After working on my first Young Adult novel, I finally finished writing it yesterday. It is now up and listed on-line, ready to be purchased and read and enjoyed.
Spending a year on one project, with the long hours, re-writes, and intensity of the learning process, well, what can I say about it but I am glad for the time spent and grateful it is over. I hadn't really known until now how the process works. There was so much information in my head to keep straight. Did I follow up on the old woman from the first chapter? Did I tell the audience that Mr. Loup had hairy fingers? Did Emily take care of her back pack--and just what was in that pack?
Then there was the setting, mood, timing, word phrasing. Did I let the reader know where they were in the story without bogging down the story with details? How much do teen readers want to know as opposed to adult readers? Was my writing flashy or silly or trying to hard? Do people care about the characters and what happens to them as much as I do? Did they cry when they learned that Andrew's little brother--oops, won't tell you that one, but I cried. Will readers want to purchase and read the next book? I sure hope so, because I am already writing it and have it half completed in my mind.
I spent many hours working on 'Hey Little Baby' and 'Toddler Season' and other picture books that are yet to be published. But the novel genre is a whole different ballgame. A lot more to remember and so many characters and details!
The lovely thing is that writing for children allows me to have a multitude of genres to choose from. Fits my variety loving brain.
Heather Leigh
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