What's your book about? I'd love to know what you're working on now, what you were working on, or what you'll be working on next.
I'm especially interested in what genre you guys write. Your responses will not only be fun to read, they'll be useful as I plan future posts.
My current project, Seaspear, is a fantasy novel that concentrates on the underlying theme: Is magic okay?
ReplyDeleteI also wanted to write a pirate adventure where the main characters were not pirates - because as fascinating as they are, pirates are really terrible people. :D
Seaspear is in the editing stage right now, and it needs a lot of work. Thanks to the help of my harsh editor, it will soon be beaten into shape.
Ellyn, I really like the title Seaspear. How did you come up with it? MaryLu Tyndall has written some pirate stories that have gotten excellent reviews. http://www.marylutyndall.com/
ReplyDeleteSierra, my first book took me FOUR years to complete because of all the changes and rewrites. You're doing great!
I'm currently editing a YA about friendship/sibling relationships (my MC has five siblings)
ReplyDeleteMy next WIP, which I am composting right now, might be classified as Literary Fiction since it is quite character-driven and deals with some intense themes (abortion). Or, it could be suspense, because of life and death situations. Or women's fiction because the main characters are all women...
Lastly, i'm also composting a Middle Grade novel called (tentatively) Blessed Assurance. It's for my little sister, who came up with the premise, which I thought was so good I should write a whole book :) both she and the MC are terribly shy and very talented. She struggles with overcoming her shyness to share her gifts with others.
Everything I write is very Christian, it's the only genre I consistently fit into :)
I'm about 30K into my first book, which is a fantasy. It's about a girl who becomes and orphan. Then she finds out she's adopted. She set's out on a quest to find her birth mother, but gets wrapped up in a revolution on the way.
ReplyDeleteBefore I started writing this I've always thought it would be fun to write a book, but I've never gotten past the first chapter.
The next book (or series) I want to write is an action/adventure for my younger brothers who both love super hero's. It'll be called Super's in Training, with a subtitle of Don't Call Us Sidekicks, and it'll be following a few kids who find out they have super powers.
~Sarah
Jordan, your books sound wonderful. It's so fun to try out the different genres. I love books about families, like the YA book you described.
ReplyDeleteSarah, I adore the subtitle "Don't Call us Sidekicks." Although, I actually like that as an overall title too. Sounds very cute. I also like how, with the adoption story, you've taken a storyline we traditionally see in our world and made it a fantasy.
My novel is a fantasy about a princess dethroned by a discontented relative and a hateful king. It deals with whether or not we should take revenge. At present its about 3/4 of the way through the rough draft, and the end is finally more or less in sight!
ReplyDeleteAlso my brother has been on me to write a story we made up together called Dream-catcher, which is more of a science fiction.
I love princess stories. And revenge stories. (The Count of Monte Cristo is such a satisfying revenge story!) Congratulations on the end being so close!
ReplyDeleteAnd look at all these fantasy stories! How wonderful.
I've written a YA fantasy novel that will show young adult readers that God has an extraordinary plan for thier life. My novel tells the story of a young woman who lives in a medieval kingdom. She alone holds the key to the quest of a prince and a traitor, a mysterious Song from an old legend.
ReplyDeleteWhoops, pressed Post too early. The novel I'm working on revising the final draft of (above) is the first in a trilogy. I'm writing the beginning chapters of the sequel and have the premise of the third already planned.
ReplyDeleteIt's great to see what everyone else is working on! I love that I'm not the only Fantasy writer!
I've tried to write all kinds genres but I've only gotten far in Fantasy. I use the genre not because of magic but because of there being no boundaries.
ReplyDeleteI've finished my first book/first draft called "Beyond the Border" in the past month. Unfortunately, I still haven't figured out all the important facts to answer what it's about (My brain always freezes when someone asks me that question "Well, it's about a girl...and her name is Bethclaire...and...")
My WIP is called "The Last of Kin". I've only gotten 2 chapters into it, but I have a much clearer idea of where I'm going with it then I had with Beyond the Border.
The Short story I am working on now is a story of a teen named Erynn and her baby brother named Andrew. They get pulled from their mom and get put into a foster home with Christian parents. Erynn puts up a wall and won't let anyone help her. In the end her mom signs over her rights for her and her brother, and Erynn finally is willing to give her foster parents a try.
ReplyDeleteI have a lot of contact with the foster system. So I now that having God presented to these kids is so important.
Alyson:)
This is fun to read!
ReplyDeleteI'm in a weird place writing. I was working on a story & it just wasn't working.It was contemporary with a chick lit feel about friends in their 20s so desperate to get married that they church hop & plot crazy things to make what they want happen regardless of Gods will.
When I realized it wasn't working I was so bummed and the girls kept following me THEN I realized it wasn't the plot I loved it was the characters!!
So now, I'm composting with the same characters but a different plot. I'm brainstorming about their friendship with each other.it deals with a shy- er (sp?) more uncertain MC and her heir putting on confident, sort or controlling friend. Do you think the dynamics of friendship & jealousy could carry a book as the main plot? I'm not really sure but am trying to sort it out.
I am also composting an idea about the development of a cosmetics line and misplaced trust.
It could be a romance if a guy falsely romances the girl only to steals the ideas. Romance would be new for me so I'm not sure. OR I could mix it with my first idea where the shy-er MC starts a makeup line and as it has some success all of a sudden her "best friend" who always wants to be on top cant handle that.
What do you think? Is it weird to have characters and play around with plot & genre?
I have started many books, but I've never really finished one. The one I am working on right now doesn't have a name yet. I just started it about a week and a half ago and I am only on the third chapter.
ReplyDeleteIt is about a Christian girl living in California with Conservative Christian parents who rebels and ends up a pregnant teen. She has to go and live with her sister in Montana and it is about her struggles and such.
I am not sure if I will continue writing it because it is such a touchy subject.
I usually write Historical Fiction because that is my favorite, but I do write some contemporary. All of my books are Christian and YA. I wrote one mystery book that I had almost finished and my computer crashed that had it on there. I tried rewriting it, but it wasn't very good the second time, so I stopped.
I have a ton of stories I have written that could eventually be the beginning of books. I hope one day I will finish one! :)
Rachelle, it's always good to be thinking about sequel options. Especially in fantasy. Looks like we have lots of fantasy writers represented here!
ReplyDeleteSananora, I've spent my entire morning working on book proposals, which involves summarizing a book in a sentence. It's SO hard ... but so important.
Alyson, I love stories that involve the foster system. Like White Oleander or Jenny B. Jones' Katie Parker series. So fascinating.
Tonya, I like that you're giving yourself so many options. It's so important not to limit yourself when brainstorming! I think friendship and jealousy can definitely play a huge part in motivations, but your MC needs a goal to drive the story forward.
Tabitha, your computer crash story makes my writer's heart hurt. That stinks. I'm borderline obsessed with pregnant teen stories. I could easily work a teenage pregnancy into every story of mine. You're right, it's a very touchy subject, and I've had some moms who didn't approve of the Skylar Hoyt series, but... Well, it's a reality in our world. I love historicals, but I have no talent for writing them.
I am writing a modern story, about a girl who gets her name chosen to work at a spying agency, but her family refuses to tell her. The spying agency threatens to come take her, so the main character (Violet) has to watch her sister at all times.
ReplyDeleteBut Violet leaves her sister (she's not exactly a nice, obedient person) and the agency takes her. Violet's mom is so mad that she makes her leave the house and never return until she finds her sister.
Is there a book out there called "My Sister's Keeper?" I think my sister read it, and that's what kind of gave me the idea for the story.
I am also working on a story called Gypsy Fiddler, one called Skipping Stones, and one about an aquarium run by someone who escaped from an insane asylum. But the one mentioned above is my main one. If you check out my blog (livinglife4thelord.blogspot.com) you will find that I often post the first chapter or so of my stories on there.
Does anyone else here every have trouble putting romance in their stories? Sometimes if feels like the only stories people buy have romance in them, but I don't like putting it in.
♥Book blogger
Wow, you guys have some awesome ideas! Awesome to get a glimpse of them all. =)
ReplyDeleteMy current WIP that I am working on is a medieval suspense. :-) The hero is an assassin of swords who, at the opening of the book, is hired to help overthrow the royal family. The heroine is the Princess who's life he is going to destroy.
ReplyDeleteSo far I have only written the beginning few chapters, but I look forward to seeing it coming together! :-)
~ Katy
Well, I tend towards fictional settings with a fantasy feel, but no magic or weird creatures, just the knights and the fighting, princesses in towers, creepy old scientists who live in caves etc.
ReplyDeleteFor instance I have one story where it's more of a fictional historic setting, but the time isn't real so I can create my own world. That's what I like best about writing, creating worlds.
Well, I'm writing 2 stories right now, so that when I get stuck on one I can turn to the other and always be writing. The first is more serious and is a tale of a over thrown king, who had never wanted to be king in the first place. He wanders the country side living life on his own terms, and finds that he might not be who he thought he was, all the while God is beckoning to him. I shouldn't say any more.
And the second is more light hearted, filled with lame jokes and scenerios. About a second son whose little brother is a fairy-tale hero and married a princess. In fact all his siblings are either heros or four star generals, or married to some sort of royalty or filthy rich! While he is just normal.
The second is set in a more fictional fantasy world, while the first is set in a fictional medevil world.
Brainstorming is fun! The downside though is always having a idea that continually changes things. At some point I have to stop brainstorming
ReplyDeleteI've always written contemporary fiction and choose main characters that have similar but not identical situations to my own. {"Write what you know" may be cliché but it's also pretty good advice, I think; haha.} My senior project is coming up next spring, and I decided, since I'm majoring in English lit and minoring in history, to challenge myself in historical fiction instead. All I really know at this point is that it's going to be set in France during World War II and deal with the French resistance. If I pursue history as a Master's I'm planning on studying resistance during World War II, so I thought it would give me a leg up on that as well as serve as a good background for interesting fiction.
ReplyDeleteBook Blogger, how interesting that you got your story idea from My Sister's Keeper, yet your story is absolutely nothing like it. I love how differently everybody's minds work.
ReplyDeleteI don't struggle with the romance angle, but there are plenty of books that don't have it, so don't sweat it.
Katy, ooooh. Medieval suspense. I'm intrigued!
Faye, how fun to be alternating between a more serious story and a light-hearted one! Good balance.
Tonya, yeah eventually you have to make a choice. It's a real bummer.
Annie, I was the exact same way when I first started writing. Historical fiction is definitely hot right now, so I say go for it! I love reading historicals.
I'm attempting to write a Christian historical fiction novella (about 100 pgs.) set around 1854. It's part romance, part mystery, part adventure. I don't know if I could just classify it under "historical fiction" or if I need to pick a specific genre.
ReplyDeleteIt's about the Underground Railroad, people with fake names because they're after Underground Railroad workers, and women marrying men they don't love.
I finished the second chapter of the first draft, and I pretty much have the rest brainstormed, though my stories usually don't turn out quite exactly like I brainstormed.
I have a question what is a historical fiction. I think that's my genre. when ever I look at books put in historical fiction its usually in the 18th century. I'm writing one in WW2. so would that put it in there.
ReplyDeleteI'm working on a sci fi about two teenaged girls who are both complete opposites. However, they meet and become friends. One of them, Petra, is protecting the other, and also trying to hide some things from her. Then they get mixed up in a plot to overthrow the oppressive government, and accidently put themselves and everyone they care about in danger.
ReplyDeleteI also write medieval fantasy, mainly because I don't have to adhere to history as much. Right now, I'm just going through ideas for one.
Right now, I'm working on editing my book "Tania's Faith" which I wrote in November 2010 for NaNoWriMo (ywp.nanowrimo.org). It's a fictional fantasy story about a girl named Tania and how she finds her faith :).
ReplyDeleteBook Blogger,
ReplyDeleteI'm not a big fan for romance, and I don't really feel comfortable writing it. So I just don't :)!
I am writing a mystery right now. About this old house and these girls that get tangled up in it.
ReplyDeleteMe and my best friend are writing a fantasy (story book) where we are the queen and princess. It is mainly about our lives and the hard times we had and how we pulled through them.
Right now with my mystery I am writing a book on friendship.
My work in progress is also fantasy I guess because it's about princes and princesses and is set in a fictional world. It's about a princess called Indigo, who hates being a princess. Through the course of the story she become reconciled to the fact that she is one, and even begins to like it. She also begins to see the value in the people around her.
ReplyDeleteI've been writing this story for almost a year and a half now and it keeps changing. My biggest problem was that my characters were too good. There was no room for growth.
Mrs. Morrill,
ReplyDeleteI'm currently working on a short story that is placed in the American West during the mid-1800s. I've been working on it off and on since December... Although, I have thought about doing a science-fiction/fantasy... What do you think of Western novels and/or science fiction/fantasy?
Do you think I could email you a bit of one of my stories? I know you're busy, but I thought I might try. :)
ReplyDeleteGretchen, I don't think I've ever read an underground railroad story. I'd like to; it was such an interesting time. And my stories never work out like I plan either.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous, yeah, historical fiction is very broad. You're right, that's what you're writing. Have you read anything by Sarah Sundin? She writes phenomenal WW2 books.
Nicki T., I just read that editors are predicting Sci-fi will be the next big YA genre to take off (since they think paranormal and dystopian have kinda run their courses.)
Talia, yay you for doing NaNo! That's one of my "Someday" goals. Someday when I don't have a 3 year old and 10 month old.
Natalie, I love, love, love mysteries. I have no head for writing them, but they're so fun to read!
Imogen, that exact same thing happened to me in one of my early manuscripts. This was back when I still had my high school friends reading my stuff, and one of them (a very wise-for-her-age type girl) said to me, "Your character is too perfect. I think she needs room to grow." After she said it, it seemed so obvious.
Rebekah, I've never read a Western. My understanding is they're a hard sell. But maybe you could somehow merge the Western and Sci-Fi genres? Blending genres can have such fun, interesting results.
Book blogger, I really wish I could, but I'm just way too busy right now. I hope in the future I'll have more time for reading stories from you guys.
I'm really into writing fantasy books =) Mostly in sort of modern day, I suppose, but the one I'm very fond of is modern day but is kind of like Narnia type genre.
ReplyDeleteIt's about a girl named Leslie that discovers her true heritage in a fantasy land called Amerada, her parents are the rightful rulers of Amerada and she's the only heir.
They had to run away before she was even born, along with being the heir she's the only living Agnimara ( a very powerful magic person)
So yeah... its still in the editing phase =) But I finished the manuscript in story-wise, and I'm working on the sequel to it.
I'm also writing a book in modern day something-or-other, a girl moves from Miami Florida to Fortuna, California and discovers that there are tribes of shape shifters living amongst them secretly.
Now that one is a more romance/fantasy/action, type thing. The shape shifters turn into wolves, and you can probably guess that one of the shape shifter's falls in love with the MC Briana Davis. =)
I'm not very far, but I'm in love with the idea of the story. I REALLY like wolves and I love magical things so it was like the perfect combination. And both of those books I just mentioned are in the YA category definitely haha.
I do like writing modern day romance stuff with horses mostly, I'm working on a book called "Hearts of Freedom" about a guy that butts heads with a girl that's a lot like him in the way of stubborness and hard-headedness.
Romance, =) And focusing a lot on the family aspect of strengthening your family relationship, his family is really broken up and separated and falling apart.
Anyway I'm gonna stop typing now...
But that's the gyst of what I write =) I have lots of ideas in my big head and I hardly ever finish them sometimes.
~Jazmine
That last one sounds like a spin off on "Much Ado about Nothing".
ReplyDeleteI have the same problem that someone on here already mentioned: I never seem to be able to finish my stories. :(
ReplyDeleteI love love LOVE romances but I don't seem to be very good at writing them (-sigh-).
Maybe I'll get better with practice? (fingers crossed!)
Right now I'm working on a story about a girl called Hallie who has a controlling mother and a carefree older sister who she longs to be like. It's a very cliche romance/family relationships thing. I've got about 3 chapters written and a lot already planned in my head. Has anyone ever had a whole story plotted out that sounds so much better in their head than on paper?
I'm writing an allegorical thriller I like to think of as a mix between Frank Peretti's 'Peircing the Darkness' and John Bunyan's 'The Pilgrims Progress.' :) .It's sort of an artists interpretation of the Christian faith where the spiritual becomes physical.
ReplyDeleteIt is set in the contemporary town of Fear, and follows the lives of a few different characters, all at varying ages. I have the concept and a few chapters mapped out, I've also written a lot of exerts. However, it's the beginning I'm having trouble with. I want to write a REALLY good start, but I'm stuck, so I can't get into the story . . .
Wow, I loved reading all of these comments!
ReplyDeleteBebs -
ReplyDeleteI would actually really recommend for your stuckness in your story; moving on and writing something further in the story?? If that works for you, I normally don't do it.
Or you could write a beginning and go back and redoe it later when a better idea comes to mind. =)
And to help you get out of you being stuck, I'd read lots of beginnings to some books that you like to read and really pay attention to what they do to pull you in.
I heard this somewhere I forget where... but I think Stephanie posted it. Don't open your book on a normal day, open on something exciting! That pulls people in. =) I've realized that when I actually look for it in the beginning of my favorite fantasy books.
I'm in the editing stage of my novel, Once Upon A Time. It's a fairy tale.....literally. My main character is a fairy. I have played off the idea that when a baby laughs for the first time, a fairy is made. When a baby is considered a happy baby, it means that their fairy is still with them. But this fairy is seen and must deal with the consequences....which increase when her Bundle's mother comes looking for her.
ReplyDeleteMy current actual writing is a script. My degree is in acting and I love Jane Austen, so I'm writing a monodrama about what is known of her life.
Actually I usually have about five different writing projects going on at the same time, but these are the biggest.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI have this great idea for a book, but I just cant think of a good hook to start it off. I want my book to be different and not blend in with everything else. Any suggestions?
ReplyDeleteP.S This Website is so cool! I just found it a few weeks ago!:)
Jazmine, "too many" ideas is an okay problem to have! I think shape shifters would be really fun for a writer to work with.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous, it took me a long time to write a full manuscript as opposed to just the beginning. Even now, I have to push myself to stick with stories. Your story reminds me of Someone like you by Sarah Dessen.
Bebs, ooooh. Sounds excellent. You might be putting too much pressure on yourself to find the perfect starting place right now. Maybe just get going on it and you'll uncover the right place to start. Lots of writers have to do that.
Tiffany, what a unique idea! And I'm impressed you can have so many projects going on at the same time. It's a very handy skill to have as a professional writer.
I'd like to clarify that Emii's post was removed by Emii, not me. I think it's rather confusing that Blogger says removed by "the author." They mean the writer of the comment, not me.
Lol, Anonymous. A couple days ago, I was struck my a great opening line and scene ... but I have no idea what the story is. Maybe the universe sent you the story and me the hook :) My advice is the same as what I told Bebs above. Just pick a place to start writing and don't worry about if it's the "right" hook until later. And thank you. I have a lot of fun on Go Teen Writers :)
I've just started a book about a girl who discovers that she has an older brother and her parents never told her. Except I've only done 2 and a half chapters, and it's kind of.... well, boring. I'll have to revise it a little. :)
ReplyDeleteMy books are all jumbled up in my head, but my newest three are tormenting me the loudest. The first, a currently untitled piece, follows Emira Vane, a Lieutenant on one of Earth's colony planets sometime in the distant future, and her ex-husband who's out bring down the government and her with it.
ReplyDeleteThe second blossoms from my short story entitled "Rat Stew" about a ragtag group of airship pirates in alternate 1890s Europe and their various misadventures.
The third just approached my a few days back, tapped me on the shoulder so's I'd turn around, and slugged me hard in the eye socket: /Dragonomicon/ begins with an old-beyond-her-years senior in college who dreams of flying with dragons but cannot chase them, as she's too busy taking care of her two siblings while their mother drinks her way into oblivion.
Any suggestions on taming them?
Cheers~
Abbie, I've SO had that experience. I have a couple documents in my manuscripts folder, actually, that are about a chapter each. They're books that I started, and then about ten pages in, I was like, "Huh, this needs more ... something." You're not alone!
ReplyDeleteBridg, good heavens. If your story ideas are slugging you in the eye sockets, I don't know that I have much advice for taming them :) I guess you just try to wrangle them down on the page as best you can. If I'm trying to focus on a project, but another one starts niggling, I'll give myself a day to write down all my thoughts on the new project, and then I go back to what I was working on. So far that's created a good balance of getting books done, but preserving good ideas for future projects.
I am working on a story which is, I guess, a fantasy, though there are no supernatural characters. My second name refers to my title character, who is a king who has just come into his own again, but must now fight to right injustices unrelated to his exile. I'll admit, that even i can tell King Valun is not my most compelling character. My story could be called epic in some ways, because the action happens in three different countries simultaneously. i call it The Price of a Throne.
ReplyDeleteOn Stephanie's advice to Bebs: Right on! With my current project, I rewrote the beginning three times, moving things around and twisting things apart to finally come up with a hook I think is 'hooking.' The first chapter was chapter eleven in the second draft, so, go figure! =)
ReplyDeleteMy story is about a young girl who lives happily in a remote forest village with her mother, father, and four sisters, never wondering why she looks nothing like her family and everyone she knows. Then, she starts seeing things, hearing sounds---sudden visions of a past long forgotten.
ReplyDeleteIt's a fantasy, featuring a unicorn and a few dragons. The story explores how we are shaped by our pasts, but they don't have to define who we are today. :)
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