Simmering

He keeps talking to me.

He whispers in my ear as I try to sleep. He shouts above the screams of my fighting children as I attempt to write. He murmurs to me as I read, sharing bits and pieces of his life.

If I didn't love him so much, I'd find him annoying.

Who is he? It's Jed, the main character in my new WIP. If you follow my Twitter account (@raineerose), you know that I've had some angst-filled moments of late, moments when I've decried Jed's reluctance to settle on a plot, but a wise friend of mine (Monica--thank you!) has advised me to give the story some time and let it unfold as it will. That's good advice, I think, especially for a writer like me, who is incredibly impatient and wants to know everything about the story now. It's hard to sit quietly when all I want to do is begin telling the tale, but I know that the story will be stronger if I take the time to really think it through.

So I've taken my friend's advice. I'm letting the story sit, and I'm discovering that Jed's voice is clearer when my mind is open--when I'm not consciously thinking about the plot. I'm reminded of Field of Dreams and the popular but often misquoted "If you build it, he will come." I think it's the same with writing. I've laid the foundation--I have my idea, my protagonist, and a rough idea of the plot. Now I just need to wait for Jed to fill me in on the story, sharing with me the things that make his story one that needs to be told. In the meantime, I've been visiting writing forums, studying books about crafting YA novels, and reading work by current YA authors. I haven't stopped thinking about my story--not at all--but I've managed to put it on a back burner, allowing it to simmer away while I do other things. I'm waiting.

And I think my story will be better for it.

An amazing site

For those of you who have never visited the Absolute Write forums, I highly recommend them to you. I've been a member for years, and I spent a ton of time there this week, mainly in the Young Adult section, as I researched writing for the teen market. The people who post at Absolute Write are amazing; I don't think there's a question that can be asked that one of them can't answer. I was--and still am--overwhelmed by the plethora of information in the 104 pages that currently make up the YA section, but so many of my questions have been answered--even before I could ask them.

As far as my novel goes, Jed has continued to talk to me, and I'm looking forward to taking what I've learned from my research and beginning to tell his story.

Terra incognita

Ever since my character (tentatively named Jed) informed me about a week ago that he's sixteen rather than eighty, I've been researching young adult novels. I've never written one, so working on Jed's story will be a completely new adventure for me. I'm definitely charting unknown territory!

So far I've picked up copies of young adult novels by Sarah Dessen and Libba Bray, two writers who have been recommended to me, and I've gotten two books about writing for this age group: Writing Great Books for Young Adults by Regina Brooks and Wild Ink: How to Write Fiction for Young Adults by Victoria Hanley. I would certainly appreciate and welcome comments on these books or suggestions of other good YA novels or books about writing for teens.

Although I used to be an avid reader of young adult novels, I haven't read any recently, so I'm feeling a bit--okay, a lot--out of my element as I begin prepping to write this book. The things I've written in the past could probably be called contemporary fiction; some fall into the women's fiction/chick lit genre. I've always been comfortable writing in these genres. YA scares me a little since it's been so long since I fit into that age bracket, and my own kids are still much too young for me to take any inspiration from them. One thing I may do soon is hang out where the teenagers are--the mall, perhaps--and observe and listen. I'm a little nervous that my book will sound like it was written by a woman in her late thirties who's trying to sound like a teenager, which, although it's true, is definitely something I don't want to emphasize. More reading of current YA novels and observation of teens "in their habitats" should help with that--I hope!

More so than any other book I've written, this one feels like it will be a real journey for me. I'm stepping out of my comfort zone and doing something completely unfamiliar. It should be a fun ride!