Is it a Girl book or a Boy book?

30,000 words, woo hoo! It feels like I've written a hard-earned million words on a book that has taken my thoughts and dreams for over two years now.

I'm a very slow writer, with short poems my preferred style. A sci-fi novel is quite a stretch. My re-write is taking 28 chapters and telling a complete story in each. 1 down, 27 to go!

This re-write takes my MC from age 17 down to age 14, aiming for the middle-grade reader.

My son told me that because my MC puts on lip-gloss in chapter 1, it's a girl-book. Oy!

What indicators do you use in Chapter 1 to tell the reader that the book is geared primarily for one type of reader? (e.g. Boys or Girls?)

2011 Update

2011 Update: Sometimes, I need to just take a break. My WiP has been read in its entirety by a Beta reader, and chapter 1 has been edited by an English-teacher friend. And there it sits. It's starting to call to me.


Yes, my day-job has been overwhelming at times. Yes, I have two teenagers in the house. Yes, I feel like I hardly see my DH. And yes, my new year's resolution diet has already failed. 

My QChord spends most of its time in the case....

I did discover that my iPad fits on the book-rack of my exercise bike and I can do all my Internet stuff while pedaling. It is just a bit of a challenge to type and pedal at the same time.

In the meantime, I've had a new dishwasher on order since Feb 18th. Wouldn't you know it, my current dishwasher finally did croak over a week ago. Believe me, I will KISS my new DW when it finally arrives and is installed. (Long story as to why it's not here yet...which will remain untold).

Anyway, the first two months of 2011 have zoomed by, hardly with any notice. Hoping to at least grab hold of the caboose and jump on the train soon. I have a book to edit.

Age of the Main Character

How old is the MC in your YA book? Mine is currently 17 years old and I'm being directed to make her younger. I think I can rewrite to make her 15 years old. Your thoughts on this would be really helpful!

How Do You Eat an Elephant?

How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time, of course. Kiersten White's blog entry today reminded me of how hard we work to write and rewrite and rewrite just one book. And we do this over and over again. Kiersten asks about how we do it.

http://kierstenwrites.blogspot.com/2010/10/its-always-impossible.html

I know that writing isn't easy for me--I'm not an English major and I haven't written stories my entire life. I dream them, but write them down? Only in poetry and songs. Until now, that is.

Another way to look at this... My family and I have read our entire set of scriptures, at about 5 pages a sitting. Amazing, isn't it? One small bite at a time, we've accomplished more reading of the Holy Word than many people do in a lifetime. Now that our dear children are a little older, we read a little less and discuss a little more.

This is a good pattern for revisions. Write a little less and discuss or listen, more. I want the essence of the main character to speak through me. I want to hear the river from far off, as was discussed in Bryan Russell's blog post: http://blog.nathanbransford.com/2010/10/narrowing-of-perceptible-world.html

I want to close in on the river, zero in on the dragonfly, and make ripples in the stream, feeling the water move gently through my fingers. I need to tune my listening ear, and send that through my fingers to the keyboard.

Need feedback on my Bio

OK, tonight was a busy one! Typed out all of Book Two Chapter One and also drafted my Bio. Need some feedback, please!

Michelle Sue Vann entered life in a little town known as Las Vegas. Her childhood years took her to the mountain regions of the Pacific Northwest, where her first paying job was repairing and shelving books in a used-book store. A college degree in Engineering Technology with an emphasis in Telecommunications prepared her to live in the present world and to dream of the future. Michelle's imagination has been running non-stop since childhood, though only recently has she started writing fiction. Interstellar Creations is the first of many books.

Thank you!!!

Ode to Fingernails

O' fingernails, how I miss thee.  Beautiful talons that perfectly matched my long fingers, but got in the way of touch-typing!  With a clip-click-clip, you disappeared this morning.  Two weeks of growing and you were beautiful...now you are gone gone gone, until I finish with Book Two and some probable edits/revisions/expansions on Book One.  (*sigh*)

On a writing note, I wish I'd heard the tip about reading a book out loud to make revisions!  I think it's a really good one!  Not sure how my family will feel about that, because I get grief enough from them when I have to practice a song for choir, audition, or performance!  I can't imagine what they'll think about hearing 150 pages read out loud!  (At least it won't be as repetitive as practicing a song!)

Anyway, on with Book Two.  I've figured out my opening and how to get into obstacle #1.  The first chapters should go pretty quickly as the pictures form in my head.  It's funny how I have to see it before I can write it, because it's just the opposite for my business writing.  In business writing, I write, rearrange, revise...but it's first on paper (no pretty pictures in my head)! 

If you've read this far, I have a challenge for you!  Type with your opposite thumb (or a different finger) on the space-bar.  See how your thoughts come out differently when you have to slow down and really THINK about what you're typing!  It's pretty cool.

Writing starts today!

OK, I've reached the end of the gravel road and am about to start the rocky climb up the mountain. There are several paths before me, all equally less-traveled.

The training is done, the research is done, the outline is looking pretty good, and the story fragments are changing from sepia-toned into jewel-like clarity. I'm even meeting this week with the model and photographer for the cover-shoot.

All that is left is for me to pick up my figurative pen and begin. Any path will do, and I can always backtrack if I reach a steep rock-face or river rapids.

So, with no further procrastinating, I shall now write.

Chapter 1 - Where am I?

This week, the nature of my lead character oozed onto the pages of my notebook. She's not a saint, by any means. This, according to my guidebook, makes her more human, more believable, more real. Her first adventure at the beginning of the book is beginning to take shape. The story opens with a mystery...."Where am I?"

Last week's task on character naming and backstory also continues. Somehow, I think the backstory will come from the nature of the lead character, and not the other way around. Sort of convenient history creation. (Where has this been done before?)

Additional challenges include cleaning up the hard drive and operating system of an old laptop, so that I have somewhere to create and organize the sections that I write, as well as revise, rewrite, and edit to make words come alive. Lazily, I put off writing until the very end of my day. Perhaps as I move further into the story, I will find more motivation to write?