progress report, take a number, get in line

Oh sheesh, I think I have book #2 brewing in my head! Can I finish book #1 first, please? Take a number, ideas, get in line, single file, and no cutsies!

(I assure myself this time, book #1 will not be abandoned for book #2, no matter how it begs! I am too far emotionally invested in book #1, and it will be my firstborn! It will forever hold that place in my heart!)

But it’s helpful, I think, to see trends starting to take shape in the scope of my stories. I’m starting to notice some similarities, based on what book #1 is about, compared to what book #2 is about – life and death, marriage and relationships, trying not to become your parents…

I still don’t know if I’m writing YA or not. Upper YA maybe. Maybe not. The protags from novel #1 are 20 years old. But I’m thinking the protag for the second novel is going to be about 25.

There are also many strong women’s themes in my writing, so maybe chick lit? Whoa, crap, am I a chick lit writer??? But without the shoes, or publishing jobs in NYC? Is that allowed in chick lit? Midwestern quirky chick lit, with snow boots instead of stilettos? Come to think of it, my website is pink, lol! 🙂

I don’t know why I’m so dead-set on finding myself a niche to belong to. My very favorite authors – John Irving, Lorrie Moore, T.C. Boyle – don’t really seem to belong to any niche except just good, engrossing, quirky, literary fiction. Maybe that is a niche itself?

progress report for the week of 11/30:

I’m easing myself out of the turkey coma this week. I accomplished more plotty stuff than actual plumping of word counts (parts 2 and 3 are developing!), but I’ve enjoyed looking over what I have so far. I’ve found that the first part of the novel (chapters 1-7) is pretty much sketched, so now just to plump and polish and move forward. That’s exciting news, for me at least, because the plumping and polishing part is the easiest, for me. Once I have the bones down, and I know what’s happening and who’s saying what, and such, the flesh usually falls right into place (ha, bones and flesh, lol!).

Favorite line of the week, Danny and Hannah’s mom:

“Birds? Your father left you birds? I’m not surprised though. I didn’t know much about your father, and I was married to the man for twelve years.”

Hope everyone’s writing projects are going well! 🙂