Research

I'm reading an array of books to my students right now. I consider that research because I can focus on the "author's voice" as I read through the stories for the third or fourth time. I can use my students as guinea pigs to see what types of books grab them and pull them in. Of course, after the Twilight pandemonium, my students (and 12 year old daughter) are vampire crazy. Stephenie Meyer is still at the top of the list of things they want to read. Ellen Schreiber's Vampire Kisses and Heather Brewer's Chronicles of Vladimir Tod are recently added favorites too. My students are also into the Forensic Mystery Series by Alane Ferguson, and Rick Riordan continues to catch their interest with Percy Jackson and The Olympians and Maze of Bones.

Anyway, I'm learning a lot through this "research" and I am doing a rewrite on my manuscript as we speak. At first I just sat down and wrote the story I wanted to tell. Now I am going back and trying to make it more than just a story. I want my characters to be people the readers will care about. I hope I can learn from the awesome YA authors my students enjoy reading. As I continue to develop into the author I know I can be, I will use the insight I gain hanging out with pre-teens and teenagers all day!

One thing I have noticed as I revisit my characters is that my students, past and present, have found their ways into my stories. The names are different, of course, but the quirks and personalities are there. Hmmm.... I wonder if, after they read my story, they could find themselves in the actions and behaviors of the characters. That could be interesting!