Buffalo Flats, Ep. 11: In-Community Accessibility
In Buffalo Flats, Rebecca belongs to a religious community that exists within the larger community in the Northwest Territories of Canada. In this episode we look at how Martine makes this community recognizable to those in it and accessible to those not, and we share our personal experiences reading about the community. The craft techniques we discuss apply not just to religious communities, but to any smaller group within a larger culture.
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Transcript:
[00:00:00] Erin Nuttall: Hopefully no one in your book club is really harmful.
[Music intro]
[00:00:04] Anne-Marie: Welcome to the Kid Lit Craft Podcast. This season, we're taking a deep dive into the YA novel Buffalo Flats by Martine Leavitt. Today our 11th episode will be tackling craft concepts related to the world building idea of in-community accessibility. I'm Anne-Marie Strohman and I write for children and young adults, everything from picture books to YA, and also short stories for adults.
[00:00:29] Erin Nuttall: Hi, I am Erin Nuttall and I write for children and young adults, and I focus mostly on young adults.
[00:00:38] Anne-Marie: On Kid Lit Craft, we look at mentor texts to discover the mechanics of how writers do what they do, so we can apply it to our own writing.
[00:00:46] Erin Nuttall: And like Anne-Marie mentioned in this season we are focusing on Martine Leavitt's Buffalo Flats. It is a story about teenage Rebecca who lives in the Northwest Territories of Canada in the late 1800s, and she wants more than anything to have a piece of that beautiful land for herself.
[00:01:07] Anne-Marie: So as we do in every episode, let's start with vocabulary. Erin, what do you mean by in-community and by accessibility in this context?
[00:01:17] Erin Nuttall: So in-community, so it's when the story takes place within a lesser known or lesser understood community or world. It can be part of a bigger world. But it's usually a smaller community within the larger world, if that makes sense. So , for example, My Name is Asher Lev by Chaim Potok is a religious community, and when you read that book, you're immediately dropped into that community. And a lot of time people when they think of in-community writing, they might think of, of religion, but actually pieces of world building can also be in-community. We can have sci-fi, I think Cinder by Marissa Meyer.
She has a very distinct in-community where they have their own jargon and lingo and worldview. You can have urban and sports. For instance After the Shot Drops, that's a very particular community. It's an urban community with a lot of focus on basketball. You could do fantasy, historical, fairytale, Russia. And that sounds very specific because those are the very tiny pieces of in-community in The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden. And so anytime you have a small community that is distinct from the greater world that it is in, then that would be in-community. When we talk about accessibility what we're looking at is how to make that smaller niche community be accessible to every reader or most readers. So that the reader doesn't feel alienated in the world, but feels like they can easily slide into the world.
And Martine does a really fantastic job with that in Buffalo Flats.
[00:03:05] Anne-Marie: The idea of community and whether that community is accessible to readers is a thing that we talk about a fair amount in kid lit and writing as a whole. A few years ago, the book Craft in the Real World by Matthew Salesses came out and that really talks about how, what you're required to do as a writer to make a community accessible to readers.
And the answer is nothing if you don't want to. But you can choose to make communities accessible to readers in different ways as well. And so we're looking at one example of how Martine does that, in this case by having a community that also is accessible to readers. And we'll talk about how she does that because it, she doesn't explain a lot.
[00:03:49] Erin Nuttall: No, she doesn't. And actually all of the books that I mentioned also don't explain a lot. You can get a more expository or explanatory style so that the reader is in no doubt of what the social norms are or the rules of the world or the community are. And, and that's a fine way to go.
My personal preference is the way that these books and the, especially Martine does in Buffalo Flats is to just drop you in. I remember reading My Name is Asher Lev when I was a teenager. And I grew up in Utah, which is a very, it's less so now, but growing up it was a very homogeneous place and um, I didn't know any Jewish people and I read My Name is Asher Lev which is deep into a very ultra-orthodox Jewish community and there was no explanation in how that community worked. And that alone sucked me in because it was so fascinating, because it was so different from what I knew.
But I do think in doing this there are some craft takeaways that we can look at to be able to do that successfully so that the reader feels that excitement and that interest and not like, holy cow, what is going on? So, and I will ask you, actually. I am actually in this community that Martine writes about.
I belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Sometimes known as Mormons. And although Martine does not ever specifically mention what religious community Rebecca belongs to that is her community. And so for me it felt very warm and welcoming and I immediately knew where I was and what was going on.
But you're not part of that community and race, so I was just wondering how you felt when you entered this world.
[00:05:48] Anne-Marie: So for me, I do have a religious background and in Christianity specifically, and have had access to religious communities throughout my life. So the idea of having a religious community that has a culture around it and has rules in it and has expectations in it, that part just felt normal to me.
Also having it be a historical piece. I'm often used to seeing religious communities in historical fiction particularly in the American West, American continental West, actually the whole American continent when you're talking about descendants of European settlers in those places. So it really just, it felt like just a historical novel to me that had kind of a normal religious community in it. I guess there wasn't anything specifically unexpected to me. But from talking to you a little bit about it, like it, you've talked about how some of the language is very specific. And to me it just felt like ordinary old timey language.
[00:06:55] Erin Nuttall: Well because for a long time, for over a century we were very insular people. And we were a really insular group. And so we do have a lot of our own specific jargon and lingo and ways of looking at the world that you get when you are more insular. And so she used that and I can see how that would feel like, just old timey religious group. But a lot of that is stuff is still part of our religious culture today. So one is that there are a lot of biblical names and some of the names actually come from the Book of Mormon. They just sound biblical. So like Rebecca's brother Amon, that is a Book of Mormon name.
Another thing that I don't think is specific to LDS groups but is very common is one of the girls is Radonna and one of the girls is LaRue. So to have those prefixes is super, super common. So Radonna is probably Donna's daughter or LaRue is probably like Rulan’s daughter or something, right?
So it is a way of showing familial, relationships. Like I have a cousin whose name is Dell Loy and his dad is named Loyal. So he is Dell Loy. So that kind of thing is really common and it still happens. Less so I think as we've moved into an internet age.
[00:08:28] Anne-Marie: Were there any practices or rituals that came up that were specific for you that I might have just seen as a, I don’t know the word for a thing…?
[00:08:35] Erin Nuttall: Yes. Yeah. So there were a few, and first off, the very first thing is Rebecca has a sit with God, as she puts it. And that is something that you can take figuratively. But it is definitely part of our religious culture. Our religion was founded by someone who saw God. And we don't limit that to any particular person, anyone can have that experience.
And so I think reading it you might feel like it was more figurative than literal and maybe it was, but to me it was easily, could be literal. That's just part of our religious culture. Another one is, when Rebecca's mom, she is a midwife as we discussed, and she anoints the women with sacred oil, and then she gives a blessing so that all will go well. And then as Rebecca becomes a midwife, she does the same thing and they talk about how part of that, like the anointing is, helps actually the mother's health. And that they had been doing that at least for, I don't know, 50, 60 years that the church has been around when Rebecca happens, when her story happens.
And that wasn't common knowledge in the medical world. And so they have a conversation about that. Right? So those are a couple of things that instantly stood out as specific practices. I don't know if, if for you, it just felt like, this is normal for a old timey religion.
[00:10:09] Anne-Marie: Yeah. It, to me it felt, I mean, the sit is a, a really interesting one like that I would not have pegged as having a specific religious resonance, like that concept of sitting with God on a mountain. But the idea of having an encounter with God, I think is…
[00:10:26] Erin Nuttall: Is universal.
[00:10:27] Anne-Marie: Felt to me like accessible from, you know, my religious background at least.
I'm curious, so you mentioned early that Martine makes it so that readers can have access to this group, even if they don't know all those little things. Like what does she do craft wise to get to that place?
[00:10:47] Erin Nuttall: She does a couple of things. So one of the things that she does is she treats it as part of the world. And I think just by accepting that Rebecca sits with God and is like, yeah, that'll happen. You know? But then she also shows that the family kind of gives her a hard time and so I think showing both of those reactions to it help to show their place in the world so that like generally as a people, we do believe that anyone could have an actual conversation with God, literally. But we also recognize that that's a very rare thing and so might be a little skeptical, like the way that Rebecca's brothers were.
And so that is part of our community, but also I think it helps someone who's like, what she sat down with God and, and feeling like that so then they can relate to the brothers being like, okay, you're so religious there, you know, and kind of giving her like a little bit of pushback on that.
And so then you'll notice that she mostly keeps what happened to herself after that. Which is a pretty normal reaction, I think, to something like that. We also have, her mother who is a midwife as we discussed, she has this angel who comes and knock, does one sharp wrap on her door, as a warning to let her know that somebody's going into labor.
And that's actually something that is also part of our culture. We would totally believe that that could happen. But Martine does such an excellent job describing what happens. And then also again, there's other people like Radonna who kind of give Rebecca a hard time.
Doesn't your mother hear an angel? You know? And that gives people, I think, the option to see where their own viewpoint might be compared to Rebecca's. And I think that that's really important to be able to have multiple points of view even within the book. And then along with that, like with the washing and anointing that her mother does, her mother has a whole talk with Rebecca about why they do it. Because she's new to being a midwife. Not everything is just dropped in out of nowhere. You can have someone who doesn't know all the ins and outs of things,
[00:13:09] Anne-Marie: And it seems like in a lot of world building, especially I think of this in fantasy, when you have someone new to the world, then the world can be explained and it is rational to have that within the text. But because Rebecca is within this community, has always grown up in this community, our point of view character is there, having a lot of explanation would feel really out of form.
[00:13:31] Erin Nuttall: True. I mean, sometimes people still choose to do it, but I think making things feel normal are ways that help the reader just accept it, right? If your main character is someone that you can relate to on any level, you can find whatever piece of it is, whether she, it's because she finds her brothers annoying or because she loves nature or because she really doesn't wanna plant potatoes. Whatever it is, you can find a way to relate to Rebecca and then you can be like, okay, well I get how maybe her mom could hear an angel or whatever, right? Like or she could see God or whatever other piece of the world that you're like, I think it's really weird. They call each other Brother and Sister. You could be like, well, all right, I like Rebecca. I get where she's coming from. I can go with this.
[00:14:24] Anne-Marie: It's a very human world, and I think one of the things I really appreciate about Martine's depiction of this particular religious community is that they're all very human, right, and it's not this set apart city on a hill where everybody's perfect and serious and dour and you know, very like the Puritan ideal, which was probably never really…
[00:14:49] Erin Nuttall: There’s no probably.
[00:14:50] Anne-Marie: Never really actually happened.
[00:14:51] Erin Nuttall: No way it actually happened. I mean, yeah, of course everyone hopes for a utopia. But you know, one of the main antagonists is Brother Sempel, a person who is in the church who makes a lot of really bad decisions and I think that's relatable in any community that somebody has been, if you've been in any, if you're in a book club or what have you, there's gonna be someone who's annoying, or someone who makes these choices where you're like, man, how many romances can we read? Right? I think that that helps as well. And then Rebecca isn't perfect. Her dad isn't perfect. Like no one is perfect except Mother.
[00:15:34] Anne-Marie: Well, and to go back to Brother Sempel, it's not just that he's annoying, that he does actual harm…
[00:15:39] Erin Nuttall: Oh yeah.
[00:15:40] Anne-Marie: …to people within the community, and that harms the community as a whole to have this disruption in it. Right? And so she's not idealizing the religious community, like she's showing the full breadth of humanity within the religious community.
[00:15:53] Erin Nuttall: Right. Well, and her dad doesn't keep all the commandments, right, 'cause he smokes and that's still to this day against our commandments. And Rebecca judges which is something we all strive not to do. It's a process. So yeah. And then like you said Brother Sempel is really harmful. Yes, annoying was just because I, I landed on the book club…Hopefully no one in your book club is really harmful. But I think that that is really helpful. And then she also shows, which I think is a really great way to portray your community, is the push and pull within that community and the greater world. So in a couple of places, like when Father has a disagreement with Brother Sempel about the cows Brother Sempel’s like, well bring the Mounties into this. And Father's like, you know I don't wanna do that, I wanna resolve it within ourselves. We don't wanna have any trouble with the greater community. We want our own community.
And, as someone who's in community, that has multiple layers for me, because we as a church were run out of the United States in the 1840s by mobs. My very own ancestors’ houses were burned down. They were, it was snowing. The mob came, told them to get out. They were so sick they couldn't get out. They just, they said, we'll give you, we'll give you a couple minutes. Which I guess was pretty generous of a mob. But they pulled their beds out into the snow and they just laid on their beds and watched their houses burn.
So this is our historical understanding of how our community was treated by the outside world. So when Father's saying we don't wanna do this, we wanna stay within community. As an in-community person, I know instantly why. But as someone who is outside of community, I assume you just understand that that's something that people generally want is within community. But then she goes on and when they're talking about the canal and how they really wanna build the canal and one of their big worries, it says, the outside world feared losing political control if more people immigrated to provide their skills for building the canal.
And that is one of the reasons that we were chased out of Illinois, Ohio, Missouri, New York, Pennsylvania, like it across the US all the way out to Utah was because at the time we tended to really congregate and then we're a big political unit. And so people didn't like that. So to see that they're talking about the same ideas, again, as an in-community person, I instantly understand. But then I think if you're outside the community, then it's super helpful to see how the community feels about the outside world and how the outside world feels about the community.
[00:18:52] Anne-Marie: Well, and I think that because of the way Martine drops us into the story, she drops us into the assumption that it is possible to sit and talk with God on a mountain or a tour that she really puts us on Rebecca's side. And so I think it's possible to read this book and appreciate the context and the story within it. And then to go study history and say like, you know, let's look at all these different forces are out there that are, you know, coming into this story in various ways and have a different reaction to it, right? But Martine's strength here is that she puts you in this world and you are on Rebecca's side. You are there for her growth, there for her desire for the land, and want her to succeed.
[00:19:38] Erin Nuttall: And I think that that is really the key or a big key for writing accessible in-community stories. And if you look at the books I mentioned before, you get on Asher Lev’s side immediately. He's in his baseball game. You wanna root for him. You're on Cinder's side right away 'cause you can understand being the underdog.
Like that's something that we all get and tend to root for. After the Shot Drops, oh, I don't remember the main character's name, but he’s so earnest, and he's trying so hard. And so you wanna root for him and so even though I've never been in his neighborhood, I've never been a huge basketball fan or player I still am rooting for him.
And Katherine Arden's, Bear and The Nightingale, holy Hannah. There is a lot of Russian information right away. And it's just this world that fairytales and stories and it's so elaborate and you like Vasya immediately 'cause she's so spunky. And so I think is exactly what you're saying, like with Rebecca, that we wanna be part of that world.
So being dropped in it, having a character that you can relate to makes it so that you want to keep reading, you want to understand that world more. I think on some level, every book that we read, every story that we read is a mystery that our brain wants to unfold. And if we're in a community that we're unfamiliar with then it is an added layer of mystery. So if you are hesitant to write an in-community book I would say go for it because it adds an extra layer to your story.
[00:21:24] Anne-Marie: Okay. So Erin, what are you taking away from our convo? I guess you should ask me that question.
[00:21:31] Erin Nuttall: Yeah.
[00:21:31] Anne-Marie: You might be taking away something.
[00:21:33] Erin Nuttall: I am taking away that there are stories out there that need to be told. There are so many in-communities and this is just one tiny, tiny community. And whether yours is an in-community that you belong to or one that is in your imagination, they added a texture and depth to a story that I hadn't thought about before. So that is what I'm taking away. Anne-Marie, what are you taking away?
[00:22:05] Anne-Marie: I was really fascinated by how little touches can make such a big difference in inviting readers in. So the examples of having just a little bit of skepticism in the story and then also the idea of having a little bit of explanation here and there. You don't need a lot, but you can just do a little bit. And that's another way to invite the reader in.
And then also how important it is to show the whole breadth of humanity within a community. That Martine is really not interested in not telling a story, and stories are messy. This book doesn't glorify the LDS community. It's not a tract to try to convert you. It's really a story in a particular world.
Using the community as setting as a way to develop character, a way to build out that world that feels really complete can be really, really effective.
[00:23:08] Erin Nuttall: Actually, I really like that idea. Because. I think any in-community wants to be seen as perfect from the outside and probably, and some from the inside as well. That is another actually, I think, important craft tip is to make your community realistic. I would be so tempted to just be like, everybody's perfect. And I think that's the general temptation, is to show your community in the best light rather than the true light. But what's gonna resonate more is the true light.
[00:23:50] Anne-Marie: I think the opposite is true too. If you're writing a book that's actually critical of a community or that the main character rebels against a community, that as you're depicting the community, if it's just all evil, that's probably not actually accurate. Like because we're human. Even in the darkest places, there are sparks of light, right?
[00:24:13] Erin Nuttall: That's really helpful to think about, because you have these young adults especially who want to show the world their perfect selves and, seeing that there is imperfection, there is nuance. That's the other thing. When I was a teen for sure, everything was black and white. There was no gray in my life. And now it's basically, you know, I live in the gray.
Yes. So I think that that is useful for human growth to see that people are imperfect and can still be wonderful and good. It's like Rebecca's a revelation about LaRue and how LaRue broke a really big commandment and so suddenly was LaRue not as good as Rebecca had originally thought and then she has the epiphany that no LaRue is still really good person. She still has all those good qualities and I think that again, adds texture and depth to your story.
[00:25:19] Anne-Marie: So, Erin, do you have a beautiful sentence for us?
[00:25:22] Erin Nuttall: I do. This is one that I just doesn't really have anything to do with anything right now, but I just, the way Martine describes nature. I know she loves nature too. She said “They gathered at Rebecca's before the sun was up, but the sky was tender.” Come on, Martine. Why do you write such beautiful sentences? Knife to the heart every time.
[00:25:49] Anne-Marie: My aspirations. All right, that is it for today.
[Music outro]
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[00:26:25] Anne-Marie: Thanks for joining us. See you next time.
