Tuesday, January 4, 2011

It Was a Dark and Stormy Night....

Yesterday, I gave you fun friends the run-down on my 2010 goals and how I managed them.  Sadly, I didn't meet all of them, but I didn't do half-bad.  Now, you'd think that I would give you in this post my list of 2011 resolutions.

Well, think again!  ahahaha. Na-na-nu-boo-boo :)

No. Today, I'm going to tell you about one decision I need to make...and solicit your help in making it.  You see, minions, while I wrote three novels last year, I actually STARTED a slew of others.  This is my dark and shameful secret.  I hoard SNIs (shiny new ideas).  It's a disease.

This is what happens:  I finish one manuscript and while awaiting beta feedback, I get swarmed by bright, shiny, happy new characters.  They overwhelm me with their stories, each vying for the coveted position of next new project.  When one wins the bloody struggle, I begin to write (after many an outline).

But, sometimes (not always, but more often than I really want to admit) my characters lose their way.  Somewhere between the opening lines of It was a dark and stormy night** the brilliance of the characters and their lives dulls.  Often, a day away can whip these lazy good-for-nothing vagabonds back into shape.

Other times....

Well, they become nomads wandering towards the farthest reaches of my dark and (at times) depraved mind.  It is during those times that new ideas leap to the forefront and snatch the limelight.

Which brings me to the conundrum.  Last year, I started SIX Shiny New Ideas.  Some only got so far as chapter three.  Others were nearing the halfway mark before being cast aside.  For this year's list of resolutions, I'm going to be adding: FINISH WRITING __________.  The thing that I need your help with, peeps is which one do I work on this year? 

So, here's the list of what I've got half started.  You tell me which sounds like a better book. 

AN OTHER LIFE:  (YA paranormal) Lexi Landers has it all.  She's smart, pretty,  and popular, but even that can't save her from death.  But, Lexi isn't actually dead.  Yeah, she died alright, but now, she's back.  Even more unbelievable, she's not the only living dead girl walking around, and there are some of the OTHERS who want Lexi gone for good.

THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS: (YA paranormal/fantasy) Jacki Jones accidentally opens a portal to another world and releases an ancient evil bent on collecting innocent souls.  Now, with the help of a knife-wielding garden gnome, a pair of seriously creepy twins, and the hottest boy in school, Jacki is on a mission to track down the soul-eater, destroy him, and close the portal once and for all.

HUNTED:  (YA paranormal romance) Amy and her family have been running from invisible assassins for most of her life.  Now, with the last of her family gone, all felled by the enemy, Amy is fighting back, and she won't stop until every last one of her enemies is dead.  But when she discovers that the boy she loves is the killer who's been hunting her, all bets are off.

LOVE IN A TIME OF POPULARITY: (YA Contemporary Romance) Jenna is a nobody, a geek, a loser.  Invisible.  She wants nothing more than to be SOMEONE, and she's sure that this year is her year, especially since super-hot Austin Lawrence is acting like he might just ask her out.  The only problem with that? Austin's nerdy, super-shy twin brother Dallas wants Jenna for himself.

DYING EMBERS: (YA Literary..and written in THIRD person gasp!) Andrew Stark is sick of the girls at his school.  They're all just so vacuous.  When the mysterious Emily Burrman moves to town, his interest immediately piques.  Who is this girl who hides behind a wall of ebony hair?  A girl who doesn't say much, but when she does, it's shockingly audacious?  But, uncovering Emily's past may open up old wounds that Andrew would rather keep hidden.

SHUT UP: (YA Literary)  If there was only one word to describe Gwen Murphy, it would be talkative.  Not anymore.  Gwen has taken a vow of silence, and she won't be talking anytime soon...not until she's set things right.  But with extreme silence comes clarity, and until Gwen figures out how to right all her wrongs, she's just going to SHUT UP.

So, there you have it, folks.  My list of SNI's that are a little bit dusty, for one reason or another.  What do you think?  Which one piqued your interest more?  I'd love to hear about it in the comments.  And, then soon...I promise...I will post my New Year's Resolutions....maybe in August :)

**I've never actually started a novel with this line, but there's always a first time for everything ;)

8 comments:

  1. Dying Embers and Shut Up both sound amazing! :D

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  2. my votes (yes, i get two) are for HUNTED and SHUT UP.

    mortal enemies trying to kill each other? sexy.

    why does Gwen take a vow of silence anyways??!?! so interesting.

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  3. Do I even need to answer this? Really? No, I am sure you already know my answer to this question without me actually WRITING it. Right? I mean I only kept begging and begging for you to finish Jenna's story...soooooooo......get to it woman!

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  4. I liked the teasers from Love in a Time of Popularity when you posted them, so that gets my vote.

    What are you going to do if everyone votes for a different story?

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  5. Angelica: In the case of tie, I'll make the deciding vote. Seems only fair, seeing as how I will be the one to do the actual work :) ...Or maybe, I'll have a contest. Who knows? Stay tuned to find out!

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  6. My picks would be Love In A Time Of Popularity and Dying Embers.

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  7. I think Bee is onto to something here. Can I vote again. I WANT JENNA'S STORY.

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