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Children in Reality Shows and the Birth of a Book Idea by A.S. King

by Adventures in YA Publishing

We all know (or most of us anyway) that the idea for THE HUNGER GAMES was sparked by reality television, right? Well, today’s guest post by A.S. King asks a few more specific questions you may or may not have asked yourself about the ethics and effects of reality shows where children are concerned. Her latest book, REALITY BOY, is based on those questions, and you can bet the book is great. She has numerous awards under her belt for previous books, everything from Kirkus Reviews, Publishers Weekly & School Library Journal, and Los Angeles Times Best Book picks to Printz, Cybils, Edgar, and Junior Library Guild honors, and ALA and YALSA Best Book for Teens awards. In short, it’s an honor to have her share her thoughts with us.

Children in Reality Shows and the Birth of a Book Idea 

by A.S. King

REALITY BOY came to me in the shower after many months of thinking about kids on reality TV. I was living in Berks County, PA at the time and though I hadn’t watched TV in about 15 years, I had heard of our local reality TV stars, the Gosselins and their eight children. I’m not quick to judge people and I’ve never watched their show, so my thoughts from the beginning about REALITY BOY came from my Vulcan curiosity more than anything. Some of those thoughts were:

  • Why do parents sign their young children up to be on reality TV?
  • Why are adults entertained by so-called “real” children who misbehave or act foolishly on TV?
  • Why do we think it’s okay to poke fun at these children in our Facebook, Twitter or other social media streams?
  • Given the chance, how many parents would subject their children to this type of national scrutiny?
  • And why? Is it money? Fame? Something else?

The important thoughts I had in the shower on the morning I started writing REALITY BOY, though, were these:

  • If one in four children are suffering abuse of some sort in this country, then is it fair to assume that reality TV reflects this same ratio?
  • Does that mean that we, adults, are being entertained by children who are being abused behind the scenes?
  • What does this say about us?
  • And more importantly, how does a child grow up in that atmosphere and not be incredibly angry?

I know a little bit about reality-style TV because my husband once worked on two seasons of a small cable show where I learned that what we see—even if it’s as simple as two guys refinishing furniture—isn’t necessarily what goes on. (My husband would do the actual refinishing, not the two guys you saw pretending that they did the refinishing. See?) I don’t trust TV. I especially don’t trust reality TV, because it’s not supposed to be real. It’s supposed to be entertaining, no matter how we derive that entertainment.

So, while I stood there in the shower, I wondered about parents who give permission for their kids to be on TV, when TV can be so misrepresentative. As a parent, I get uncomfortable if someone even posts a picture of my child on Facebook because I don’t want my kids to ever feel as if I have been talking about them behind their backs with other people. Call me sensitive, but I think this stuff matters. I was 13 when I once overheard a family member talking about me at a Christmas party and it felt like the worst type of double-cross! It was so embarrassing—like much of childhood is.

What I wrote after my great-idea-shower remains the prologue to REALITY BOY. Gerald Faust shot out of my fingers and he was angry as hell. He was hurt. He was embarrassed. He was misunderstood. He was betrayed. And he was misrepresented—because I knew the truth of his family, and all those TV watchers who saw him on Network Nanny didn’t know, and never would.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

A.S. King is best known for her award-winning young adult novels, though she writes novel-length and short fiction for adults as well. After more than a decade in Ireland dividing herself between self-sufficiency, restoring her farm, teaching adult literacy, and writing novels, she returned to the US in 2004. She has


Visit her full website here.
Follow her on Twitter.
Become a Facebook Fan.
See her Hachette Speakers Bureau page here.

ABOUT THE BOOK: 

REALITY BOY by A. S. King
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Hardcover Release 10/22/13
Gerald Faust knows exactly when he started feeling angry: the day his mother invited a reality television crew into his five-year-old life. Twelve years later, he’s still haunted by his rage-filled youth—which the entire world got to watch from every imaginable angle—and his anger issues have resulted in violent outbursts, zero friends, and clueless adults dumping him in the special education room at school.


Nothing is ever going to change. No one cares that he’s tried to learn to control himself, and the girl he likes has no idea who he really is. Everyone’s just waiting for him to snap…and he’s starting to feel dangerously close to doing just that.


In this fearless portrayal of a boy on the edge, highly acclaimed Printz Honor author A.S. King explores the desperate reality of a former child “star” who finally breaks free of his anger by creating possibilities he never knew he deserved

Adventures in YA Publishing

This is the user name for posts from Adventures in YA Publishing that did not have a specific author.

Post © Adventures in YA Publishing. All rights reserved.
Posted: Oct 20, 2013
Category: Imported from AYAP
Tags: Craft of Writing | High Concept

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The first slide is an animation of a science/magic room in a castle. A cartoon character of a mad-scientist looking man in in the foreground says: “Hello! Dr. Frankenstein here to say, Well Done on kid lit zombie week! I’m an expert at reviving the dead, and let me assure you, with a little spark, you can bring dead projects to life. Especially if you dig up parts from other dead things. I’ll even let you have a sneak peek at my laboratory’s store room to consider potential parts for your dead project. If you see something with a yellow glow, that means you should click it. Have fun!”

He points to the right side of the screen and a new scene slides in of a castle science/magic storage room. There are various cartoon Frankenstein body parts scattered around. Some of them have a yellow glow. If you click on them, the images below appear (I’ve added alt text to them, so I hope it works).

The Heart of your story is the main character. The protagonist is the beating core that truly brings your story to life. If your MC doesn't make kids (and their grown-ups) care within the first few pages, your story will flatline. </p> <p>Your main character needs to be:<br /> • Relatable enough for kids to see themselves<br /> • Unique enough to stand out in the slush pile<br /> • Active enough to drive the story<br /> • Memorable enough to survive multiple readings at bedtime</p> <p>Where do you find this amazing donor heart? It might be the very thing you loved so much about the manuscript you want to revive. It might be the younger sister from your shelved YA novel. Or maybe it’s the hilarious kid you blogged about meeting at a school visit. Find a character beating with potential and place it in the center of your story.<br />
The Brain of your story is the theme or central message. The theme is the big idea that controls everything else. Picture books are more than stories - they're tiny life lessons disguised with humor and heart.</p> <p>But your theme needs to be:<br /> • Subtle enough not to trigger the dreaded "didactic" rejection<br /> • Clear enough for a four-year-old to grasp<br /> • Universal enough to speak to both kids and adults<br /> • Fresh enough to prevent agents and editors from responding with "Not another sharing/bedtime/first-day story!"</p> <p>Check your other dead manuscripts to see if there is a recurring theme, something that really seems to be speaking to you. Find the bit of poetry you scribbled on the back of a receipt to see what theme inspired it. Reread the pep talk you texted your critique partner at 1am. Pick the theme that will drive your story, giving it purpose, direction, and deeper meaning.<br />
The Legs of your story is the plot. Not to be confused with a grave plot.🤪 The plot is what keeps everything upright and moving, as well as providing support for all the other elements. You have very few words to use in a picture book, so you need to do a lot with each plot point.</p> <p>In general, your plot should:<br /> • Hook readers fast<br /> • Build tension that a child can follow<br /> • Create page turns that feel natural<br /> • Wrap up in a way that satisfies</p> <p>You can borrow a plot twist (a leg) from one manuscript and the opening (the other leg) from a different manuscript. Consider if the subplot of the middle grade novel you trunked would work better as a picture book. Or maybe your Facebook post about a disastrous camping trip could become a story for kids. Just keep putting one foot in front of the other until you have your storyline.
The Arms of your story are the side characters.
The Torso of your story is the setting. Setting helps a story breathe and connects all the elements of the story. It isn't just where your story lives, it's what makes your story ALIVE. It's the difference between "this happened in a park" and "this happened in that park, the one with the twisty slide that burns your legs and the creaky swing that sounds like a baby crying.”</p> <p>Your setting should:<br /> • Make your character's world feel real<br /> • Contain your story in a way that makes sense to young readers<br /> • Connect different scenes and moments organically<br /> • Give your illustrator enough room to add visual subplots</p> <p>Half-finished manuscripts are a great place to dig up settings, since you worked out the place details before the plot petered out. Or maybe you had to cut a second fantastic location from your chapter book. You can also revisit the detailed caption from your Instagram carousel documenting your tour of that delish candy shop. Disinter a robust setting that can house all of your story's vital organs.

After you press the Click When Done circle button, the lights flash with the sound of electricity buzzing. Then the screen goes black and lightning zaps across the screen with the sound of thunder.

The screen then lights up to show the storage room, and all the Frankenstein pieces have been assembled into the whole monster. An upbeat song plays in the background. Then a speech bubble pops up with the words, “I’m alive! I’M ALIVE!” Then the screen goes to black. 

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