By Cam
My T13 this week is going to be completely unoriginal. Sorry! But with committing to another 50K NaNo challenge this month, I’m devoting most of my spare time to writing the YA I’ve been talking about for the better part of a month. I know y’all are sick of hearing me talk about it but that’s how much I LOVE it. So, tough. 
This week in my soooo-not-original-in-the-slightest T13, I’m listing the next 13 reads on my TBR shelf. I’m not sure if this is the order they’ll eventually be read in, but this is how they sit on my actual bookshelf:
- Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson (YA Contemp) – Just started reading
- Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins (YA SFF)
- The Dark Divine by Bree Dispain (YA Paranormal)
- Fade by Lisa McMann (YA Paranormal)
- Willow by Julia Hoban (YA Contemp)
- North of Beautiful by Justina Chen Headley (YA Contemp)
- The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong (YA Paranormal)
- The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan (YA Paranormal/SFF)
- Candor by Pam Borchaz (YA Contemp)
- Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick (YA Paranormal)
- Hate List by Jennifer Brown (YA Contemp)
- Lead Me On by Victoria Dahl (Contemp Romance)
- Hearts of Darkness by Gena Showalter, Maggie Shayne, and Susan Krinard (Paranormal Romance antho)
So there it is. As you can see, I have a LOT of YA on my list. I probably never really stopped reading YA since high school (I’ve only been out 10 years). But I figure since I’m writing it, I might as well know what’s out there now and what’s missing. Plus it’s good research because first person narrative in present tense is a whole other ball park for me and this helps me see how seamless it can be done. Plus if you haven’t ever read YA, you should. The voices are fresh, the issues relevant, and the characters gut-wrenching and believable. But don’t get me wrong…I still LOVE LOVE LOVE my romances and there are some really good ones coming out soon!
What’s on your shelf?
By Cam
No woes today. But it is 2010 and I’m off to a flying start on my YA paranormal–you know, the experimental one?–that I’ve tentatively titled, BLUR. And even though I did the plotterly thing by making an outline AND a really REALLY colorful plot board/story board/Post-It party, it seems my characters are driving this bus themselves without paying any attention to my carefully detailed plans. The nerve. I know some of it will end up on the chopping block, but it’s all part of the process…
…The Getting To Know You Process.
Like for instance, who knew my main character sweats like a pig when she gets nervous, anxious, scared, happy, or feels any emotion whatsoever? I’m going to have to arm her with plenty of underarm protection, but really–did she have to adopt such a gross quirk? Why couldn’t she just, I don’t know, twirl her hair or something? And she’s a liar. Not the kind that could do serious damage, but the kind who always fibs just a little. The kind where one teensy weensy little white lie helps more than it hurts. Or so goes her philosophy. She also likes to play musical cabinets by slamming the doors in varying rhythms to make the contents jingle in tune. And did I mention she’s blind? Yeah. My original outline had her getting her sight back after a near-deadly accident…but she’s informed me that she’s more attuned to her surroundings without her sight so she’d rather go into hiding than get it back. Hmrph. Teens.
So, yes. I’m in this wonderful, eye-opening stage fondly known as ‘Getting To Know You’. How do you get to know your characters? Do you plot only to have them rebel against your wishes? Or maybe they’re obedient from the get-go? Do you conduct character interviews ahead of time so you’re already enmeshed in their nuances? Or do you squeeze your eyes closed and have them lead–or drag–you by the hand the whole ride? How do your characters develop?
And oh yeah, I almost forgot. Nathan Bransford– agent and blogman extraordinaire–has another one of his cool, overwhelmingly popular and utterly intimidating contests on his uber popular blog. Throwing caution to the angsty teen wind, I decided to enter.
The contest is promoting his client, Jennifer Hubbard’s, debut release of her YA — THE SECRET YEAR. The blurb sounds interesting so I’m adding it to my TBR list. Basically it’s a poor-boy-meets-rich-girl-who-has-a-boyfriend story where the two have a secret affair but the girl dies and he finds her journal with unsent letters addressed to him. Interesting, yes?
The contest prompt is to write the most intriguing fictional teen diary/letter entry. Nathan is the judge and he’s offering one heck of a carrot. The deadline is today at 4pm PST (that’s 7pm EST for those of you unsure of the time conversion *wink*).
I entered a journal entry that Jamie wrote in her BrailleNote about the first day she met Peter. I read it over. And it’s crap. But it’s also a very neat writing exercise that helped tremendously in the ‘Getting To Know You’ process. I highly recommend doing this for your characters as a learning exercise. I know I’ll be including it next time!
So that’s it! Takeaways –
Check out Nathan’s blog
Enter THE SECRET YEAR Teen Diary Contest
Have a ‘Getting To Know You’ date with your main character
And Happy 2010!
PS — Here’s my oh-so-colorful Plot Board/Story Board/Post-It Party for BLUR:
Isn’t it pretty?
Cambria Dillon - YA Writer represented by Vickie Motter, Andrea Hurst Literary Management
