world that offers endless entertainment and educational opportunities. There are elements of RPG, and heavy doses of geek culture and 1980s nostalgia. Imagine Sheldon Cooper created a version of Caprica's "V-World" and you won't be far off the mark.The creator of the OASIS left a scavenger hunt embedded within his massive virtual universe. The first to complete it will inherit massive wealth and gain control of the OASIS.

The book proceeds in typical YA fashion: underprivileged, outcast youth living in dystopia escapes into the OASIS. Eventually, with the help of a diverse cast of characters, he finds himself on the hunt for the prize, facing off against dangers within the OASIS and without, driven by the big, bad corporate entity that threatens to claim the virtual world and focus on maximizing revenue, thus squeezing out people like Wade (or Parcival, as he is known in the OASIS.) The plot plays out much like you would expect if you read a lot of YA literature.

The story is rife with nerd/geek and 1980s pop culture references: video games, board games, television, movies, music... I'm not much of a gamer, and there are many aspects of geek culture that don't interest me, but I still enjoyed the many references, and the allusions to things that aren't in my nerd wheelhouse didn't leave me feeling disconnected. In some sections, particularly in one early chapter, the story bogs down as Cline engages in some massive info-dumps. I can understand why some people gave up on the book at this stage (it's really that bad in a couple places) but I stuck with it and I'm glad I did.

The story poses a few questions that, as a former English teacher, I think would have made for interesting classroom discussion:
-Are virtual-world (online) friendships less "real" because the people haven't met in real life, or are they more real because they are primarily "mental" connections, our judgment unclouded by things like race, sexual orientation, or physical appearance, which tend to color our judgment (no pun intended)?
-Do the negatives of a virtual world outweigh the positives?
-Will the continued development of technology, and our many options for entertainment distract us from caring for the real world or even engaging in it?

There's nothing deep or profound here, and some of the diverse aspects of certain characters are treated as afterthoughts. ("Oh, by the way, now that the story is almost over, I should let you know my actual gender, race, and sexual orientation,  and then we'll pretty much forget I mentioned it.") Some critics have accused Cline of writing a wish-fulfillment story. Maybe it's true, but that's a criticism that could be leveled against many, many books. I've read plenty of other criticisms, which you can find via a simple web search if you're so inclined.

Overall, Ready Player One is a "by the numbers," yet entertaining novel. Wil Wheaton's narration of the audiobook is solid. This was the first of his narrations I've listened to, and he's very good.  I'll definitely give Cline's next book, Armada, a try.

Encourage A Young Writer Day

Listen to the companion podcast episode.

Today is National Encourage a Young Writer Day (and I'm writing it out because NEYWD isn't much of an acronym; kind of a misspelling of NUDE.) As someone who gave writing a try as a kid and then stopped for decades before returning to it, I thought I'd take a moment to offer some

encouragement and advice to young writers:


Don't be shy or self-conscious. When I was in middle school, I decided to try my hand at writing a book. My mom saw the pages, picked them up, and read them. She didn't say anything about them, or do anything to make me feel embarrassed (in fact, my parents always praised my writing) but I was still mortified that someone had read my fiction. There was something about writing fiction that made me feel vulnerable in a way that writing essays or humorous pieces didn't. It was a long time before I wrote fiction again. I regret the years I wasted. I probably wouldn't have produced anything publishable during those years, but I've had gained experience and had fun in the process. And who knows? Maybe I would have produced something awesome.

On that note...

Don't focus on getting published. When I taught middle school, one of the most awkward positions I found myself in was when a young writer would tell me, "I wrote my book and had it checked for mistakes. Now, how do I get published?" I never wanted to say anything that would discourage a young writer, but I also didn't want to lead them into a situation where their writing would be dismissed (or worse) by editors (or readers, in the case of self-publishing.) The first books you write aren't going to be publishable, and certainly not a first draft that's been checked for typos. Take pride in what you've written, share it with people close to you, learn the writing and revision process, keep writing new books, and read. Don't be in such a hurry to publish, and don't feel like you haven't accomplished something just because you did not seek publication for a given book.

Learn a lot. You can find a wealth of information on writing and publishing for free on the web: blogs, websites, forums, podcasts, YouTube. Heck, Brandon Sanderson offers some of his graduate level writing courses in their entirety for free on YouTube. The writing life is a long journey, one you never complete, so learn all you can along the way.

Read a lot! Read books in genres you love. Read books in genres you're not sure you will enjoy. Read non-fiction (you'd be surprised how many story and character ideas you'll get from non-fiction.) Learn from "classic" books but read what's current, too. And don't read the same things over and over.

Write a lot! Write short stories, write books, write fan fiction. Practice, practice, practice.

Get honest feedback. As you grow as a writer, you'll want to get feedback on your stories so you can improve. This is where writing short stories can be great. It's one thing to ask someone to critique a short story. It's yet another thing to ask them to critique a book. But remember, when you're young job # 1 is...

Have fun! Enjoy creating characters and stories. There will be plenty of time later on for harsh criticism. While you're young, just create and have a blast doing it.

Indie Publishing for Young Adults?

One of the questions I frequently get is, "I want to write for the Young Adult market. Is self publishing a good option?"

In a word, "No".

Let's begin with a couple of realities:
Indie publishing is dominated by ebooks.
Young adults and middle-graders like print books.

Yes, there are exceptions, but let's not waste one another's time with tales of our brother's sister-in-law's niece who is addicted to ebooks, or the indie author who hit it big. The reality of the market is that print is king in young adult. Heck, "king" doesn't begin to describe it. Emperor Pope Elvis, maybe?

During a recent YA literature panel at Thrillerfest, popular YA authors shared their own experiences, which are consistent with this trend. All agreed that their ebook sales make up a disproportionately low percentage compared to overall market demographics, and that their ebook readership is comprised almost entirely of adults.

This might seem strange. I mean, kids love technology. They love their phones. Many love reading on Wattpad, or will voraciously read fan fiction online. So what gives?

A few possibilities:
You need a credit card to set up an account with all the major ebook sellers.
Fanfic and Wattpad are free. For a kid with little money, borrowing from the library, receiving books as gifts, or using gift money to buy bargain books is the way to go.
School libraries, classroom libraries, and book fairs help shape reading tastes, and get kids into the habit of reading print books.
It's fun to snap a pic of your new book purchase and share it on Instagram. Not so much with your new ebook purchase.
Ebooks are great formats for story delivery, but as a memento of the reading experience, they lack something. There's something special about owning a favorite book in print, and it's even more special if it's the actual copy you read the first time. Kids, in particular, love owning a tangible reminder of the way they felt when they read a beloved story for the first time.

So what does this mean for us?

If your goal is to sell stories to the young adult market, neither self-publishing nor small/mid-size press are likely to help you achieve your goals. You aren't likely to get into school libraries without reviews in professional trade journals. Book fairs won't carry your books. You might manage to schedule some school appearances, but the barriers are much lower with an established publisher.

Many independent publishers will publish YA books, but few deliver results. If you're considering a publisher, check your local bookstores and libraries and see if their books are on the shelves. Check the Amazon rankings of their titles and see if they're selling. See if any of the teen readers you know have heard of any of their authors or titles. The answer to all of those is likely to be "No." I know this is harsh, but I know too many authors who ended up disappointed because their self/indie press-published YA/Middle Grades/New Adult book(s) didn't reach their target audience.

Many adults read and enjoy stories aimed at the YA market, so it's possible that you could succeed in selling to those readers, but if you want to sell your books to teens and young adults, the "traditional" route remains the way to go.

On the positive side, new YA authors are being signed and published all the time. Study the market, research literary agents, and follow best submission practices.

Good luck and keep writing!