Old People Writing for Teens, IV

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Sage

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Cheering you all on!
*hugs Stiger*

Hey, JKR, Bleeding Violet by Dia Reeves has a bipolar MC. It's not light or MG, but it's a YA novel about it, not a memoir.

Also, agents loved my pitch for Fireflies, which was and MG about a girl dealing with her brother's traumatic brain injury, so they're definitely open to MG about mental disorders.
 

Stiger05

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Thanks Sage and Smiley! Fortunately, my husband just took a new job and his signing bonus will cover the repairs. Unfortunately, that means we can't upgrade our tv from my parents heavy hand-me-down. Le sigh. First world problems.

Congrats on 50k, Smiley!
 

Smiley0501

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This novel originally was "done" (first draft wise) at 42,000, so to be able to get it to 50k is like....:Jaw:

:PartySmil
 

Dorothy

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Congrats on the 50K, Smiley!

I have some news - I was interviewed! Okay, it's not huge news but it makes me feel a little important, lol. You can see it here if you're interested. ;)

Had a super long day today, so no writing. But I have Thursday off, and I made a promise to myself to get a couple K written. *crosses fingers*
 

justbishop

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Stiger, that sucks, sorry! Something craptastic seems to happen to us as well every time we are starting to get ahead and come into a chunk of money.

And Smiley, that's awesome!
 

Smiley0501

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Dorothy - your author pic is GORGEOUS! WOW! I also really enjoyed the interview and learning more about your publishing path. MSR sounds great. (I also love the name Zadie, not gonna lie) :)
 

mellymel

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Hey guys!

Hope everyone is doing well!

Dorothy, great interview! I read and left a comment :)

Smiley, congrats on the wordage achievement! That's fantastic!

Stiger, holy poop on the car troubles. That sucks big time. :(

I just got back from a 3 day vacay to Great Wolf Lodge. It was awesome and the girls had a blast as always. They love the place soooooooooo much (well, we all do), but holy crapy I'm exhausted. It's one of those vacations that you need a vacation from. Everything in my body aches from so much walking and climbing up and down stairs a bazillion times (has to do with a wizarding game the entire hotel is rigged up with).

Re: ideas. I have too many. My problem is I don't have enough time to write them all :( It's frustrating. I have a file with all my story ideas I want to write. I think there is currently about 14 in there. Mostly thrillers/horror, one fantasy, a contemp, and a couple of stories who's genre I'm not sure of :D
 

Smiley0501

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Melly, sounds like a great vacation! So glad it was a ton of fun for everyone. :) But now don't forget to rest up.

:poke: Anyone around?
 

JKRowley

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Smiley, big congrats on the wordage. My first novel sold at 46K, and I wonder if I could have fleshed it out some more. Maybe they will ask me to in rewrites.

Stiger, sorry about the car problems. So what happens to your car? Do you just leave it for dead in that town?

Dorothy, nice interview. You have a great pitch. I need to work on that. Is the second novel a sequel? Did Month9 give you an advance?

Sage, I will have to read Bleeding Violet. I hadn't heard of that book.

mellymel, 14 story ideas! I am jealous. I used to be flush with ideas, but in all different genres. I have decided I like writing novels now (rather than picture books) and the ideas are a bit fewer. Although maybe I could turn some of those picture books into novels. The kernal of an idea is in all of them, it just needs to be explored.
 

Dorothy

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Dorothy - your author pic is GORGEOUS! WOW! I also really enjoyed the interview and learning more about your publishing path. MSR sounds great. (I also love the name Zadie, not gonna lie) :)

Thanks so much! I lucked out and have a friend who is a photographer with her own business. And yeah, Zadie! Heehee, I'm excited.
 

Dorothy

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Dorothy, nice interview. You have a great pitch. I need to work on that. Is the second novel a sequel? Did Month9 give you an advance?

Thanks! I actually wrote the pitch before I wrote the story. I did that with the last three stories I wrote. Weird, right?

Month9 doesn't give advances. I've got decent royalty rates though, so it's all good. ;)
 

justbishop

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Morning everyone. I would be more enthusiastic, but I have a day of grocery shopping and folding about 5 loads of laundry ahead of me :p

Anyway, I'm dying to go to a Great Wolf Lodge! Is there a lot of stuff for he littler kids to do? Mine is only 3, but loves zero entry pools.
 

mellymel

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Morning everyone. I would be more enthusiastic, but I have a day of grocery shopping and folding about 5 loads of laundry ahead of me :p

Anyway, I'm dying to go to a Great Wolf Lodge! Is there a lot of stuff for he littler kids to do? Mine is only 3, but loves zero entry pools.

YES YES YES!!!!! We've been taking our girls there since they were 3! (they're twins and now 6). It is the BEST BEST BEST vacation place (other than Disney, but a whole hell of a lot cheaper!). Sooooooo much to do! The water park is awesome and the kiddie section is just perfect for them. Then they have the Cub Club downstairs where there are all sorts of funny things for the little ones to do and play. Then they have the MagiQuest wand game. When the girls were 3 and 4, we just bought them the wands and let them run all over the hotel lighting up everything, but now that they're six we actually play the game. They also started a really cute game for the little ones where you buy a stuffed animal and play another game and then at the end you get a story book with your kid's picture and stuffed animal incorporated into the story! It's very cool. I just read Lorien's book to her class when I was Mystery Reader and the kids LOVED the book and got such a kick out of seeing her in the book. Then there's an arcade with games that give tickets to cash in for prizes (the girls LOVE this). There are restaurants and various eateries in the place so you literally don't need to leave the hotel for anything. Oh, and there's Starbucks ;) Mucho importante!

What's a "zero entry pool"?
 

Stiger05

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Stiger, sorry about the car problems. So what happens to your car? Do you just leave it for dead in that town?

I've got roadside assistance on my insurance. Cheaper than AAA, but we had to wait in the Burger King parking lot, where it died, for an hour and a half, got a tow to the dealership since we didn't know any mechanics in town, and they gave us a rental car. Yesterday we had to drive two hours there to swap back, shelled out $1500 and drove two hours back. Stupid car. Whoever is going to invent teleportation needs to get a move on.
 

Stiger05

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Thanks! I actually wrote the pitch before I wrote the story. I did that with the last three stories I wrote. Weird, right?

Great interview Dorothy!

I usually write my pitches first too. It makes it easier for me to keep side plot from weaving in.
 

justbishop

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YES YES YES!!!!! We've been taking our girls there since they were 3! (they're twins and now 6). It is the BEST BEST BEST vacation place (other than Disney, but a whole hell of a lot cheaper!). Sooooooo much to do! The water park is awesome and the kiddie section is just perfect for them. Then they have the Cub Club downstairs where there are all sorts of funny things for the little ones to do and play. Then they have the MagiQuest wand game. When the girls were 3 and 4, we just bought them the wands and let them run all over the hotel lighting up everything, but now that they're six we actually play the game. They also started a really cute game for the little ones where you buy a stuffed animal and play another game and then at the end you get a story book with your kid's picture and stuffed animal incorporated into the story! It's very cool. I just read Lorien's book to her class when I was Mystery Reader and the kids LOVED the book and got such a kick out of seeing her in the book. Then there's an arcade with games that give tickets to cash in for prizes (the girls LOVE this). There are restaurants and various eateries in the place so you literally don't need to leave the hotel for anything. Oh, and there's Starbucks ;) Mucho importante!

What's a "zero entry pool"?

Thanks for all the info! We're debating doing GW or Myrtle Beach for a mini-vacay this summer (since we aren't going to WDW this year *cry*)

A zero entry pool is a pool where the entry point is built like a beach, so kind of a big, gradual ramp in, instead of steps.

So, I think I have to rewrite a scene or two for the sake of plausibility. It's kind of annoying, but at least I have something to work on now. I've been kinda stagnant lately, in this beta reader phase. So yeah, I have to do a go-through to lessen adverb usage and change lots of instances of past perfect to past simple, and then rewrite the section that needs it...then I guess it's another round of betas?
 

parumpdragon

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What's the most interesting vacation spot you've ever been?
 

Smiley0501

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:hi:

My fave vacation spot is my fave summer camp - a farm in PA. Though next exactly 'vacation' I guess. I don't really take many with my family. We slept in tents at this camp and worked on the farm (fed/took care of the goats,cows, pigs, chickens, peeps, and horses) and also cooked our own food and had a garden. It was so fun and I loved that it was isolated and no real technology around us. :)
 

mellymel

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well, pre-kids I would definitely have to say Chichen Itza. I went there when I was 16 and was totally fascinated by the history and the ruins. So much so I plan on writing a thriller/horror that takes place there :D With the kids, GWL has been the best, but we haven't done Disney with them yet. I did Disney with my husband and his son who was 4 at the time. It's been 14 years since I've gone back. I cannot wait to go. This year or next year for sure!
 

yellowhammer

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Sorry about your car troubles, STiger05. BTW, I just realized the "tiger" in your username. That wouldn't be a certain college association, would it? If so, I don't think we can be friends anymore. =)
 

yellowhammer

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What's the most interesting vacation spot you've ever been?

We never go anywhere "interesting" because we're too busy being beach bums. My sister makes fun of me because I always say, "I better not learn anything," on any trip we ever take. My idea of vacation is sand, sun, and seafood. :)
 
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