Happy Halloween!

I've always wanted to write a horror. But I think many writers would agree that horror is the hardest genre to write. You have to scare your audience with words. You have to make them feel uneasy before going to bed. You have to make them feel cautious when they go for a late night jog because who knows if Jerry the Smelly Killer is around. (Not that I would ever name a fictional killer that).

I have this idea for a YA zombie-love novel. If I planned it (and I HATE planning) I think it could be good. But it could also turn out to be the cheesiest, silliest, most unbelievable piece of catnip on the planet. I don't think I'm ready to write it. I think I need to read a few horrors and actually plan it out.

So, what shall I write then? Nano month begins tomorrow. I have finished and submitted the long but rewarding edits to my play. My shorts stories for grad school are looking pretty good but I'd like more feedback from people so that means I need to find more darling souls to read them. My novels that I was editing, I've decided to take a break from and shall return to after the new year.

November is dedicated to grad school applications, my short stories, and a new novel...my first middle school novel! I'm excited for three reasons: 1- It's only going to be 40K (half the length of what I usually write) 2- It's going to involve clouds, rainbow kites, and an evil woman named The Blank (hahaha, she's gonna look just like me) and 3- My students are so excited for me to write it so I can read it to them.

Wish me luck! And good luck to everyone doing Nano! Keep writing! Keep posting your word counts! Don't give up! And don't think that you should wait until Thanksgiving to throw out those last 25,000 words. Get as much done as much before that!

Ciao!

Audience

This is an important question that should be answered BEFORE you write a novel:

Who is my intended audience?

If you don't know, or you aren't sure, I suggest you figure it out or at least have some idea before you write the novel. For example, if you think high school kids will want to read your book, don't be writing explicit sex scenes that will make parents go beserk. But what if your book could crossover to the adult section because of mature (not steamy sex) themes? Like love? And finding yourself? Dealing with college and trying to find a real job for the first time. What if the characters are 18, 19, 20? 23? They're adults. Technically. Mentally? Haha.

This is my biggest problem right now and one of the reasons I'm having trouble getting an agent. I like to write novels about young adults. But in my opinion, a young adult is between the ages of 17 and 24. A young adult reader is between the ages of 12 and 18. Though, that has changed since I see people my mom's age reading Twilight in the hair salon.

But anyway, going back to writing about young adults. On average my main characters are between the ages of 17 and 23. Their first person narratives come across as YA because let's face it, who is SUPER mature at 20 these days? I feel like agents and publishers find any character above the age of 19 to be an adult and therefore must act and think like an adult. I'm 24 and I still consider myself a kid at heart. I'm not married or having babies yet. I still enjoy the college life. I haven't grown up. (Don't get me wrong, I pay my bills on time and make my own lunch) And I'm sure I'm not alone in this.

So this becomes a problem because I have to decide on a specific audience. I can't just say everybody on the planet will love my book! Though I hope they do, I'm nowhere near being like Dan Brown.

Let's use my recent novel as an example. The main character is 23 and he's immature. I think young adult readers (ages 15+) would love him. I also think college kids would love him. I also think adults in their 2os would love him. So basically people between the ages of 15 and 25 should read my book. There are sex scenes, but they're humorous and awkward. But there isn't a category for my book! You go to borders, there's the young adult section and the adult section. Some books are clearly young adult. Some are clearly adult. But there needs to be an in between section.

And...a way to convey that idea to an agent when you're querying them. I want to be able to say my book could crossover to the young adult section. Should I just say that? Or will they be turned off by the idea because there isn't yet a marketable category?

Or...I could just make my character 18 and then his immaturity would be believable to all ages, teens and publishers alike. But I like that he's 23 and still so confused and unsure of where his life is going. Because everyday I wonder that same exact thing. And I'm 24.

Ciao.

Birthday, Editing, and Nano Month

I turned 24 yesterday! Whoa! I have officially entered my mid-twenties. Back in college, I always fantasized I'd be published by 24. Well, the best plans never go according to plan. ;-)

So the reason I've failed to update my blog...editing has taken over my life. I have self-deadlines for certain things and then I have a few real deadlines. Grad school applications are due soon and my short stories have to be polished. Is it possible to over-edit? Haha. And edits are due in a week to the theater company producing my play. It's a 100 page script and I'm on page 75. Yikes. I will spend the majority of my free time this week editing the rest and polishing as much as possible before that Nov 1st deadline.

So real deadlines: play and short stories.

Self-deadlines: I wanted to be totally caught up with editing other projects by November so I could do Nano Month. I have a great idea for my first middle school novel and since Nano is a minimum 50K, my novel could be completed in that time frame. I didn't do Nano last year because I was super busy studying for the those evil GREs. This year I will do Nano. I must! And then I'll use December to catch up in editing.

And this much-needed-update is complete. Ciao!

Was Was Was Was Was

I love being able to "find" and "replace" words in a Microsoft Word document. Today I searched the overused word "was" and man oh man, it was everywhere!

It's impossible not to use the word "was" when writing. But when it's overused it makes for passive writing. And no one wants to read a passive story, right?

Sometimes you have to come up with something more active.
"Everyone at the table was staring at my face, including snobby Caroline."
to
"Everyone at the table stared at my face, including snobby Caroline."

Sometimes it's easy just to eliminate it.
"Her hair was in ringlets and her eyes were decorated in dark layers of eyeliner and mascara."
to
"Her hair in ringlets and her eyes decorated in dark layers of eyeliner and mascara."

I don't typically stress over this, but it's something to think about when you're on maybe your 2nd or 3rd draft. ;-)

Word Chopping

I am chopping unnecessary words and throwing them into the garbage disposal.

I am finding substitutes for the words/phrases: "look" "turned" "stood up" "sit down" "sighed"

I am my own worst editor.

The Present Tense Voice

Most books are written in past tense. But lately I've been reading more and more in the present tense. THE HUNGER GAMES is a prime example and it's probably my favorite YA novel to date. The present tense voice gives a sense of urgency, as if it's happening right now. I feel like I'm living with the character, experiencing first time emotions right along with her. I love it.

I've experienced with the present tense voice before. My first novel was in 1st person alternating between the two main characters. One spoke in past tense (because she's immortal and reflecting on her extended life) and one spoke the present tense (because he's mortal and everything is happening now for him). I think it worked, it presented great contrast. But I've never written a whole novel in present tense. I'm curious to experiment with this.

I wrote a short story in present tense. It's also in third person. Here is the opening paragraph:

She gazes through her black and white telescope and sees what she wants to see. A gush of wind blows dark hair over her forehead, blocking her view of the starry winter night. She brushes the strands back with her fingers, careful not to touch the scope. She has it positioned and zoomed exactly the way she wants it.

Now which sounds better? Past or present?

She gazed through her black and white telescope and saw what she wanted to see. A gush of wind blew dark hair over her forehead, blocking her view of the starry winter night. She brushed the strands back with her fingers, careful not to touch the scope. She had it positioned and zoomed exactly the way she wanted it.

Of course I'm gonna say present tense because I wrote it that way. But what if this were an entire novel? I feel like present tense 1st person works. But can present tense 3rd hold up? And then I worry that some agents will look down on the present tense voice just like many look down at 1st person narratives. I think choosing the correct voice for your novel is crucial to how it reads. I don't think THE HUNGER GAMES would have been as page-turning had it been written in past tense.

Short Stories and Grad School

I'm applying for grad schools. MFA in Creative Writing! I want I want I want!

Last year I submitted 3 chapters from a novel. I don't think that was the way to go since I got rejected from all the schools I applied to. So this year I'm submitting 2-3 short stories. I've narrowed it down to 5. And I've let a lot of people read them and everyone is giving me different advice about which two are the best. So, just based on a one sentence blurb about each one, which 2 or 3 would you pick?

Short Story #1- During a blizzard, a young woman reunites with her ex-boyfriend and discovers how he really died.

Short Story #2- A teenage girl digs a hole in the backyard and her cute, next door neighbor suspects she's burying a body.

Short Story #3- A young woman with a cutting problem, reunites with her deceased brother everytime she cuts too deep.

Short Story #4- Two sisters, one dying of leukemia, enjoy the rush of a passing train, but the rush is less and less impressive the sicker the one sister becomes.

Short Story #5- A young woman tries to convince her star-gazing sister to come to the hospital to say good-bye to their dying father.