I’m a blogger, but I’m also an author. I love to write about writing, and I love to help fellow writers. Why? Because I didn’t have a lot of help back in 2007 when I was first published. There wasn’t as much information online or writers groups at the tips of your…keyboard. I mean, you’re talking about a time without Facebook or Twitter. So, I struggled a lot. I made a lot of mistakes…and I still make mistakes.
You see, blogging as an author can come with some controversy.
Times change. Ideas change. People change. And my opinions have shifted a lot over time.
For instance, I wrote a piece about sex in YA five years ago. I was adamantly against it, mainly because I think young people are already under too much pressure. To be honest, I still think there shouldn’t be overly graphic scenes of sex in YA, but that’s just my opinion. And, quite frankly, I have a beef with my opinion. (Yes, I have arguments with myself.) I mean, I have violent scenes in my books. Why not sex? Granted, don’t get me wrong, I’m still not there. I prefer to keep sex out of my young adult books. But that’s just me. I wouldn’t stop other YA authors from exploring these topics, even though—five years ago—I was strongly against it. (And this is just one topic out of dozens I’ve changed opinions about over time.)
Basically, I wouldn’t judge an author on their past articles or opinions too harshly.
We are people. We grow, and we change, and so does our work.
Let us learn over time, and we can all learn together.
~SAT
P.S. If you ever stumble across one of my old articles and have questions, don’t hesitate to ask! I always strive to answer comments, no matter how old the article is. Thank you for reading!
Shannon A. Thompson 
Great post!
I’m probably a bit more anti-sex than you, but to each their own as this post is trying to say.
Yeah, I just thought it was a topic I know I’ve changed my mind about, but I need to write another post about it. Thank you for reading!
~SAT
I appreciate a good sex-free young adult book. I’m just not into those types of topics, nor do I want to be. Everyone has their own opinions, but I’m thankful that YA is so diverse (for the most part).
Wonderful post!
Same. I’m just not interested in reading or writing about it, but while I used to be against it as a whole a couple years ago, I’ve come to realize some readers do want that, and it’s not my job to lay down those lines. So, my opinion changed for others, but not so much my work. What the future holds, I’ve no idea, but it’s interesting to see the industry and writers change over time.
Thank you for reading!
~SAT
That’s an interesting perspective that’s never really occurred to me before. How blog posts tend to show a frozen point in time (unless they’ve been updated).
I actually just started thinking about that, too. Basically, someone recently commented on one of my oldest blog posts, and I started reading it, only to realize how much my perspective has changed. I guess that calls for an updated version. 🙂 Thank you for reading!
~SAT
Keep being as amazing as you are no matter what you do. 🙂
I will try! Thank you!
~SAT
🙂
Keep on elevating, love your work!!