process and progress
on new beginnings…
First things first. I have never written a blog. Just thought I’d throw that out there for my readers to chew on for a while!
I’m quite new to this business of writing and although I’m not sure at this point where the road I’ve chosen will lead me, young adult fiction is the path I find myself on today. My three teenagers, along with their peers and several nieces and nephews are endless suppliers of story ideas.
Young people need to be aware that the struggles they face today are surmountable and success is achievable by each and every one of them. It’s equally important that they understand that previous generations faced the very same situations. Granted, twenty or thirty years ago, we didn’t have the technology kids have today, but we still struggled with self-confidence, bullying, sex, violence, alcohol and drugs, peer pressures and yes, parents.
Currently, I am editing my first novel, off the rails, the first draft of which was furiously hammered out in November 2009 as I took on my very first National Novel Writing Month challenge.
off the rails is the story of a young girl, Rachel Stark, caught up in a dangerous world. She’s beautiful and intelligent, but insecure and naive. She’s forced to make choices that could, and do, affect her, and those close to her, for the rest of her life. The story is told through the eyes of both Rachel and her mother. I do this because it’s necessary for young girls reading this story to see how parents are affected by the choices their daughters (and sons) make.
Congrats and kudos on joining the ranks of the “aspiring writers” such as I. I have a few blog entries and flash fiction pieces on my website, and a few short fiction pieces out for consideration at a few journals, and a novel idea germinating in my head.
Best of luck in this odd avocation we have chosen for ourselves. See you in the Twitterverse…
I absolutely loved your blog post. I will RT for you. I also have a feeling that I am totally in-tune with your writing style. I have a tendency to write from 2 points of views (ie. your mother and daughter). Unlike many of the genre’s out there for YA today, I believe, like you do that it is imperative that these kids learn and understand that society is the way it is, and how to deal with it. We can try to change it, but it is much easier to change ourselves. What better way to convey that message than through the written word. Kudos my friend!