Old People Writing for Teens, IV

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Laura Was Here

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I saw Harold Underdown post on Twitter a costume idea of wearing 50 grey paint sample squares as a Halloween costume. LOL. I thought I'd be clever going out as a binder full of woman.

Are there actually even 50 different shades of gray? o.o

Mel: Yipes. Hope you get power back soon! Gotta open a can of whoop-ass on LIPA.

I'd planned to start nano today, but I have a giant research paper due and revisions on my WIP to finish by Monday and bleh. Still have to outline too.
 

JSSchley

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Are there actually even 50 different shades of gray? o.o

I imagine mathematically there are...

Awhile ago, a friend e-mailed me a photo of a paint store that had a sign in the window saying, "We have fifty shades of gray!"

(My friends take great glee in sending me anything that mocks that book.)
 

Stiger05

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Hi Laura!!

Dorothy: so fitting the announcement came out yesterday! Can't wait to read it!

Jess: you sound stressed! Hope things settle down for you. :)

Mel: That sounds miserable. :Hug2: Last I heard, a bunch of trucks were sitting around ready, waiting for instructions. I think they headed out sometime yesterday, but that's quite a drive. Maybe they'll get there today, though. When we had the big outage last year we had trucks from as far as Michigan (that I saw--could have been others too) that came to help. It still took 9 days though.

I had exactly four trick-or-treaters last night, so now I've got a giant bowl of candy at home. My dinner last night was a couple frozen chicken fingers, four mini bags of whoppers, and two pieces strawberry laffy taffy.
 

Laura Was Here

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I had exactly four trick-or-treaters last night, so now I've got a giant bowl of candy at home. My dinner last night was a couple frozen chicken fingers, four mini bags of whoppers, and two pieces strawberry laffy taffy.


So jealous of this dinner. /notevenkidding

Going to Target today to splurge on candy that's on sale. Wheeee!
 

JKRowley

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I have told the kids to hide their darn candy when they go to school. I ate too much of it today.

NaNoWriMo is off to a good start. I will not write 50K words, but I hope for 30 or 40K. I put down about 1200 words I am happy about today.

This book is about a gang, and how a kid gets involved in one. Funny how I am not hung up on the drugs and violence that has to happen, but I am on swearing. Can I swear in a YA novel?
 

parumpdragon

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Funny how I am not hung up on the drugs and violence that has to happen, but I am on swearing. Can I swear in a YA novel?

I used 3 swear words in mine, throughout the series - at appropriate times. But I'm not writing a novel with gangs.
 

Kewii

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Stiger05

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Mel: not sure where you are, but the power crews from here were turned away in NJ because they were nonunion. Some are working on Long Island, some are in Virginia waiting to see where they'll be allowed to go, and some are on their way home. How ridiculous? Turning away help. Here's the short article if anyone is interested.

Kewii: So cool. Hands down my favorite Buffy episode.

In other news, revising is hard. So hard.
 

Stuck In Kansas

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JK! I use cursing in my YA books. Not for sensationalism or to shock, but have you HEARD the ways these kids talk nowadays? I don't think it'd be honest to NOT have them curse (unless, or course, you're writing for MG or younger). I may be off here (I hear that a LOT), but I also think if the YA audience sees the kids speaking like they do, it may lend the author a little more "street cred."

And I'd say most of the YA books I've read have cursing (excluding the Hunger Games series, but it made up for it in uber-violence).

Now. Having said that, I still refrain from dropping any "f-bombs." No real reason. Just a personal decision.

And the follow-up to my first book has my protagonist (Tex, the witch boy) forced into joining a ludicrous suburban "gang." It's actually based on a true event that happened at my old high school a couple years ago. I mean, come on! These are spoiled, privileged, suburban kids acting like they're "living on the hard streets" and they're shooting other suburban gangsta's!

On another note, how's Mel and Stiger and anyone else doing on the East coast?
 

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You can definitely have swearing in YA. Hannah Moskowitz's editor actually had her add an F-word to Break (it already had like 80 of them in there)
 

Kewii

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Follow up to my Buffy post. Just watched Once More with Feeling. It reminded me how much I miss the show.

And realized there really isn't quite anything like it on TV anymore. I mean, since Veronica Mars went off the air. I dunno...anything you guys find has that similar vibe?

On the swearing note: my students swear. I had one of my sixth graders (11 or 12 years old) say eat shit in front of me the other day. Of course, he said it in arabic and thought I wouldn't understand, but he still said it.
These kids definitely swear. I think it's authentic to have it in there.
 

Stuck In Kansas

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Kewii! You're NOT gonna' get me to waste the day talking about Buffy again, are you?

As far as Buffy and Veronica Mars (another fave--an inspiration to my books), the only thing I can think of that approaches it with the sharp, knowing teen dialogue is "Awkward." It's comedic and non-genre based, but that's about it. Unless there're some British shows around--and I know there are--that have a similar vibe.

Yay for cussing! I should add I try not to overdo it and some characters curse more than others. It's all about the characters! But, honestly, sometimes (particularly when dealing with the volatile teen mind set), cursing conveys anger, shock, fear, disbelief and other emotions better than long diatribes and peeks into the characters mind-sets.
 

mellymel

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Hey guys! So, we got power back yesterday afternoon! I'm so happy, and yet, still so sad and heartbroken for those who don't have power and who were completely devastated by that Bitch Sandy! Thanks for the support and kind words.

Rachel, I cannot freaking believe they were turn away help, but at the same time I guess they're trying to cover their asses? But still, there must be something they can do to help! Ugh.

I'm beyond pissed that they have decided to go on with the marathon. It disgusts me. People are still displaced and without electricity and have lost EVERYTHING including loved ones and they're running around setting up and preparing a marathon. They should be using those efforts to help people instead. I get the whole moving forward thing, but not less than a week after the storm and while so many people are still suffering. People are so EFFING STUPID AND SELFISH AND INCONSIDERATE SOMETIMES! Their priorities are whacked. WHACKED.

Anyway, good luck NaNoers and hope everyone is having a lovely day.
 

Kewii

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Kewii! You're NOT gonna' get me to waste the day talking about Buffy again, are you?

You figured out my master plan! Foiled again!

Mel: So glad everything is looking up and you have power again. I agree with you about the marathon. Yes, it sucks to have the race canceled when people have trained for months. But in perspective, when people have died and others are still suffering? Really not a big deal.
 

Laura Was Here

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Mel: YAAAY POWER BACK. And yeah, having the marathon seems inconsiderate. I'm surprised they're going on with it, tbh.

Re: swearing, what I do is swear as much as I want when I'm writing (which means a LOT of f-bombs) and then search and replace as needed. I keep most of the swears, but I take out the ones that feel gratuitous. /shrug
 

Stuck In Kansas

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Mel! Hooray for power and hooray for cussing! Drop those f-bombs, girl! Drop 'em like the wind!

You follow my rule of writing: get EVERYTHING down on paper while your muse is striking hot, no matter how crappy. It's always easier to take out, then put back in.

Being a Kansan whose electrical company finds it funny to plummet me into darkness and the cold twice yearly, I know you've reason for celebration.

Hope everyone else is weathering the storm (and the aftermath) in good health.
 

Kewii

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Dorothy: Saw that your book is part of an auction item on KidLit Cares. I thought about bidding, but I'm not sure if they'll mail things to me :)

http://www.katemessner.com/kidlit-cares-month9books-2013-books-for-a-year-package/

For everyone else, there's a whole bunch of auctions for MS critiques from authors and agents. It's pretty neat to look through. If I wasn't so neurotic about people seeing my work, I'd bid on some of it.
 
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Dorothy

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Dorothy: Saw that your book is part of an auction item on KidLit Cares. I thought about bidding, but I'm not sure if they'll mail things to me :)

If your bid was high enough, I bet they would. ;)

I didn't actually see that, so thanks for the link. I saw that they were offering a package and assumed my book would be part, but now I know for sure. Didn't know it was going to be a signed copy, though, lol. Guess I better practice my signature. ;)
 

Dorothy

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Mel! Hooray for power and hooray for cussing! Drop those f-bombs, girl! Drop 'em like the wind!

You follow my rule of writing: get EVERYTHING down on paper while your muse is striking hot, no matter how crappy. It's always easier to take out, then put back in.

For me, I don't mind cursing in YA books, but it has to fit the story. If it seems forced - like the author just put it in there in an attempt to make the story edgy when the story itself isn't anywhere near edgy - then it gets the head shake from this old lady. ;)
 

Stuck In Kansas

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Dorothy! I agree with you. Cursing for shock and awe's sake is just wrong and will take me out of the story.

Sometime I'll have to tell y'all the first (and only) time I heard my daughter drop an f-bomb. Good grief. Talk about shock and awe! I couldn't sleep for nights!
 

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I wish I could bid on stuff for hurricane relief. I remember doing the Nashville auction.
 

mellymel

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Thanks guys!

I'm like Laura, I write what comes natural (curses and all) and then I go back and decide which ones could go and which ones are truly there for the impact or effect I want. All my novels have curses. All of them. Sorry, but it's just how my characters roll. ;)
 
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