One more time...please welcome Rita William Garcia to the Tollbooth.
Hi Rita! This week has been a lot of fun and educational. I loved hearing about your thoughts on the "first person." And I may jump back to yesterday's post with some questions...but today, let's focus on one of the most essential elements of any book: novel, picture book, or non fiction. THE ENDING.
And WOW--The ending of JUMPED does it all....
It's controversial.
It's inevitable.
It's surprising.
PROVACATIVE.
(I loved it!)
So let's talk....
In general, where in the process do you know how your story will end? Now specifically, when did you craft the ending of JUMPED?
I knew my ending before I began writing.
Wow. That is sort of daunting.
It wasn’t so much about crafting but beginning with a clear point of view, which was my basis for writing the story. Namely, girl violence is on the rise, and a good deal of it is random and baseless. Now, JUMPED was my toughest novel and I scrapped it and restarted many, many times. With each trek into the desert, I had to keep the oasis in view. I always asked during the writing if the ending still held now that my characters were becoming more filled in. I was prepared to make adjustments if needed.
I think I will make a sign that says, “Be prepared to make adjustments.” That is so true on every level of revision.
Did you consider any alternate endings for JUMPED? (In other words: did you ever consider protecting your characters?)
No. I did make a narrative POV change that allowed me to push ahead. But no. I was pretty much goal focused. I promised myself I’d change course if the characters and story dictated a different outcome, but seriously…what else could have happened? Leticia could have warned Lottie, who told Dottie, and then got word to Ivan, who would have told Trina, and then Trina could have cut out of school. But what would that have served? Coach could have said, “Duncan. I’ll let you play, if you get a note from your teachers saying you’re currently in good standing.” Or, I could have Dominique question herself and take a deep reflective look at her anger and the true source of it. Nah. Goes against character. Trina, with body guards, could have gone up to Dominique and asked her why she wanted to jump her and then Dominique would have realized how trite her reasons were. Makes for great conflict resolution but would you believe that? I wouldn’t.
Nope. Me neither. But it was brave of you not to try!
When I was a student at VCFA, most of my advisors asked me to consider offering the reader “hope” at the end of my stories. Do you see hope or promise at the end of this book? What emotions do you hope your readers will experience?
This is definitely not a book of hope, and I think an older reader can handle that. That’s not to say, in this bit of comic realism that I don’t see change. Change happens within Trina. It’s not the type of change we’d like to see happen to a character, but Trina can never be as blind as when we first meet her. She’s forever changed. That’s good and bad.
Change. That's right. It is good. And bad. And authentic.
Just a side note: When I was working with people post traumatic brain injury, the family always needed time to mourn the person “that was.” But as rehab progressed, we all got to know the person that remained, and that person often had new strengths and new goals. One mom said it best: “I thought I knew what my child was going to become. Now I see new possibilities. They are different, but still so meaningful.”
(Not to put any pressure, but I’d love to read about Trina four years from now. How she is experiencing her world through these new eyes.)
So...how is Jumped different from your other work?
In No Laughter Here,
I could offer the reader optimism as small as a girl’s tiny giggle, because there must be hope for Victoria and for the millions of girls affected by FGM. JUMPED is different. Everyone has a hand in this outcome. Leticia could warn Trina. Trina could have a more realistic view of herself and the world around her. Dominique could turn it around. But no one looks at self in a meaningful way. Optimism or hope must be earned into realism and no one has earned it, so I can’t give it. I do want my readers to experience something, but it isn’t emotion. I want the reader to consider their own role in this story.
School attacks rarely happen without witnesses. Having witnesses or spectators is part of the appeal of the attack. The attacker is making a statement about self. How many of us stand around and watch like it’s pay-per-view and then add to the attacker’s lore by spreading a play-by-play account? Excuse me, videotape it. We now videotape these attacks. It’s easy to shift responsibility to the attacker, but we, as witnesses of and listeners to accounts of these attacks must also take responsibility.
Observers have always been an essential part of violence. Check out Facing History for an organization dedicated to studying moral choices.
And I’m glad you mentioned video. The media’s fueling of violence does make its way to everyone. Don’t get me started.
There will always be the classic bullying story where the protagonist overcomes the bully. David Almond’s bullying and grief story 
(I am clapping my hands and standing...yes, I agree!!!)
Leticia gets the first and last words of the story. Did you ever consider giving Trina or Dominique the last word?
No. This was always Leticia’s story. Dominique and Trina are set in motion. As inevitable as Trina cutting through Dominique’s space at the wrong time. It’s only Leticia who can have an effect, but of course, she chooses not to. We know she hasn’t learned anything because she, in typical Leticia fashion, can only think about the celebrity aspect of this attack. I do bring all girls together in the final chapter, as well as Leticia’s conscience, Bea. Trina is forever altered and traumatized, Dominique is in prison getting harder, and Leticia doesn’t change. So, we have an anti-novel. No change for the main character, and no ray of hope. At what point do we stop watching the train wreck?
We are a nation of rubberneckers. (no picture necessary.)
Friendship and making choices—or choiceless choice—are important themes or threads in JUMPED. Can you speak a little bit about these ideas? How did you feel writing from Letitia’s POV?
It boils down to honesty. Your friends support you, but they should also be honest with you. A good, true friend is always a life line—but you have to be willing to take it. Dominique has friends, a boyfriend, the respect of the stars on her team, but no one challenges her. I’m sure they’re afraid of her. Trina thinks she has friends but in reality has bonded with no one. If she slowed down to be real with herself, we’d see that she wants a “polypeptide” bond with people around her, an unknown father, a missing piece. But Trina has built this wall of “ain’t I great,” pushing everyone away. She just can’t see it. Well, she, unbeknownst to her, she has one true friend. Ivan is honest with her. Leticia is just one friend away from being in the same boat as Trina. She could even have a healthy relationship with a guy. But her priorities are out of whack and she loses everything. She just doesn’t know it. .
I have to say, Leticia made me laugh. Of course, I wanted to shake her, but I liked her even when I didn’t like her.
What advice do you have for your readers, especially those dealing with bullying and violence?
Peace be with you.
It’s hard out there.
I’m not going to pretend I have the magic wand, which is why JUMPED can’t end in that optimistic, empowering way. It does help to have a constant group of friends, as it’s easier to target loners. If you are being bullied, you must tell someone in authority, and even that has its consequences. I am not joking. It’s hard out there. Girl violence and random attacks are as equally on the rise as bullying. I should make something clear: Dominique isn’t a classic bully, but she is a time bomb. Dominique doesn’t go trolling for targets, as a bully would. She’s a person with rage and respect issues who is frustrated by being denied her sense of control, respect and identity. Taken away, the rage comes out and Trina happens to be in the wrong spot, making herself a pink target with her “hot-chick” bulls eye. Even though I have Dominique in a counseling class to learn to make better choices, she’s a step above the simple solutions and knows how to “do time” in the system. Hold that thought, ‘Nique. That’s going to come in handy. In spite of that failure, I still believe the intervention must come to the attacker. That’s where change must happen. Unfortunately, the target has less options, and the school systems generally fail to protect them.
Rita, thank you SO MUCH for taking the time to answer these questions, but more important, for talking honestly about JUMPED and its social implications.
If you have questions for Rita, please post them today, or contact her on her website!
http://www.ritawg.com/
-Sarah Aronson