When I started writing this little blognovel here, I knew I couldn't be the only person writing like this. Somewhere, someone else was probably just as lazy as me, and wanted other people to tell them what to write about.
So I started to investigate. I found Destiny Chasers, a blognovel thing for young readers that a woman named Ceri is writing, and I also found Fiction Express, which is also for young people, who have to pay 39pence to "unlock" each week's chapter. Just like with Katie's story, the authors (who are all Real Authors with Actual Published Books) end each chapter with three or four choices, and the next chapter written is based on whichever choice got the most votes.
With some encouragement, and in a fit of crazy, I wrote up a sample first chapter for a young adult novel (at the time called "Twice Upon a Time In Mexico") and sent it to the publisher. And they commissioned it!
"Falling Backwards" is about Leah, a 16-year-old who is on her way to Mexico on an exchange. While on the plane she meets April, a woman who did a Mexican exchange 17 years ago, only hers was a disaster. The plane goes through a terrible storm, Leah faints, and when she awakens she finds herself in April's 16 year old body, in 1994.
The first chapter goes "live" on November 18th, at which point readers will have three days to download, read, and vote on what should happen in the next week's chapter. I'll be emailed the results from the votes on Monday morning, and I'll have to write a 3,000 word chapter to be sent to my editor for Wednesday. We'll then go back and forth with the chapter until Friday morning, when the chapter is published, and we do it all over again. This whole exercise will repeat itself for 10 weeks....(11 chapters in total).
I'm pretty excited, though nervous. I think it'll be a great time, and I really hope you'll all read it and participate. It will be so nice to have friends along for the ride!
The sad thing is that I won't have as much time to devote to other things in life, such as eating, laundry, or writing Katie and Eoin's story. Because I will still be working full time, and this new book is being "Edited" I can't just write a chapter and throw it up there at the last minute, spelling errors and all. It has to be Professional. Which means Katie, my non-professional, might have to take a back seat.
I will still try to write new chapters for her when I can, but they might be quite short. I know you will understand, and I am NOT abandoning her -- we still have a lot of her story to tell. We'll get there....
And here is where you come in.
WOULD ANY OF YOU LIKE TO BE A GUEST WRITER? WOULD ANY OF YOU LIKE TO WRITE A CHAPTER OF THIS STORY???
Please let me know if you'd like to take a week or two and help me to finish Katie's story...I could help with editing and things if you are nervous about it.
Okay! So that's the news.
Jenny
So I started to investigate. I found Destiny Chasers, a blognovel thing for young readers that a woman named Ceri is writing, and I also found Fiction Express, which is also for young people, who have to pay 39pence to "unlock" each week's chapter. Just like with Katie's story, the authors (who are all Real Authors with Actual Published Books) end each chapter with three or four choices, and the next chapter written is based on whichever choice got the most votes.
With some encouragement, and in a fit of crazy, I wrote up a sample first chapter for a young adult novel (at the time called "Twice Upon a Time In Mexico") and sent it to the publisher. And they commissioned it!
"Falling Backwards" is about Leah, a 16-year-old who is on her way to Mexico on an exchange. While on the plane she meets April, a woman who did a Mexican exchange 17 years ago, only hers was a disaster. The plane goes through a terrible storm, Leah faints, and when she awakens she finds herself in April's 16 year old body, in 1994.
The first chapter goes "live" on November 18th, at which point readers will have three days to download, read, and vote on what should happen in the next week's chapter. I'll be emailed the results from the votes on Monday morning, and I'll have to write a 3,000 word chapter to be sent to my editor for Wednesday. We'll then go back and forth with the chapter until Friday morning, when the chapter is published, and we do it all over again. This whole exercise will repeat itself for 10 weeks....(11 chapters in total).
I'm pretty excited, though nervous. I think it'll be a great time, and I really hope you'll all read it and participate. It will be so nice to have friends along for the ride!
The sad thing is that I won't have as much time to devote to other things in life, such as eating, laundry, or writing Katie and Eoin's story. Because I will still be working full time, and this new book is being "Edited" I can't just write a chapter and throw it up there at the last minute, spelling errors and all. It has to be Professional. Which means Katie, my non-professional, might have to take a back seat.
I will still try to write new chapters for her when I can, but they might be quite short. I know you will understand, and I am NOT abandoning her -- we still have a lot of her story to tell. We'll get there....
And here is where you come in.
WOULD ANY OF YOU LIKE TO BE A GUEST WRITER? WOULD ANY OF YOU LIKE TO WRITE A CHAPTER OF THIS STORY???
Please let me know if you'd like to take a week or two and help me to finish Katie's story...I could help with editing and things if you are nervous about it.
Okay! So that's the news.
Jenny
Congratulations, and I'm really looking forward to reading Falling Backwards at Fiction Express! (You'll still get to eat, I promise! I'm a survivor! ;) )
ReplyDeleteCongrats to you! I am super excited for you! I also love YA, and am really looking forward to starting a work of yours from the BEGINNING :) :) :)
ReplyDeleteCongratulations Jenny!
ReplyDeleteI am sure this new book will be a huge success..
I would love to help you out and be a guest writer, but since English is not my first language, it would likely turn out to be a humongous disaster... =P