Teens Writing for Teens, issue 6

Thalia · Jul 16, 2015

Ah, valid. Good work experience, too.

So is anyone reading/writing/watching anything interesting? I'm finally caught up on this season's OITNB and can actually return to the rest of the world of fiction, thankfully.

(I'm so weirded out by the fact that posts autosave?)

Bookgirl2021 · Jul 31, 2015

I've been going back and forth between revising AM and working on a couple of others, because I can't seem to make up my mind what I want to work on (other than AM, but I can only do so much revising at a time). One of the others is about the spring/summer Hades decided he was tired of spending 2/3 of the year alone. Another of them is about Morgana. ...I've kind of been on a mythology kick for the past few years, I guess. What about you?

Rachel · Aug 7, 2015

Bookgirl2021 · Sep 8, 2015

...Is it dead?

So, I've been thinking about this for a long time, and I'd love to hear opinions (especially from the old[er] TWFTies): publishing via e-book/POD vs traditional. At what point do you stop querying and give in to the temptation to go the other route?

Bookgirl2021 · Oct 14, 2015

amlptj · Nov 29, 2015

wow, what happened to this thread. I remember being gone a day and ending up 13 pages behind in the conversation. Hope everyone is well.

Bookgirl2021 · Dec 3, 2015

I ask myself that same question all the time. Especially when I see that OPWFT always seems to have new posts whenever I log in, but there's nothing new here.

Parametric · Dec 4, 2015

Psychorase said:
Even if this is dead, I suppose as a new teen YA writer it's my job to bring it back. (The sardonic part of me -- which is possibly the biggest part -- looks at the relative popularity of TWFT and OPWFT and says 'that's why most YA is awful'.)

Wow. Welcome to the YA forum. I think. :Shrug:

amlptj · Dec 15, 2015

hum... maybe since we all stopped coming on here, and new people see this place is so dead they are not posting. We should all try and have some sort of reunion one day. All log in one day (or night) just to catch up or what not. I feel like i used to talk to some people on here every day and I've haven't for years now.

If anyone reads this naturally it will probably be days, weeks, hell maybe months from now, so I'm not too sure how we would arrange this....

Sage · Dec 15, 2015

Many don't post on AW anymore (loss of interest or because they got published and avoid public forums now), but many also moved on to OPWFT, since this is a 6-year-old thread, and many of the original twifties are now "old people." YA casual threads (because we had so many) do seem to come into fashion and go out. Although this one isn't active now, TWFT has more posts total than OPWFT. Note the volume numbers. Before OPWFT was as popular, there was YA for the Young at Heart, and the YA forum really has Random Musings about your Writing (the longest thread on AW before we started splitting them at 25K posts) to thank for becoming its own forum instead of part of Writing for Kids.

The best way to reboot a thread is to post interesting things and hope that your audience (in this case other teens writing for teens) join in a discussion with you, then keep posting. It may not work. The newer teens on YA may not be interested in the thread.

Note that "posting interesting things" does not mean explaining how you're going to save YA from that group over there that's ruining it in your eyes. RYFW.

Bookgirl2021 · Dec 18, 2015

Very fair points. I still think about RM and the Musers every once in a while, and miss talking with everyone. I suppose I ought to move on to OPWFT, since that's where I actually belong now. I like Ally's idea, though, of one of these days having a TWFT reunion and catching up. ...If we could ever manage it.

amlptj · Dec 18, 2015

Yes very fair points. I just started heading over to opwft myself. I recognize a few people.

Anyway maybe to bring this thread to life a little more ill ask a few questions to whoever may be lurking.

How is everyone?

What currents projects are you working on?

Me: I'm doing ok. I work nights so finding the time let alone the energy to write seems near impossible. Although I'm constantly brainstorming.

I've got one polished MS, but I've been working on the query letter for over a year now. Constantly think it's not ready..., think most of that has to do with fear of sending it out. I've not written anything new in two-three years... Because I promised myself no more writing new books till this one is sent out. So I'm stuck in limbo.

On the bright side in all that time I've come up with solid plots for how to rewrite my series, and 5 new book/series ideas.

Now it's someone else's turn to share!

Violeta · Dec 18, 2015

amlptj said:
Anyway maybe to bring this thread to life a little more ill ask a few questions to whoever may be lurking.

How is everyone?

What currents projects are you working on?

Well, I'm lurking

but I'm more of an OPWFT kind of gal.

I know what you mean. Finding the time and energy at the same time seems like a one in a million chance when you
have a life to attend to. But I'm sad to hear you haven't written anything in so long. You should get back on the horse,
write something new, maybe that'll give you the courage to finally send out that query. :Shrug:

(Or just my 2cents, anyway).

Me, I'm writing a contemporary that's giving me a little (lot) to think about, which is new. This one keeps up with the
word count just fine, in fact, better than fine, but the story isn't moving along at the right pace. I think I'm spending
too much time in each scene (something new to me) and I don't really know how to stop it. I want to advance the story,
not fill in my word quota and be done with it. So... yeah. Got any tips?

Anyone?

amlptj · Dec 19, 2015

Hum, I've always been horrible at sticking within word count norms. After my first draft of my first book I was at 157k. Finally 8-9 rewrites later got that down to 110k. I have two suggestions. Either one stop caring about word count and drag on each scene as long as you want till the end, then cut back afterwards, or try and make a strict outline to move along the scenes a little faster.

Violeta · Dec 19, 2015

I'm gonna try the second one; I kinda like making outlines

.

Bookgirl2021 · Dec 22, 2015

Have you put it in QLH yet, Ally? I've gotten a lot of really good feedback whenever I've posted anything there. It's hard, because even really good queries will likely get ripped to shreds the first couple of times, but definitely helpful.

I feel you with the lacking energy to write because of working nights. I work four graves a week, and I'm pretty sure it's going to be the death of me. I'd love to go find a new job, but I lack the energy to even try. ...Plus I'm comfortable, if not necessarily happy, where I'm at.

I think the biggest thing getting in the way of me writing anything new is that I keep getting pulled back into AM. It doesn't matter how many times I remind myself that I need to leave it alone for a while, it's still the project I think about the most. Plus the one I really ought to be working on is going to require a major rewrite, and it's kind of daunting...

amlptj · Dec 23, 2015

I feel you on the rewrite. I came to that realization with the first book in my series a few years ago. I thought originally I could rewrite it add in one character instead of another (they were to both die at the end anyway) and that would be it. But during this 9th rewrite of my first book, I added SOOO much more and different things, it became clear Id have to rewrite the whole series. It killed me a little inside but now I've come to terms with it and I'm very excited and happy with the decision.

So Dispite all the time and energy you put into the book before, maybe a rewrite though daunting, will be all for the best.

Breeny19 · Dec 27, 2015

Hi, I'm new here! I'm a teen writer who writes for teens so I thought I'd pop in and introduce myself. I'm Breeny and I either write YA contemporary or YA fantasy. I don't bite, and I'd love to make some writing buddies. *waves*

Samsonet · Dec 28, 2015

Hiya, Breeny! Nice to meet ya.

Idk if I count as a teen writing for teens right now, but next year I'm going to try to write some YA. We'll see how that turns out.

Breeny19 · Dec 29, 2015

*waves* That's awesome! Is this thread active?

Samsonet · Dec 29, 2015

I guess so? The forum is, at least! XD

Sage · Dec 29, 2015

Why don't you newest Twifties tell us a little about yourselves and what you write (or what you hope to write, Sam)?

And...everyone tell me your favorite thing about your main character.

Samsonet · Dec 29, 2015

Sage said:
Why don't you newest Twifties tell us a little about yourselves and what you write (or what you hope to write, Sam)?

I'm Samsonet [aka Sam/Sammy/Samuel/Samantha/etc

], 16 years old but my birthday's in January. There's this solarpunk idea that's been in my head and notebooks for a while now, but plotting it has been kinda hard...

And...everyone tell me your favorite thing about your main character.

the main character of my wip (a superhero story!) is turning out surprisingly heroic. which shouldn't be surprising since villains-to-heroes is one of my favorite cliches, but... i had envisioned her as someone who finds it fun to be the bad guy, so it surprised me.

Sage · Dec 30, 2015

I love villains-to-heroes. The second book in my superhero trilogy is the villain's story, and the entire arc is convincing him that "hero" isn't a dirty word.

Samsonet · Dec 31, 2015

Sage said:
I love villains-to-heroes. The second book in my superhero trilogy is the villain's story, and the entire arc is convincing him that "hero" isn't a dirty word.

You gotta let us know when we can read it! Every time you mention that series it sounds so cool.

Happy New Year's, people! May your 2016 be happy and full of good books!

Teens Writing for Teens, issue 6

better off with a really good lie

"If I had a heart, I'd give it to you."

Stuff and nonsense.

"If I had a heart, I'd give it to you."

"If I had a heart, I'd give it to you."

Speling & grammer murderer, Sorrie!

"If I had a heart, I'd give it to you."

Speling & grammer murderer, Sorrie!

Supreme Guessinator

"If I had a heart, I'd give it to you."

Speling & grammer murderer, Sorrie!

All I Ever Wanted Was The World

Speling & grammer murderer, Sorrie!

All I Ever Wanted Was The World

"If I had a heart, I'd give it to you."

Speling & grammer murderer, Sorrie!

Just visiting

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Supreme Guessinator

Just visiting

Supreme Guessinator

Just visiting