Now to move on to a Young Adult project that I’ve put on hold for half a year (It’s amazing how time flies!). It’s fun rereading what I’d put down so far; I’m liking the direction. I’ve got a long way to go before that manuscript’s finished, but the fun is in the journey.

     Here’s hoping your goals for 2010 are met and exceeded! A new year, a new decade, a new chance to show ‘em how it’s done!

     A new survey put out by TeenReads and The Book Report Network says teens respondents (who turned out to be overwhelmingly female) are most drawn to series fiction, especially in the romance and fantasy genres. The vampire-lovers out there are smiling so widely their canines are showing. Next comes adventure and mysteries/suspense/thrillers.

     The survey reached out to many geographic areas and populations. The results of the survey are nicely broken down and displayed at Publisher’s Weekly here. It’s good news if, like me, you’re writing a fantasy novel. And it’s great news for the industry and book-lovers everywhere when children’s books are selling well.

     I’d recommend reading Out of the Dust, written in free verse in the voice of a young girl who lives through the Dust Bowl of the Great Depression. It won the 1998 Newbery Medal and is a highly accessible and enjoyable read.

     You also can’t go wrong with Witness, the story of a Vermont town’s changes during an attempted take-over by the KKK in the 1920s. The story’s told from the perspective of several of the townsfolk, who bear witness to the growing threat of the Klan. Each character’s unique voice and revelations weave together to form a compelling story arc. I’d recommend pushing this on any middle- or high schooler studying racism.

     All this research is not only giving me nice details for the piece, but it’s also getting me all revved up for the season. Packers just won their first preseason game against the Cleveland Browns. Go Pack!

     And it’s great to be researching something I really enjoy. Adding to my knowledge base and the authenticity of the story. Nice.

     Meanwhile, I’m back to work on a young adult fantasy that I started some time ago. First, however, I had to reorganize my notes because they were an absolute mess. Usually I’m very, very organized, so I was surprised to see just how sloppily I’d left my jottings. The trouble came when I was working out different outlines in a notebook and just turned pages as I abandoned certain plotlines. I should have ripped out the pages, but I didn’t, thus I really had my work cut out for me when I revisited them later.

     Actually, I suppose I could say that the trouble really started when I chose to write my outlines on paper at all. I usually do everything on my computer specifically because it’s easy to cut and paste, etc. Must have had a reason for trying the outline freehand, but darned if I can remember what the reason was.

     So let that be a lesson to myself — and anyone else who may choose to heed it. Don’t drop work for awhile that’s in a messy state. Makes it slow-going to get started up again.

     Happily, I’m done reorganizing and back to writing (Finally!) and I’m having fun again. I like this story a lot and hope to finish it this summer.

     I’ve got a simple method. I ask readers to write along the margins whatever pops into their head. If a section made them smile, I ask them to draw a smiley face. If they didn’t understand, put a question mark or ask a question. If a section’s boring, say so! If the readers are simply gripped by the amazing awesomeness of the story, well, congratulations are in order. Yay, me! No matter how the comments go, I need honesty here. I need to know what works. So far, my test readers have been great at telling me like it is, which is exactly what I need!

     I found an interesting article about test readers here at the American Book Publishing site. Enjoy, and thanks to all you test readers out there who make good books better!

     You can learn more about Inkwell here. They’ve got wonderful agents and great books. Pick up some of their work and see for yourself.

     I’m taking a lot longer to read this one than I had the others because, happily, I’m under deadline, but I’m sure I’ll finish it soon and enjoy it as much as the rest.

   Another book which I just loved and read, oh, probably six months ago now, was The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman. It won the John Newbery Medal, the most prestigious writing award for American children’s literature. Such a strange and fantastical and gripping story! A feature film of another of his books, Coraline, is out in theaters now, so those who aren’t familiar with his fabulous stories can become so.

     If you like contemporary children’s literature, you can’t go wrong with these!

     Our guest speaker was Kendra Levin, editor at Viking Children’s Books, which is an imprint of Penguin. Kendra’s shown left, and I’m on the right.

     She spoke on a slew of issues, including how the economy is affecting acquisitions, which I found particularly interesting. Kendra assures us that publishers are still acquiring books (after all, that is what they do), although they’re being pickier and taking fewer risks. As such, she encourages authors to aim for specificity in their work: in hook, plot, target audience, and, later, the agent or publisher to which you submit.

     Good talk and very encouraging.

     It’ll be great to reconnect with this talented group and recharge for the next bout of writing.