Hair Dye & WriMo-Wisdom

by Sal Florentine

On November 1st, I wrote about 750 words. 

On November 2nd, I rewrote those 750 words: 790 words total on Friday. 990 words total right this moment.

What happened? I was trying to write a hot paranormal romance while all I really had in mind was a YA fantasy novel. And I hate writing stuff that doesn't feel right to my. I have to love what I do or else it will end in the trash.

So, did I just waste 750 words? I could have had a total of 1,740 words! 

No, not a waste at all, because I already learned my first WriMo-lessons:

• Sometimes characters are more believable if one bisects their age.
• If it sounds better in present tense, write in present tense.
• Although a fight scene goes fast, fast, fast, you don't have to write fast. If the fight is only 30 seconds long you still don't have to write it within 30 seconds as well (not even when you're really excited about putting it all to paper).
• Don't hurry too much. If you put yourself under too much pressure chances are you'll end up hating all you've written before.

I also learned that dark brown hair dye doesn't work for me. I'm still blond. :(

Have you gained any wisdom during the first days of NaNoWriMo? Please share.

The Popularity Of YA Fiction, or: "You want me to stay here?"

"You want me to stay here?" will be the first desperate question a girl asks her father when they arrive at their new home.

Yesterday, while I was on my way home, I kept wondering why YA novels are so popular. There are sooo many fans of YA novels and many of them can't even be called "young adult" anymore.

Right now, I still don't know if I have an answer. I only have a one-sentence question which could play an important part in a future YA novel I might or might not write.

Why do I sometimes read YA fiction? Because I like well-written novels - and many YA novels are extraordinarily well-written.  The protagonist's age doesn't really matter much if the story draws me in.

In the meantime, maybe you'd like to tell me why you think YA fiction is so widely popular?

Recommended reading:
YA author Gwen Gardner tackles the same subject in her post "Morality In Young Adult Fiction".  

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"Du willst wirklich, dass ich hier bleibe?", ist die erste verzweifelte Frage, die ein Mädchen ihrem Vater stellen wird, wenn sie vor ihrem neuen Zuhause stehen.

Als ich gestern auf dem Nachhauseweg war, stellte ich mir die Frage, warum Romane für junge Erwachsene zur Zeit so beliebt sind. Es gibt sooo viele Fans der Kategorie "Young Adult", und viele von ihnen sind nicht einmal mehr selbst junge Erwachsene.

Ich habe noch immer keine abschließende Antwort darauf gefunden. Das einzige, was ich bis jetzt habe, ist eine Ein-Satz-Frage, die in einem zukünftigen Roman für junge Erwachsene, den ich vielleicht oder vielleicht auch nicht schreiben werde, eine wichtige Rolle spielen könnte.

Warum lese ich gelegentlich Bücher, deren Adressaten junge Erwachsene sind? Weil ich gut geschriebene Bücher mag - und Bücher dieses Genres sind für häufig außerordentlich gut geschrieben. Das Alter des Protagonisten ist von wenig Bedeutung für mich, wenn die Erzählung es schafft, mich zu fesseln.

Was glaubt ihr, warum Romane für junge Erwachsene zur Zeit so beliebt sind?