I have to admit. I told my accountability group that I was going to revise my early middle grade novel, Three Rivers Robotics. But really? I just wasn’t feeling it.
Ever since Barnes and Noble changed their stocking policy to limit hard covers to only best-selling authors, there has been a lot of angst and anxiety among middle grade authors. Then Ingrams limited the backlist titles that they list. Can we say more angst and anxiety?
It made it really hard to get myself to work on this particular book, but I powered through the first draft. Now that it is time to revise, every time I go online someone says the middle grade market is dead. That is not exactly the thing to keep a writer motivated.
But the last three weeks I’ve been too busy to check social media.
Sure, I pop on occasionally and like my husband’s Facebook posts. After all, I do want him to empty the drier. But I haven’t been reading all those other discouraging posts.
I’m not going to give up reading altogether. So I’ve been reading a new middle grade novel. It has taken me just over a week which is really slow for me. But I love the characters. The setting is so real that I can tell you exactly what town inspired it. And the plot hooked me from the start. This book, The Secret of Moonrise Manor by Stephanie Bearce, is a must read if you want to write middle grade fiction.
What does this have to do with my own motivation? As I was reading, a thought popped into my head. My main character can still be my main character, and his sidekick is fine too. But other than that? Sorry. Everyone else has got to go. Or they at least need to seek new employment because my setting is no longer Three Rivers Robotics. It is now a science makers space for tweens. Which means there will be a whole new group of secondary tween characters. Of course, all of this means that my plot will need to be adjusted.
I liked my plot in the first version, but the secondary characters? I never liked them. And I do mean any of them. But I pushed myself through because I just wanted to finish a draft.
I’m glad I did because now I’m thinking about how to improve it. And I’m taking my inspiration from an amazing middle grade book.
Anxiety is easy to come by right now. And that can make it hard to get deep into a project.
My advice to you? Don’t look for inspiration on social media. Instead, pick up something written by an amazing author. Not sure who that would be or what to read? Ask and maybe someone else reading this can help you. There is always someone here reading the most fantastic book that I’ve never heard of.
--SueBE
- To find out more about her writing, visit her site and blog, One Writer's Journey.
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Sue Bradford Edwards' is the author of over 60 books for young readers.
She is also the instructor for 3 WOW classes which begin on the first Monday of every month. She teaches:
I understand procrastinating a revision! But it sounds like you have a good plan. Like you, I've been immersing myself in more books lately. I feel guilty about it, because it takes away time from my own writing, but I'm learning a lot. It's like taking a masterclass in character development, POV, and use of literary devices. And I'm reading things other than suspense/thriller, which is my current WIP. Anything that keeps us motivated and revives our enthusiasm is worth it.
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