Not Fair

Aaron, you had a big hand in this - if it doesn't work, I'm going to come find you, but if it comes together as it seems to be in my head - I'm going to come and find you...and kiss you.

Last week I edited a YA manuscript. Only recently I also commented to friend that I couldn't write YA - it just didn't come out right. (I'm the guy who sat down to write a unicorn story for my daughter and ended up killing most of them with Chimeras', by ripping out their horns and severing their heads. I ended up writing her a little poem about unicorns in the snow instead.)

Then I wrote a flash fiction piece I intend to sub to the AHWA flash fiction contest. It is an adult thinking back over his life as a kid which leads to a big final scene. But all the things a kid experiences and has to put up with came flooding back to me. A huge majority of this flash piece could be looked at as YA - although it's not in the end. (At least I don't kill any unicorns in this one)

Last Wednesday, Aaron blogged about romance writing. I made a silly comment which I'll include here in the spirit of full disclosure:

I'm toying with the idea of writing a good dark romance. It's kind of like toying with the idea of writing a porn film with a story. A noble thought, but maybe impossible to actually achieve.

Still, good writing should always win in the end, so if I take the major plot points in all these formula romances and add a dark twist, with a real story, then shouldn't that stand out from the herd and sell?

If nothing else, it would give me something to use my erotic writing skills for...

Then this new paranormal romance anthology was opened for submissions, with initial notification coming out through the Southern Horror Writers Yahoo Group. According to JT, it was a sign.

Then last night I saw an ad for a new TV series which was so close to my original idea it was scary. Saving Grace (I've provided the link here but I'm not reading any of it. I don't want to be subconsciously influenced). I've never seen this before, but the core premise was so similar I almost went searching for a noose. Needless to say, until I've got this outline rock solid, I won't be watching the series.

But, on closer introspection, there are differences - big differences. My story is YA, Grace is most definitely not. Mine has a romance, Grace has sex (from what I've seen on the ad). My main character is male - Grace isn't, my MC is dead, but not in a zombie way, and not in a in-need-of-redemption way, but in a way I'm yet to pin down, but I'm working on that-kind-of-way. (I know, big part of the premise, but it's still coming to me, and even if I did have it, I don't want to give it away here.)

I'm also not sure if I can condense it down to 8500 words for Scary Kisses. I can see a YA series here, clear as day. I'm thinking any story for the anthology would have to be a later-down-the-track-type-of-thing, a single incident in an ongoing history of this character.

I've already outlined the first book. I'm already seeing places to add in foreshadowing, humour, romance, clues. I've already started to shape minor characters to help build the bigger picture. The story, and the characters, don't even have names yet! Honestly, I have committed a 553 word/ 3 page outline to file. :c)

The kick off for book two has already been included.

No - I'm not abandoning AKL - God no! This is my project on the side. This little YA series will be what I play around with when I hit a hurdle in the creative-juices-flowing-type circumstances. I will do backgrounds and profiles on all the characters, the world they live in, the situation, possible scenarios in the future. I will story book the whole thing. It is set in my home state, to begin with, so I'll be doing little research trips.

Cate has TPA with wonderful quirky characters she has revisited over and over again. This will be mine - I hope.

Fingers firmly crossed.