Why YA?

Someone asked me once why so many of the books I read are young adult. I'm not sure there's one definite answer for this. I think I've always enjoyed reading YA books but I vividly remember the book that really ignited my love for them.

In ninth grade, my English teacher assigned us to read The Face on the Milk Carton by Carolyn B. Cooney. Normally, anything a teacher assigns is automatically filed into the "this book will be boring" folder, but not this time. This time, I found myself holding onto the edge of my seat and flipping through the pages quicker than ever before. The suspense, the romance, the sheer mystery of the book was incredible. Once I reached the end, I had to know: Are there more books like this? Where can I get them?

Over the following years I bought all of the books in that series and loved them all. I've read them all several times and love them as much today as I did at fourteen. My own love of writing was well established by then, even if I mostly wrote angsty poetry at the time, but there is no doubt that this one book is a part of my writing history and a part of who I am as a writer.

So many people have this misconception that young adult books are only for young readers, that they can't possibly contain a thoughtful or mature subject matter. They just don't know how wrong they are. Young adult books are not only well written but they often tackle hard hitting and challenging issues that many adults are still facing themselves. Just because the main character of a book is fifteen, sixteen or seventeen years old, doesn't mean the book itself is going to be a shallow or easy read.

So how does that saying go? You should never judge a book by it's cover? Perhaps in this situation, we could say: "You should never judge a book by it's genre."

If I'd judged Carolyn B. Cooney's book by my first impression, where would I be today? Maybe I'd still be writing and maybe I'd still be enjoying young adult books, but I do know the journey wouldn't have been nearly as fun.

Reading, Writing & Insomnia

It's no secret I'm a tad bit addicted to reading and, well, books in general. I have always been an avid reader but in the past few years it's as if I simply can't get enough. I carry books with me when I run errands on the off chance that I'll get to steal a few minutes with its pages. I try to read at least a little bit each night before falling asleep. I feel more relaxed and getting lost inside someone elses' story has always been therapeutic for me.

I never really saw this as a problem until I began writing my own book. Now I often find myself torn between writing and reading. When it's been a particularly long or tiring day, I tend to gravitate towards curling up with a good book and going to bed early. This does not, however, help me reach my writing goals each day. I've heard time and time again that getting into the habit of writing every day, even if it's just a little bit, is helpful to keep motivated. I have to agree with this. When I take more than a day or two off from writing, I feel lazy and find it easier to skip writing again.

And here is where it gets more complicated: I love to read. I love to write. I want to do much more of both of them that I actually have time for. Some days I really do have to choose one or the other. It makes me sad either way. If I don't get time alone with a book each day, I hate it. If I can't reach my writing goals each day, I feel unproductive and overwhelmed.

The problem is, as a stay at home mom, I have very little time to myself. I often attempt to sneak in a few pages of reading during the day. It's not easy but I'm slowly learning that since the only time I really have to write when I can concentrate is late at night, after everyone has gone to bed. This is also not easy. I have always been one of those people who needs lots of sleep to function happily. After nearly a year of training it, I think I'm finally starting to get my body used to getting less sleep.

So my last thought is this: Is it odd that I may actually wish for a dash of insomnia? I'm sure it's a terrible condition to have but I sometimes allow myself to fantasize about how productive I could be if I had hours in the middle of the night to just work on my book.

A girl can dream, right? Or...I suppose in this case, a girl can dream about not dreaming?

Here we go.

So, this is it. One more thing I will do to push myself one little step closer to achieving my goal. The first time I remember acknowledging my dream to become an author was in third grade. I entered a writing contest and, to my dismay, I actually won. Took my family of four out to dinner. It was then that I realized the joy that writing can bring. I had fun writing that little story and as a result, I was rewarded.

Do something you love and get paid for it? Sounds perfect to me.

Now, that payment can come in many different forms; it doesn't have to be cash. Money would be nice, but more than anything, I just want to have fun with this. I want to create something that someone else will truly want to read. Someone outside of my already amazingly supportive friends and family.

So....with that said, here is where things stand today: I have completed the first draft of a YA paranormal novel and am currently working on revisions. My *goal* is to complete this round of revisions by the end of May, 2011.

Let's hope this blog helps to keep me accountable to that goal.

If you are reading this very first post, you probably fall into one of those amazingly supportive categories aforementioned. Thank you!