Notes from the Writing Desk

I recently had a request from freelance writer, April Boyer, to reprint an article originally published at Writing World.com back in 2003. It was interesting to revisit this article and recall a time “when life gave me lemons,” and I did indeed “make lemonade.” I’m happy to report that the teen in question has made it safely to adulthood, and I’m thrilled to know that the writing that flowed from the experience continues to inspire. You can read the reprinted article at April’s “Writing Desk” here: Essay Writing: When it’s Just Too Personal

And there have been two recent breakthrough moments at my own writing desk…

One, I’ve finally decided on a title for my middle grade novel-in-progress. Despite an endless chain of title changes, none has ever felt “right.” But after a full week of nothing but brainstorming titles, from the painfully obvious to the outrageously ridiculous, I’ve finally settled on “PHOTO FINISH."

I think... lol

And two, thanks to an enlightening visit with my sister last week, I finally understand why I’ve doubted this manuscript’s publish-ability for the past eight years. The female main character should be a boy! There is typically a division in the middle-grade years between “boy books” and “girl books” and this story blurs the line a bit too much for the intended readership. Boys won’t read it because it’s about a girl. Girls probably won’t read it because of the typically-boy subject matter (though girls are usually more open to reading about boy characters, so if the interest is there…).

Problem solved. Except for the awesome task of changing the sex of my main character! I thought I’d have to completely re-write the story to make such a major change, but surprise, surprise, it’s going much more smoothly than I thought possible. I’m up to chapter six in revisions and so far, so good. Perhaps this manuscript will see the light of day yet.