Why I write for teens

A blog reader recently asked me to write about why I write for teens so... here you go!

The short answer is another author: Lois Duncan.

I read Lois Duncan's books--and re-read them--obsessively, growing up. My personal fave is DOWN A DARK HALL (my poor husband had to sit through my dramatic recounting of the plot, just last week). But there's not a bad one in the entire batch. To this day, I have her books near my writing desk, as both inspiration and plain good company. 

I can't name a single book I've read as an adult that I've loved so much. I think I've lost that ability to pour myself into the world of an author, to be completely lost in their words--and to obsessively seek out their other books. But I still remember that feeling. And I can't imagine a better audience to write for than other teens who love to read, just like I did (and do). 

Also, my imagination automatically draws me to stories about teens. Whenever a new idea pops into my head, my imagination takes it to a world that teens would inhabit. Usually a dark world. I tried writing picture books, and who knows, maybe I'll try again in the future. But my stories always end up taking a dark turn that's just fine for a YA audience, but might leave a preschooler in tears, hiding under their blankets. I will never forget getting a personal rejection on a particular picture book manuscript that said, "nobody will ever, ever buy this book for their children." (You know you've gone down the wrong path when an editor takes the time to personally explain why your book is so, so wrong for its audience!).

There's one last reason I love writing for teens: I love this industry. It's thick with talented, creative people who love to meet each other, work with each other, read each other's work, and support each other. I never feel alone in my writing journey... and I never feel like someone's got daggers aimed for my back (uh, if they do, just please don't tell me...). And I am continuously amazed by the new work that my fellow YA writers are turning out.

In short--I kind of feel sorry for the people who aren't writing YA. Y'all... you don't know what you're missing!

Sprints versus a steady pace

I've recently come to realize that I am a sprinter--not a marathon runner--when it comes to writing books. When I write, my fingers fly: in a really good session, I can put down 2,000 words in an hour or two. But then I'm wiped out.  I can't take a short break, then return to my computer to whip out the next chapter. I need a couple of hours, or even a day or two, to get my writing mojo back.

I actually like running this way, too. If I'm running a road race, I like picking someone ahead, sprinting to catch up, and then walking or slow-jogging until it feels like my lungs won't burst out of my chest. Then I sprint for my next "victim". I have tried the other way--running at a steady pace--but guess what? I achieve the same rate, almost always finishing those 5Ks in around 35 minutes (I never claimed to be a FAST sprinter...), no matter how I try to run it. But my legs are a lot happier if I do the sprint/rest thing.

Until I realized I was a writing "sprinter", I got angry with myself. How could I write a chapter so fast and then "laze around" after that? WHY couldn't I keep the pace up? Why? Why? This was particularly annoying to my librarian side, who enjoys setting little schedules and goals for how many chapters get done in a week or a month. Sprinters do not always cleave to the little schedules, but we always reach the finish line in time!

Now I understand that I write in bursts, and rest in bursts, and that's OK. Some people do it very differently: they put out two or three pages every day, without fail. Either way, I bet we reach the end of our project at about the same time. 

Fellow sprinters, you might want to check out fun motivational things like NaNoWriMo (though this requires sustained sprinting over an entire month, so eat your Wheaties), the more gentle JoNoWriMo+1.5, or the take-as-much-punishment-as-you-like Write or Die online tool.
 

Who knew being an artist included bacon?

I just got back from a whirlwind 10 days of being an writer, and just a writer. Since I normally balance being a writer with being a mother, wife, employee, and occasional (very occasional) bad plant mother, this was an unusual chance to me to soak in the creating and publishing world that I love so much.

First, I went to BEA, and I also got to visit with readers and authors at the Teen Author Carnival. It was great to meet booksellers, librarians, editors, agents, sales reps, bloggers, reviewers, and last but not least the very nice doorman at my friend Laurie's building who displayed unfounded but entirely appreciated trust and let me in at every hour. I also found out what Kringle is, at my publisher's booth, (a delicious pastry that tastes even better than it looks), and even met a bookseller who lives three blocks from my in-laws (I am surprised she hasn't already found a CANDOR flier pasted to her door! kidding.... although people in St. Louis should not be surprised if my mother-in-law thrusts a CANDOR card in their hands...).

Then I headed off to Kindling Words West, a wonderful 7-day retreat for published childrens' book writers and illustrators. We huddled up at the Mabel Dodge Luhan House in Taos, NM, which was not only gorgeous but boasted delicious and bountiful meals, including crisp hot bacon every morning. After Kathi Appelt got us going every morning with instruction and writing exercises, I pounded my way through over 21,000 words, soaked in the wonderful company of my writing colleagues, and also got to explore a bit of New Mexico. I think my favorite Taos experience was the vocal coyotes behind our room (particularly after my roommate assured me that coyotes do not leap ten feet up,  over barbed Reservation wire, and through windows to snack on bacon-fed chicks from DC).

I learned a lot from my generous colleagues at KWW. Among the lessons:

• No matter how many books you've published, or what awards you've won, the next one will tie you up in knots.
• So much of the publishing business is out of our control, no matter how hard we try to control it.
• Full-time writers are adept jugglers too, often doing school visits and editing jobs too.
• I am not a very good spoons player. Not yet, at least...

If you are a publisher childrens' book writer or illustrator, I can't recommend this retreat highly enough. I've already got the 2010 retreat on my calendar.

And now... back to my everyday reality, and the next 21K words!

Read this Book: WINGS

Today I am welcoming fellow Debutante Aprilynne Pike to my blog, to celebrate the release of WINGS. You just may have heard of this one already, since it debuted on the NY Times Bestseller list!  It also has one of my favorite covers in the 2009 new releases to date. I just got to meet Aprilynne at BEA last week and she's lovely and gracious. Also, tall. But I tend to think many people are tall!

If you love discovering new series, or enjoy a great fantasy yarn, then you'll definitely want to check out WINGS. So read the details below and wing your way to the nearest bookstore or online outlet (groan... I just couldn't help that pun!).

ABOUT WINGS
Aprilynne Pike's WINGS is the first of four books about an ordinary girl named Laurel who discovers she is a faerie sent among humans to guard the gateway to Avalon. When Laurel is thrust into the midst of a centuries-old battle between faeries and trolls, she's torn between a human and a faerie love, as well as her loyalties to both worlds.

APRILYNNE, MEET MY FAVE QUESTIONS...

--I think teen books can, and should, be read by grown-ups. Tell my grandma Grace why she should read your book.
If your grandma Grace has read a lot in her life, then she probably would enjoy seeing something very new. I always tell people, you've never seen faeries like my faeries. And that is what I would tell you grandma. This is a story different than any she's ever read before. It's also clean and mostly language free, which--I have found--most grandmas appreciate.;)

--What would your 16-year-old self say if she read your book?
I like to think that she would have really liked it. But considering how much I read, perhaps it's more rational that she would have read it, enjoyed it, checked it off her list, and then moved on to the next book.

--I am fascinated by writers' inspirations. Tell me about a real-life setting that found its way into your book.
My book involves faeries who are members of the plant kingdom. A little known fact about me . . .um . . . I'm really good at killing plants. I like to say I have a black thumb. But because I was writing about plants for most of the summer, it made me think about my own plants and actually remember to water the grass. So because of Wings, my grass was greener that summer than any other summer.:)

ALL ABOUT APRILYNNE
Aprilynne Pike has been spinning faerie stories since she was a child with a hyper-active imagination. At the age of twenty she received her BA in Creative Writing from Lewis-Clark State College in Lewiston, Idaho. When not writing, Aprilynne can usually be found at the gym; she also enjoys singing, acting, reading, and working with pregnant moms as a childbirth educator and doula. Aprilynne currently lives with her husband and three kids in Utah, and dreams of warmer climates.