Molly O'Keefe's Blog, page 67
January 12, 2011
Locating Your Inner Monster
Agent Molly Jaffa is doing a guest speaker spot on Backspace this week and she gave the most fun, not to mention easiest to understand, definition of the difference between external and internal conflict I've seen.
Doesn't matter that it was actually given as an explanation to the difference between middle grade and young adult fiction (beyond the protagonist's age).
Her point was that middle grade fiction tends to be more about external conflict, or:
There's a monster outside!!!
Whereas young adult fiction tends to be about internal conflict, or:
There's a monster inside me!!!
Awesome, right?Except that it made me realize a possible problem with my upcoming fairy tale adaptations.
The original publisher for these books wanted them to appeal to readers as young as nine... so, although I wasn't exactly thinking about them as middle grade, and I admit I'd never thought about the difference in focus until I read this great insight of Molly Jaffa's... I must have instinctively known this, because I kind of wrote them like middle grades. But, the new publisher is marketing them as YA.
I think both are very: There's a monster outside!!! (A scary stepmother who's also an evil wizard in Cinderella and a scary vampire queen and her minions in Sleeping Beauty...)
I fear that young adult readers will miss the: There's a monster inside me!! aspect.
Ah, well. C'est la vie.
Doesn't matter that it was actually given as an explanation to the difference between middle grade and young adult fiction (beyond the protagonist's age).
Her point was that middle grade fiction tends to be more about external conflict, or:
There's a monster outside!!!
Whereas young adult fiction tends to be about internal conflict, or:
There's a monster inside me!!!
Awesome, right?Except that it made me realize a possible problem with my upcoming fairy tale adaptations.
The original publisher for these books wanted them to appeal to readers as young as nine... so, although I wasn't exactly thinking about them as middle grade, and I admit I'd never thought about the difference in focus until I read this great insight of Molly Jaffa's... I must have instinctively known this, because I kind of wrote them like middle grades. But, the new publisher is marketing them as YA.
I think both are very: There's a monster outside!!! (A scary stepmother who's also an evil wizard in Cinderella and a scary vampire queen and her minions in Sleeping Beauty...)
I fear that young adult readers will miss the: There's a monster inside me!! aspect.
Ah, well. C'est la vie.
January 11, 2011
You Have To Bring The Penis
I don't actually have a blog to go with that title. But that was something Stephanie said when she read my manuscript this weekend. Bring the penis I believe was her way of telling me to sex the book up. In particular the first half and in particular a scene with the hockey-playing hero in the shower. All by his lonesome. A masturbation scene.
She's totally right - but my problem has been and will probably always be - I don't like writing sex scenes. And it is 100% because of my mom. She reads these books. She gave some to her minister at church. Her book group - which includes several of my former teachers - talk about my books. And I get it - this isn't one of my best decisions. The romance world has gotten hot. And unless I write sweet romance - which I don't - I need to bring the penis and stop thinking about what my mom is thinking.
But in my efforts to resist this advice I went back and looked at some older books that I always thought had fabulous sexual tension without constant sex - but man, was I wrong. Those SEP books I love so much - those characters are constantly getting it on. Constantly making out. Teresa Mederios same thing. I wonder if their mother's read their books? The language is different, sure. But manhood by any other name is still a penis.
So, tomorrow I'm going to take my cold medication, send my kids off to school, do a load of laundry, think about what I'm making for dinner, if I'm lucky - take a shower. And then, I'll probably meet Maureen at a public coffeehouse and at some point - I will bring the penis.
How about you? Do you have your mother's in your heads while you write? Your best friend? Your Dad? Does the reality of your book being out in the world make you edit yourself?
She's totally right - but my problem has been and will probably always be - I don't like writing sex scenes. And it is 100% because of my mom. She reads these books. She gave some to her minister at church. Her book group - which includes several of my former teachers - talk about my books. And I get it - this isn't one of my best decisions. The romance world has gotten hot. And unless I write sweet romance - which I don't - I need to bring the penis and stop thinking about what my mom is thinking.
But in my efforts to resist this advice I went back and looked at some older books that I always thought had fabulous sexual tension without constant sex - but man, was I wrong. Those SEP books I love so much - those characters are constantly getting it on. Constantly making out. Teresa Mederios same thing. I wonder if their mother's read their books? The language is different, sure. But manhood by any other name is still a penis.
So, tomorrow I'm going to take my cold medication, send my kids off to school, do a load of laundry, think about what I'm making for dinner, if I'm lucky - take a shower. And then, I'll probably meet Maureen at a public coffeehouse and at some point - I will bring the penis.
How about you? Do you have your mother's in your heads while you write? Your best friend? Your Dad? Does the reality of your book being out in the world make you edit yourself?
January 9, 2011
New Year. New Attitude.
It's over. The holiday season ends (IMO) on my sister's birthday which was January 6. My worst time of the year is over and already I feel my mood lifting. I woke up on Sunday feeling positive and upbeat. I'm ready to start fresh.
I'm not a good resolution maker or a good resolution keeper (still haven't updated my will which was my 2008 resolution, for example). My other sister usually forces me to choose an affirmation to say every morning, but ever since the year she made me look myself in the eye in the mirror every day and say that she was excellent at math, it hasn't really resonated with me.
Still, I want to change my attitude this year. I'm tired of being negative. I'm tired of seeing the glass as half empty. I feel like I spent too much of last year focusing on things I can't control (like the size of my print runs) and ignoring the things I can control and do well (writing nearly every day and completing two books).
I'm going positive this year. I'm remembering that I love storytelling. I'm remembering that I have good relationships with my agent and both my editors. I'm focusing on behaving like a professional and meeting my deadlines and holding myself to high standards.
I'm going to stop feeling like I'm a loser because I haven't made it onto a bestseller list and I'm going to feel good about the achievements I have accomplished.
Oh. And I'm going to lose 20 pounds.
Anyone else going for a new attitude this year?
I'm not a good resolution maker or a good resolution keeper (still haven't updated my will which was my 2008 resolution, for example). My other sister usually forces me to choose an affirmation to say every morning, but ever since the year she made me look myself in the eye in the mirror every day and say that she was excellent at math, it hasn't really resonated with me.
Still, I want to change my attitude this year. I'm tired of being negative. I'm tired of seeing the glass as half empty. I feel like I spent too much of last year focusing on things I can't control (like the size of my print runs) and ignoring the things I can control and do well (writing nearly every day and completing two books).
I'm going positive this year. I'm remembering that I love storytelling. I'm remembering that I have good relationships with my agent and both my editors. I'm focusing on behaving like a professional and meeting my deadlines and holding myself to high standards.
I'm going to stop feeling like I'm a loser because I haven't made it onto a bestseller list and I'm going to feel good about the achievements I have accomplished.
Oh. And I'm going to lose 20 pounds.
Anyone else going for a new attitude this year?
