Pink Think: “It’s really clear to me that you can’t hang onto something longer than its time. Ideas lose certain freshness, ideas have a shelf life, and sometimes they have to be replaced by other ideas.” – Alan Alda
photo from edtechroundup.wikispaces.com
After attending a fabulous writer’s conference this weekend, I’m ready to get back to work. Yesterday, just for fun, I sat down at my computer and whipped out some story ideas based on a) my interests, b) the market and c) what doesn’t require years of research.
(I don’t know how some writers come up with solid historical fiction in such a short period of time. Or maybe I just don’t see all the sweat and blood that goes into this. I just need to get my head out of research right now so I can write fresh again.)
I came up with a couple of solid ideas, the kind that sound like actual book blurbs. Which shocked me. I can’t even come up with summaries for the stories I’ve already been working on for years, but these came to me easily. What’s up with that?
I’m excited. They are both contemporary YA but as different as night and day. One is tween comedy-romance with a girl protagonist. The other is horror with a boy protagonist. I’m going to tackle the latter first.
I find boys easier to write for some reason; probably because I can just be chockful of suspense and adventure, and my reader doesn’t clamor for more emotion or description.(When I write my horror fiction, my readers usually don’t say, “More emotion please!” At the writer’s conference, readers of my historical women’s fiction said, “More please!”)
I am a little scared of writing contemporary from the point of view of a girl. I realized I have pretty much written historical novels because in some ways it’s easier, like I don’t need to worry about language or sex. My daughter will be in high school next year. She will have to be my bona fide spy and fact checker.
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Speaking of my daughter, she’s recovering well from her knee surgery. I’m having to keep up with her. She put me under a gag order to not ask her every 15 minutes if she’s okay. Our biggest challenge now is she wants to run! Shoot baskets! Ride horses! I saw this coming, so I bought lots of rope from the hardware store so I can tie her to a chair. Ha! As if it were possible to curb this spitfire.
On the freelancing front, I have an assignment to profile a NASA astronomer. I’m excited. I’ve never been to this observatory and it’ll be a good excuse to go. Just like with other interviews I’ve done, I’m thinking, “What if a woman fell in love with a man who was an astronomer..?”
What is new, with YOU?
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