If you’re a Buffy the Vampire Slayer fan and haven’t read some recent young adult lit, or if you’re a big YA fan but have yet to check out Joss Whedon’s brilliant teen series, you are missing out. Seriously.
I started off San Diego Comic-Con last week by attending The Buffy Effect panel with YA authors Rachel Hawkins (Rebel Belle), Kiersten White (In The Shadows), Rae Carson (Girl of Fire and Thorns), Brittany Geragotelis (What the Spell?), and Valerie Tejeda (Hollywood Witch Hunter). Moderated by Sarah Kuhn, the authors discussed how Buffy the Vampire Slayer revolutionized the teen heroine in young adult books. While strong female characters were a big part of the discussion, the world surrounding those characters was given a focus: the supporting characters, the relationships between all of those characters, the setting, and much more. Each of the authors shared their own struggles and triumphs at creating their own main characters and setting up their worlds. Buffy is a huge influence in the developments of their novels.
It was fun and interesting to see these authors get candid about the writing process and geek out over a show that is proving to stand the test of time. Thanks to Penguin Random House, there is a full video of the panel that you can watch below. I’ve also included some of my live tweets from the panel.
A few highlights from The Buffy Effect panel:
Teen heroines can be both vulnerable and tough; that's something #Buffy exemplified. #SDCC pic.twitter.com/K0LCx6Jt0R
— The Young Folks (@TYFofficial) July 9, 2015
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.@raecarson learned from #Buffy how killing off a big character can be impactful & powerful storytelling tool. #SDCC pic.twitter.com/LKocxVFGR4
— The Young Folks (@TYFofficial) July 9, 2015
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.@LadyHawkins' main character in #RebelBelle definitely has a lot in common with #Buffy. (I totally agree.) #SDCC pic.twitter.com/bfghTfH5v5
— The Young Folks (@TYFofficial) July 9, 2015
Writing the "saving the world" part is easier than writing the human element of the story. #Buffy #SDCC pic.twitter.com/ZoMnYb4MHH
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— The Young Folks (@TYFofficial) July 9, 2015
#Buffy wasn't very racially diverse. Kiersten White encourages to watch #The100, a show that is very diverse & promotes gender equality.
— The Young Folks (@TYFofficial) July 9, 2015
Representation isn't honorable. It's about representing people who actually exist in the world. #diversityinya #yalit #sdcc
— The Young Folks (@TYFofficial) July 9, 2015
It's easy to default to tropes, so you always need to ask yourself why and steer clear of those stereotypes. #SDCC pic.twitter.com/N2DvzVnYnL
— The Young Folks (@TYFofficial) July 9, 2015
Comic-Con International 2015 took place from Wednesday, July 8 through Sunday, July 12 at the San Diego Convention Center.
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