Friday, June 13, 2014

Starting New

In my last post, I mentioned that I’m starting to think of a new novel.

Recently, I’ve been thinking about November.  I like to plan in advance.  Since I’ve already polished The Orphans of Jadox, and I have betas going through the King’s Councilor, and I’m 2/3 through revising Rowell’s story, that means that it’ll be time to start on something new.  Though I love writing YA fantasy, and it’s always going to be my go to genre, I’ve decided I want to branch out.  I’m going to try writing contemporary, adult, character-driven fiction.  It’s a bit of a 180 spin from where I usually am, and it’s actually quite exciting.

Which means that all of the prewriting process is completely different.  Writing in contemporary means researching real things.  Instead of creating new, eccentric names, I’m researching top names (first and last!) in the US, including Spanish names. Has anyone realized how many Hispanic last names end with a z? 

Adding to that, I’m researching real places as well.  It’s been an incredibly interesting experience, blending truth and fiction.  Real places – a real city, but at the same time, I can’t really use the names of real schools or nursing homes.  Not without getting into trouble if I don’t portray them correctly. 

There’s so much more needed, and I’m just on the top of the iceberg.  School teachers, employment, everything needs to be planned before I can start. 

Though it’s a completely new experience, it’s still one of my favorite parts of writing.  I love the planning stage.  I get to discover so much, and it’s the moment where I can experiment with just about anything. 

How about the rest of you?  Starting any new projects?

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