A Status on Writing

So, I'm still working on the back door pilot blog post. It's about 2/3 of the way complete at the moment. So it should be up sometime next week. But I wanted to drop by and share the latest on the writing and querying extravaganza.

On the writing front I started a new novel (Young Adult historical) last week. I'm about 10,000 words in so far (hoping to be at about 11,800 by the end of the day). It's an interesting story about the son of a slave owner who escapes with a young slave boy and their journey to freedom in the North but also their journey to finding happiness in each other. At least for a little while. This is not going to ultimately be a happy story for the main characters. But being an interracial couple in 1850s America wasn't likely to be very happy to begin with.

This leads me to the query front. As you know, beginning in November, I sent out 23 queries. I've gotten 14 rejections and I closed out the remaining 9 because I didn't hear anything and took that as to mean "no response means no". I know it seems premature that I'm stopping the query process with Pharaoh, but my heart just isn't in it right now. I believe, in order to be successful, you have to be really committed to the project and I just don't feel that is the case right now.

I plan to finish the current YA novel by mid-February, revise in March and hopefully find some good betas for it. I think I wiill likely try to query this project over the summer and see what happens.

What's Your Soundtrack?

As I thought about what to write about this week, I realized I hadn't written about one of the most important pieces of my writing process; music. I love music. From singing in my church choir from age 5 to dabbling in music composition and joining a music centric sorority, I have always loved music. And these days there's no exception.

So, as the title of today's post indicates, I have a soundtrack for my writing. It helps me get in the right headspace for whatever I'm working on. But I don't have just one soundtrack. That wouldn't be useful. I have several. I really recommend using a soundtrack to get you in the right space. Just don't get too distracted singing along (waves hand around with a guilty look on her face).

So I thought I'd share some of what's on my writing soundtrack for the last few projects I've done and the one I'm working on now.

ACCORDING TO OWEN (adult contemporary)

I relied heavily on my miscellaneous playlist while writing this novel. It helped that the story had kind of a modern feel. The list was a mixture of indie rock (3 Doors Down, Brandi Carlile), a dash of country (Christian Kane) and some fun filled TV soundtracks (Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Glee).

UNPLANNED (women's fiction)

I used my exclusive Glee playlist while writing most of this novel. Somehow writing about unplanned pregnancy seemed easier with the upbeat tunes from the McKinley High Glee Club. Near the end of the process, I added my exclusive Christian Kane playlist made up mostly of his new EP that was released in early March. I found that his wildly alcoholic filled songs were just what I needed to get me through the hard portions of the storyline with each of the four main characters.

PHARAOH'S LINK (middle grade urban fantasy)

This novel took me a bit by surprise soundtrack wise. I started writing it on Friday on the train ride home for Easter. I thought something upbeat like Glee would work, or even my miscellaneous would work. I was wrong. Dead wrong in fact. Let's just say I rediscovered my youth on this one.

For those of you that know me, you know I am a huge Hanson fan. I've been into their music since the beginning (and am anxiously awaiting their new album on June 8th). I've collected quite a lot of their music over the years and it's been sitting in it's own special playlist on itunes for years. I have some of their stuff in my miscellaneous playlist and a few smaller lists but not like this. So on a whim, Friday on the train I turned it on and started with my old reliable, "MMMBop". And then the words flowed like water. Okay, so that's a bit dramatic but whatever. The point is, I'd found my soundtrack for this novel.

It also served to remmind me where my love of music comes from. The stuff that made me smile and squee as a child. And that's what I need for this new novel. The excitement of a child about to go on a wild adventure.

So that's my little bit of writing wisdom for the week. Check back next week for a recap of the Boston Comic Con (where I will be meeting Buffy alum and fellow author, Amber Benson).

Script and Novel: Half Siblings or Distant Cousins?

So I thought I was depart a little from advice giving on getting that dream agent and share a sort of odd experience in which I currently find myself. The idea that a storyline written in one medium can be put into another.

Roughtly 2 1/2 years ago, I wrote a full length movie script. While the experience of writing in a new medium was certainly fun and interesting, I realized scripts aren't my cup of tea. Not enough room for prose and the dialogue really has to carry the story. So I let it sit on my hard drive for a long while.

Now, I find myself revisiting the story I managed to tell in that sript. It was a fun story and the characters are snarky and really go on quite the wild journey. So what have I decided to do? That's right. I'm taking that script and turning it into a novel. I'm not sure what will become of the finished product. Only time can tell that. However, it is a new experience taking from one medium and turning it into something so utterly different. Or is it?

I've found that the script format lends itself well to a rather detailed outline. Scenes simply need some fleshing out and the dilaogue is all there and ready to be put into the moment. As I go through this process of transfer, I'm reconnecting with these characters all over again. I'm reliving their journey and it reminds me why I loved the story in the first place.

So the question becomes, are scripts and novels more half siblings or distant cousins? My vote: half siblings. They come from the same place of creativity even if they are different in execution. But, despite their differences, they can still play well together.