Manuscript Report: Galley Finished and Recent Reads

It's been a while since I last posted (a little more than two months) and there's really no excuse for it. I believe it may have been a mild, or perhaps moderate, case of writer's block because I've never gone that long without posting something.

Did you miss me? Don't answer that! 

It's not like I've been sitting around doing nothing I've read two manuscripts from friends for blurbs to be included when their novels are published. 

I also read another book, mine. 

It was the galley to proofread for any typos or other problems. It's probably the 12th or 13th time I've read the manuscript, which will be a published work on Oct. 1. I'll have another post about it in a week or so that will include the cover. 

As for the galley, I didn't find many things to fix, which is good. And I thought the novel read well — if I say so. I thought my editor and copyeditor did a great job in preparing the novel for readers. 

It will be the fifth novel in the John Ross Boomer Lit series. The most recent was "Make Room for Family," which was released last Feb. 1. Time flies. 

Here are couple recent reads from the young adult market: 

Ken Hodge's coming-of-age story about a boy growing up in Oregon in the decade before World War II. Hamilton Skutt, the narrator, has plenty of tales to tell, with some salty language to go along with his humorous escapades with family and friends. Skutt certainly had a colorful life that brought him into contact with lots of people including a mysterious Mexican who enters and leaves his life, always handing him a card that has him perplexed about what it means. 

Mike Ryan weaves a time-travel novel for young adults that provides history lessons as well. The story centers around Gordon Beckwith, a history buff, who lands a summer job working in the Massachusetts government. He discovers a time portal that carries him back to the Revolutionary War. The story presents interesting characters, mostly young teens, who bring diverse backgrounds as they try to grow and work together. Until the next time . . .

What Are Boomer Lit Novels?

My last two novels belong to a genre referred to as Boomer Lit. I wasn't aware of the label until I stumbled across the term while surfing the Internet for tag lines for my books—"Old Ways and New Days" and "Darkness Beyond the Light"—now part of the John Ross Boomer Lit series.


In a sense, Boomer Lit is a continuation of the young adult novels that sprang up in the 1960s, such as "The Outsiders." You might include "Catcher in the Rye," since it was almost required reading for boomers when they were teens. 

Those readers have grown up and many want to read about their contemporaries, who now range in age from 54 to 72. By the way, as you have probably guessed, I'm in that group. 

Those born in the United States between Jan. 1, 1946 and Dec. 31, 1964, are referred to as baby boomers. After the war years, there was an increase in the number of births during that period. My "Greatest Generation" parents produced five boomers.

According to statistics released a few years ago, that number reached about 76 million. A recent figure has it at about 65 million, meaning the generation is aging and dying.  

Except for two young-adult novels, my other novels have focused on middle-age adults dealing with life's trials and tribulations. They were boomer lit before boomer lit became a label. Reminds me of the Barbara Mandrell song, "I Was Country When Country Wasn't Cool," if you know what I mean. 

Wikipedia defines boomer lit as "any genre that features mature characters, in contemporary settings, addressing any aspects of today's world."

I'm sure many of the novels offered by Wings, especially the romances, contain elements of Boomer Lit if the protagonist is a boomer. Check out the many titles by clicking here. 

For those interested in Boomer Lit, check out these sites:

• Boomer Lit: Novels, Short Fiction, Memoirs and More on Goodreads.
• Is Boomer Lit the Next Hot Genre?
• Boomer Lit: Romancing the Middle-Aged Reader
• On the Edge: Boomer Lit

I'm currently rewriting the third book in the John Ross Boomer Lit series. We'll let you know when it's released.

Until the next time . . . 

Writing Quandary

Sometimes it's difficult to begin a writing project because, well,  you don't know where to begin. 

I've had several ideas bounce around in my head about what I want to write but haven't been able to put down that first word to get me going. I suppose I could start in the middle or the end, and work my way back to a beginning. Even that sounds too confusing.

While I often encourage folks to write with reckless abandon, that's much easier to do when you have know the direction you want to pursue, at least initially. 

I think many writers haven't taken off in one direction, only to head off another way once they get into their story. I know I have. 

I'm also weighing whether to write a young adult or contemporary mainstream novel. The final determination will be the "adult" factor. Perhaps I'm old-fashioned, but I don't like to expose young folks to plot lines before their time. I know other young-adult writers disagree with me on this matter.

Of course, I could multi-task and work on several novels. Maybe one would emerge as the stronger story while the others would be relegated to future projects. 

I do hope to get moving on another manuscript in the next week or so. 

Until the next time...



  

Four Rewrites and Seeing the Proverbial Light at the End of the Tunnel

I've completed the fourth rewrite on my manuscript this weekend. I printed it and will go back over the hard copy with a red pen to make final changes before submitting it to my publisher, hopefully before the end of the month.

For those who haven't followed this post, the manuscript began last November. I decided to National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo, so see if I could produce the workings of a novel in a month's time. 

Generally it takes me a minimum of six weeks to write a first draft (my first novel, The Touch, was written in 30 days). The others have taken two to three months. My longest novel was Foolish is the Heart, at about 100k.




This manuscript, which is for young adults, clocked in at 52,500 words today. The first draft was about 51k. My last young-adult novel, Shooting Star, was about 66k. 

After I finish fifth edit, and sign a contract with a publisher, I'll let you know the title.

Until the next time...

Two Rewrites Down and More to Go

I've completed two rewrites on my manuscript. I wish it was ready for publication. Sadly, for me, it needs more work before becoming a book for young adults. 

I was able to tie some loose ends together but I found a few more holes along the way. I may also delete a scene that I'm not sure needs to be in the story. It'll probably be cut or rewritten.

And I'm not pleased with the ending. That's going to involve some major revisions on the third rewrite. 

Along the way I take notes on changes that need to be made. It makes it a lot easier when going back over the manuscript. I also need to add more description to characters and scenes.

So, as you can see, there's a lot of work to be done. 

I'll probably print the manuscript after the third rewrite. I find it useful to see the words on paper. I'll also take out my red pencil to mark it up -- a reminder of my early days as a journalist working on the copy desk.

I want to keep the manuscript in the 50k range, and now it's inching toward 52k.

I'll keep you posted after the third rewrite.

Until the next time...

Getting Back on the Write Track

It's been five months since I finished the National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo, challenge. And it's been five months since I've looked at those 51k words.

Do you think it's about time I start the editing and rewriting process?

In the meantime, I've done some research to prepare for this next phase in the writing process. As I've mentioned before, it's a young-adult novel that deals with bullying.

While in graduate school studying special education, I took several courses that covered bullying. I've also done some substitute teaching and observed how students interact with each other. I'm also a parent who had two sons in the public school system. And, I can look back on my years as a student and remember a few bullies and those who were bullied.

It generally takes me several months, or about 10 rewrites, to finish a novel. I'll keep you posted on my progress. 

Until the next time...