tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4206355073837906221.post3162290788973598973..comments2024-03-08T20:57:25.380-08:00Comments on Julie Musil, Author: Teen Boy Readers: What They Like and What They Wish Writers KnewUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger32125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4206355073837906221.post-70602722691518103272014-09-01T19:26:36.363-07:002014-09-01T19:26:36.363-07:00Great interview! Personally, it just makes me happ...Great interview! Personally, it just makes me happy that they're all reading and enjoying books--something that's a little rare these days it seems!Meradeth Houstonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06741790047121063893noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4206355073837906221.post-8248681108274680192014-09-01T12:14:35.248-07:002014-09-01T12:14:35.248-07:00Leslie, I tell ya, my boys surprised me. When I fi...Leslie, I tell ya, my boys surprised me. When I first asked the romance question, the 14 year olds got embarrassed. Not my 17 year old--he dove right in.Julie Musilhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02150454913885915017noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4206355073837906221.post-12635267379026745932014-08-31T19:40:47.827-07:002014-08-31T19:40:47.827-07:00I think the message here is if the story dignifies...I think the message here is if the story dignifies its readers for being both soulful and intelligent - they'll dive in. Loved the boys' take on romance.Leslie S. Rosehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17122865337924270039noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4206355073837906221.post-28720440582567940342014-08-31T19:05:39.115-07:002014-08-31T19:05:39.115-07:00Jess, thanks for stopping by! I also thought their...Jess, thanks for stopping by! I also thought their answers were interesting. I was also surprised to hear they like romance as much as they do. I thought that was just a teen girl thing.Julie Musilhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02150454913885915017noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4206355073837906221.post-69537106667838737432014-08-31T16:26:34.739-07:002014-08-31T16:26:34.739-07:00How awesome to hear what teen boys want in a book!...How awesome to hear what teen boys want in a book! This is just awesome and it was so interesting to read their responses. Thanks for sharing. :) <br />~JessDMShttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04202502753961748992noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4206355073837906221.post-71673185433394074302014-08-28T14:00:03.180-07:002014-08-28T14:00:03.180-07:00Susan, I'm so glad you stopped by! About my ne...Susan, I'm so glad you stopped by! About my new release...thanks so much!<br /><br />It's so cool that your ten year old is already good at giving feedback!Julie Musilhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02150454913885915017noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4206355073837906221.post-37908377146587069202014-08-28T13:58:22.983-07:002014-08-28T13:58:22.983-07:00Susanne, I'm glad you liked the web site! I th...Susanne, I'm glad you liked the web site! I think it's darn cute. <br /><br />As for the young teen boys, I hope their input is helpful to writers. Heck, I was quite surprised by some of their answers, especially answers to the follow up questions about teen guys and romance.Julie Musilhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02150454913885915017noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4206355073837906221.post-15163685606397523272014-08-28T13:55:03.247-07:002014-08-28T13:55:03.247-07:00Thanks, Marcy. Here's the thing...they don'...Thanks, Marcy. Here's the thing...they don't think their opinions matter, but I reminded them that they are the target readers for many writers, and their input is priceless. I learned a lot from them!Julie Musilhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02150454913885915017noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4206355073837906221.post-11279304311110869792014-08-28T13:53:31.800-07:002014-08-28T13:53:31.800-07:00Neurotic, they are smart! Thank you. It's a go...Neurotic, they are smart! Thank you. It's a good group of kids. They love to read, but only when it's what THEY want to read. They rarely like to read what the teacher assigns them to read. They have to be dragged into reading classics, but they'll gobble up series like Hunger Games, Divergent, Maze Runner, etc.Julie Musilhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02150454913885915017noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4206355073837906221.post-24441727372170823242014-08-28T13:50:25.600-07:002014-08-28T13:50:25.600-07:00Shell, when they first read Hunger Games and I cal...Shell, when they first read Hunger Games and I called it dystopian, they were a bit confused by the term. Now they know it and love it!Julie Musilhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02150454913885915017noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4206355073837906221.post-31137882959312429492014-08-28T08:26:19.974-07:002014-08-28T08:26:19.974-07:00Julie, your new release sounds amazing! I am in th...Julie, your new release sounds amazing! I am in the middle of another YA right now, but I am definitely going to read this one. Love the premise. I have boys, too. A little younger, but my 10-year-old is good at giving feedback. Glad I found you through Alex's blog. Susan Oloierhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07311938400999953443noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4206355073837906221.post-50984922667845752302014-08-28T06:06:44.025-07:002014-08-28T06:06:44.025-07:00Julie, your website looks great. Thanks for shari...Julie, your website looks great. Thanks for sharing with us what young male readers like to read.<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4206355073837906221.post-11664254339035720572014-08-28T05:44:57.331-07:002014-08-28T05:44:57.331-07:00What a great idea to interview your sons and their...What a great idea to interview your sons and their friends - and very informative for us writers! Thanks!mshatchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06308916014310536449noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4206355073837906221.post-15491215842000141462014-08-27T21:21:14.480-07:002014-08-27T21:21:14.480-07:00Your sons and their friends sound very smart. And ...Your sons and their friends sound very smart. And it's refreshing to know that there are young people who like to read; several of my students don't like to read, which makes teaching literature even more difficult. Neurotic Workaholichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06775298184138766683noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4206355073837906221.post-32344114602411293032014-08-27T19:05:19.825-07:002014-08-27T19:05:19.825-07:00I love that 14 year old boys know what dystopian f...I love that 14 year old boys know what dystopian fiction is. Some great writing advice here.Shell Flowerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08127004188099765270noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4206355073837906221.post-34993873183010259582014-08-27T17:04:38.350-07:002014-08-27T17:04:38.350-07:00Seriously? I'd never even heard of him or his ...Seriously? I'd never even heard of him or his books! I had to Google it. Isn't it funny how boys latch on to things we've never heard of? Like Minecraft :/<br /><br />It's great that you're also a fan of Darren Shan's books. You and your son read the same books and probably enjoy discussing them. I liked it when my sons and I read Divergent and Hunger Games. It's fun to chat about books with them.Julie Musilhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02150454913885915017noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4206355073837906221.post-44807375488460872982014-08-27T17:02:56.266-07:002014-08-27T17:02:56.266-07:00Lee, I have to say, I'm spoiled by having teen...Lee, I have to say, I'm spoiled by having teen readers (and their friends!) in the house.<br /><br />They're such goofballs, so it was surprising to learn that they appreciate some romance in their books. I would've never guessed!<br /><br />Once these boys find a series they love, they burn through it quickly. Maze Runner, for example. Julie Musilhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02150454913885915017noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4206355073837906221.post-77563491696413945932014-08-27T16:48:23.091-07:002014-08-27T16:48:23.091-07:00My son had me chasing Darren Shan books and now I&...My son had me chasing Darren Shan books and now I'm a fan too. =)E. Arroyohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06634213563563094173noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4206355073837906221.post-84848836369024363172014-08-27T16:28:37.719-07:002014-08-27T16:28:37.719-07:00How great to be able to interview your readers in ...How great to be able to interview your readers in the comfort of your home! I liked that it was the genre that caught him up as much as a good story.cleemckenziehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15456109243453726483noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4206355073837906221.post-29972267024686114022014-08-27T13:58:22.712-07:002014-08-27T13:58:22.712-07:00Catherine, I also found it interesting that they d...Catherine, I also found it interesting that they don't care too much about all the details we care about...genre, word count, etc...they just want a good story. Like the rest of us, I guess :)Julie Musilhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02150454913885915017noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4206355073837906221.post-32306248649068501952014-08-27T13:57:04.938-07:002014-08-27T13:57:04.938-07:00Raquel, it does come in handy! Especially with cha...Raquel, it does come in handy! Especially with character details and language. It was interesting to hear their answers to R. Mac Wheeler's question about romance, though. They surprised me!Julie Musilhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02150454913885915017noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4206355073837906221.post-45760578742235197772014-08-27T12:48:58.290-07:002014-08-27T12:48:58.290-07:00What a great interview!!! It's helpful to know...What a great interview!!! It's helpful to know that endings don't have to be all sunny, and that guy readers want action right from the start. And alt universes.Catherine Stinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08131569196977321229noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4206355073837906221.post-66327905781437973092014-08-27T12:17:40.951-07:002014-08-27T12:17:40.951-07:00That is so great having your demographic at the di...That is so great having your demographic at the dinner table. Thanks so much for sharing that with us. :)<br /><br /><a href="http://nitewriter6.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow"><b> Edge of Your Seat Stories </b></a>Raquel Byrneshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12870113745683162915noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4206355073837906221.post-23057450167431899102014-08-27T12:14:34.101-07:002014-08-27T12:14:34.101-07:00This comment has been removed by the author.Raquel Byrneshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12870113745683162915noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4206355073837906221.post-90082473895969316082014-08-27T10:46:23.818-07:002014-08-27T10:46:23.818-07:00Ooooh, excellent question!
Nathan and Loker aren&...Ooooh, excellent question!<br /><br />Nathan and Loker aren't here, so I asked my three sons. <br /><br />My 17 year old says this: he thinks romance is important. He even likes it when romance distracts the main character, such as a football player who's in the big game and and his head isn't in the game at all--it's on the girl. Or even when there's a save the girl element to the story--like the main character has to fight off the bad guy, and saving the girl becomes an added layer of conflict. 17 yo says 50/50 is a good ratio for romance, and nothing too gooey. He also likes it when friends become more than friends and help each other solve the story problem.<br /><br />Blake says this: he likes it when romance plays a big part in the story. He loved The Fault in Our Stars. He liked how two imperfect people found each other and fell in love. He likes it when it's not the perfect hot guy falls for the perfect hot girl. He also likes it when a poor boy/girl meets the rich girl/guy and shows them a different world. Aladdin came to mind. He doesn't like it when it's just making out. He wants the love to be "magical."<br /><br />Here's what Garrett had to say: he likes it when romance is a sub plot, like in Divergent. He agrees that 50/50 is a good ratio for adding romance to the story. And he says love triangles annoy/frustrate him.<br /><br />I have to say, I learned a lot about my own sons by asking this question. I had no idea they liked that much romance in their books. Good to know!Julie Musilhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02150454913885915017noreply@blogger.com