Advice for Young Writers

My own young writer, a few years ago...

 During the school year, I help out at a book club for 9th graders at my high school. Many of them are aspiring writers and I get a lot of questions about publishing a book as soon as possible. I love their enthusiasm and my first reaction is: great! And then my second reaction is: wait.

I got another email today from someone who knows a 14 year-old who is a great writer and wants to know if any publishers would be interested in publishing her stories, so I figured I'd write down my thoughts about young writers and publication.

I always want to encourage young writers to keep going - keep writing anything that pops into their heads. Write stories, write poems, write screenplays. One of my biggest regrets is that while I liked to read and my teachers always said I was a good writer, I didn't start writing stories until I was in my late thirties. If I'd listened and started when I was younger, I would have that much more time to write that many more books. I love it when teenagers are passionate about what they're doing and I never want to do anything to discourage that. But I don't think that most young teenagers are ready for publication.

One problem is their lack of experience. I had a 9th grader ask me recently how to write a love scene when she's never even kissed a boy. My answer was to wait until she'd had some of these experiences. While you can leave a lot of things in a manuscript to the imagination, in a many of cases, there's no substitution for experience - and that's something that you just can't rush.

No matter how amazing your first novel is, given a few years and some more experience writing and you'll probably see all of the flaws. If you ask most any writer, the first novel they published wasn't the first novel they wrote (and if it was, we don't hang out with them). We all have what we call 'drawer novels' - books that were written to be put in a drawer. Just because a story isn't meant to be published doesn't mean they don't have a purpose. Each and every story you write teaches you so much about story and characterization - things that have to be practiced to be improved, and you never know where a story will lead. We just sold a thriller called THE THIRD TWIN to Delacorte that was a total rewrite of a story that I'd first written years ago. One of the biggest problems with self-publishing is that any writer can finish their first novel and post it online in a matter of hours - and once it's there, it never truly disappears. A cringe-worthy thought for most of us.



I often hear about a teenager who is an exceptional writer - full of passion and maturity beyond his or her years. I remember helping out at a writing workshop and reading some paragraphs from a young writer that were just amazing and I knew that she had a long career ahead of her. No matter how mature the writing, most teenagers (heck, most adults) can't handle the emotional roller coaster that is the world of publishing. Even the best book out there is subject to criticism and rejection - from agents, from editors and from the reading public. Every time you turn around, there is someone out there saying you suck. It can be difficult for even the most seasoned veteran to keep going in the face of all the negativity that gets flung at them and I can't imagine a young person coming out of the experience unscathed.

If you are (or know) a young writer, my best advice is to stop thinking about publication and start thinking about perfecting your craft. Read everything you can get your hands on. Don't like sci-fi? Go ask your librarian for her favorite sci-fi novels and spend a few days reading them. Write as much and as often as possible. Seek out creative writing classes - many libraries offer workshops for young writers. Join a writing group, either online or in person. There are different groups for different kinds of writing - if you're interested in writing for children or YA, SCBWI and VerlaKay's message boards are two of the best. Find other writers who know what they're doing to critique your work and give you pointers. Go to conferences and book signings to meet people who are doing what you want to do.

Most of all don't be in such a hurry and don't give up. When you're ready to be published, the world will be waiting.

The Third Twin!

After lots of secret-keeping time, I'm so happy that I can finally talk about my new book The Third Twin! This is the announcement that appeared in Publisher's Weekly Bookshelf this afternoon:

Wendy Loggia at Delacorte has bought a YA novel called The Third Twin by Dirty Little Secrets author C.J. Omololu. In the story, identical twins invent a third sister as a cover to date and dump hot but temporary boys, only to find themselves stalked and impersonated by the sister who doesn't exist, while their ex-dates turn up dead. Publication is scheduled for 2015; Sarah Davies at the Greenhouse Literary Agency did the deal for North American rights. 

 To elaborate just a little, here is the pitch that my agent sent out (because it's better than anything I can come up with):

 We have three basic rules for being Alicia-always wear the diamond pendant, never sleep with any of the guys, and after five dates, they're history, no matter how hot they are. At this moment, I'm especially glad for rule number three because this particular guy seems determined to break rule number two.

Identical twins Lexi and Ava have always been close, despite being very different. Lexi relentlessly pursues academic perfection and an Ivy League future. Ava is a party girl, with an extraordinary ability to reel in the guys.  But there's a third member of the tripod - Alicia, the triplet sister they invented as kids and never quite abandoned. Alicia is Ava's cover for dating hot but temporary boys. Boys whom Lexi - in the guise of Alicia - gets the unenviable task of dumping once Ava's finished with them.

 Lexi can't stand being Alicia. She knows it's time to pension her off; they're grown up now and Alicia should be consigned to history. And yet Ava persuades Lexi to give Alicia one final outing . . .

 When Casey, Alicia's last date, turns up brutally murdered, all evidence starts pointing to her - a girl who doesn't even exist. A persona whom Lexi simply took on for one traumatic evening. But now Lexi realizes she's being shadowed by someone who seems to know her every move. A car in the wrong place. A red jacket she never bought. An appointment she never made . . . . The ultimate case of identity theft? A nightmare stalker? Whatever, Lexi is going to take the fall for murder.

 Only one person can help Lexi clear her name and discover the truth - Zane, her oldest and dearest guy friend. But so often, people are not quite what they seem. Even, perhaps, her twin sister Ava . . .

 



I'm so excited to work with Wendy and be part of the amazing authors at Delacorte. I really love this story and I'm thrilled it found such a wonderful home. More to come as things develop!

 

"The best part about being Akhet is that you remember everything. The worst part is that you forget nothing." 

With every new vision from her past lives, Cole understands more about who she is in this life…and her love for Griffon grows as quickly as her unique Akhet abilities. Able to sense people’s innermost emotions, Cole is a much needed asset to the Akhet’s worldwide plan. Then she meets a young millionaire named Drew who reveals a startling connection to Cole’s life in Elizabethan England. His intense desire to restore their past confuses and excites Cole but his affections complicate her plans with both Griffon and the Akhet. When her best friend Rayne is endangered by Cole’s carelessness, Cole must find a way to save Rayne and prevent the Akhet’s plans from falling into the hands of people out to destroy the world. Only by trusting in herself and her newfound abilities can Cole fight for her friend, her love, and her rightful destiny.

 I'm so thrilled that INTUITION is out in the world today! It's been getting some great reviews - you can read what I Heart Y.A. Fiction had to say and the review from  Into the Hall of Books to see what some other people have had to say. One of my favorite things is how great the two books look together on the shelf - you can almost see Cole's story developing on the spines:

 

As always, I love supporting my local indies, but if you don't have a bookstore close by, you can always get it at Barnes and Noble, Indiebound or Amazon. Thanks so much for reading and I hope you enjoy reading Cole's story as much as I enjoyed writing it! 

WHEN YOU WERE HERE - Giveaway!

Today I'm celebrating the release of Daisy Whitney's new contemporary YA novel WHEN YOU WERE HERE. I was lucky enough to get to read this in its very early incarnation and loved it then - it's absolutely amazing now!

Filled with humor, raw emotion, a strong voice, and a brilliant dog named Sandy Koufax, When You Were Here explores the two most powerful forces known to man-death and love. Daisy Whitney brings her characters to life with a deft touch and resonating authenticity.

Danny's mother lost her five-year battle with cancer three weeks before his graduation-the one day that she was hanging on to see.

Now Danny is left alone, with only his memories, his dog, and his heart-breaking ex-girlfriend for company. He doesn't know how to figure out what to do with her estate, what to say for his Valedictorian speech, let alone how to live or be happy anymore.

When he gets a letter from his mom's property manager in Tokyo, where she had been going for treatment, it shows a side of a side of his mother he never knew. So, with no other sense of direction, Danny travels to Tokyo to connect with his mother's memory and make sense of her final months, which seemed filled with more joy than Danny ever knew. There, among the cherry blossoms, temples, and crowds, and with the help of an almost-but-definitely-not Harajuku girl, he begins to see how it may not have been ancient magic or mystical treatment that kept his mother going. Perhaps, the secret of how to live lies in how she died.

While I think you should all run out run now and grab a copy, I'm going to give away one shiny hardcover copy to a lucky person. Just enter the rafflecopter contest by this Friday, June 7th at midnight EST- good luck! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

(Because several of the lucky winners of my last contest were international, I'm now broke. Unfortunately, this contest is open to domestic entries only.)

Second Chances - A Giveaway of INTUITION

In case you didn't win a copy of TRANSCENDENCE, my friend and awesome blurber Malinda Lo is giving away an ARC of INTUITION over on her blog. Click through and enter - as far as I know, this is one of the first giveaways before the book comes out on June 18th. Good luck!

And The Winners Are....

The five winners of the signed TRANSCENDENCE paperbacks are:

Lilivette
Rachel Grinti
Kristin Bombard
Amanda Pedrys
Leanne

All of the winners have been sent an email from me - congratulations!!!! Thanks so much to everyone who entered and said such nice things about the book, I really appreciate the support.

I'll be holding another giveaway soon - this time I'll giveaway hot-off-the-presses hardback copies of INTUITION, so stay tuned. Keep checking back and fingers crossed!

TRANSCENDENCE Paperback Giveaway

TRANSCENDENCE is now out in paperback! I loved Griffon and Cole on the original cover and I'm happy to say that they're back in the paperback version - looks the same, just a bit smaller and lighter (and less expensive).  But wait...there's more. In the back of the paperback copy you'll see:



...the first chapter of INTUITION which is releasing on June 18th. Voya recently said , "this series is a must for any library with a popular paranormal collection."


To celebrate, I'm giving away 5 signed copies with bookmarks (international). All you have to do is enter using this easy Rafflecopter link before midnight EST on May 30th  a Rafflecopter giveaway


If you don't want to wait, you can always buy the book at your local bookseller, Indiebound, Barnes and Noble, or Amazon. 

Thanks for entering and good luck!