Things I am learning about myself through my writing.

Yesterday my sister-in-law handed back the proof copy of The Gifted. You should see this thing! I looks like it's 40 years old and it's covered in red. It looks like we broke the top off a red pen and smeared it on every page! Fine, it's only half that bad.

Going through the edits, though, is actually kind of fun. And trust me, you'll thank us for working so hard. At least, I hope you will. Ok, I'll thank us and call it good.

So here are some things that I've learned about myself as a writer.

I'm a pretty funny person (in my humble opinion). I appreciate humor. I laugh loud and often. I've even been described as giggly. (Don't ask.) But I guess it's just not in my stars to write a funny book. I have no talent for it. Apparently I'm more suited to write about teenage angst. (Insert shrug here.) Who knew?

I am in love with the ellipsis, and I use it often. (An ellipsis is this: ...) Yeah, I may enjoy using it on my blog or in emails, but I've discovered it looks terrible on a printed page! Not only do I over-use it, but I use it incorrectly. In everyday use, I insert and ellipsis to indicate a dramatic pause. Sure. Fine. Whatever. In literature, a comma is used for a pause, and ellipses are used to denote intentionally leaving out a word or statement. Or one can use it in written dialogue to trail off the end of a sentence (because there should be words there, but I intentionally left them off. See?). It's been frustrating to see how often in insert those three little dots.

My SIL says she can see some of my personality in the main character, Pyper. I'm afraid that Pyper doesn't have a lot of redeeming qualities, so that makes me a little nervous. I plan on making her a little bit more likeable. She's pretty sassy, and I'll keep her that way. But I'll at least give the male hero in the story a reason to be attracted to her.

I am not really good at writing kissing scenes. If I've learned one thing about YA novels, there has to be some kissing, otherwise the romance is kind of a let down. Yesterday, I asked Kadie, "Do you think this needs  kissing in it?" That's not a question I ever thought I'd ask someone. :) I don't know why it's so hard for me to write a kissing scene. It's almost like I'm too shy to describe it.

Most of the time when I describe a feeling, it's visceral. A lot of fear, pain, fear, excitement is felt in my stomach. Apparently.

I've learned a lot of other things, but I think I'll stop there. I do have a lot more editing and formatting to do. Pin It