Heyya, mates. Sam Draper here again on account of Sunday's another Talk Like a Pirate Day. Like last year, Adam asked me to give you folks a lesson on speaking skyler. He...
Okay, you know what? I can't do this. I haven't written anything remotely Air Pirate-y in over 6 months. I've totally forgotten how to speak skyler.
But it's a good opportunity to tell you what's been going on with the novel, aye? (And for those of you whose hopes were dashed just now, I promise I'll let Sam write a post when I've got my head in the world again. Breezy?). First things first though. I've gotten a lot of new readers since the last time I talked about this novel, so here's the idea:
Hagai, a cowardly bookworm and the shame of his ship-building father, receives a package from his mother -- the mother who's been dead for 18 years. The package is a stone that gives him visions of the future. It leads him to an air pirate named Sam, and to more adventure than he ever really wanted. (More in my original query, here).
I've gotten no offers yet obviously, though I have gotten some partial and full requests (which is way better than last time). And while I still have material out there awaiting a response, it's time to execute Plan B.
Multiple people -- including an agent or two -- have said this story feels like YA. It's not (Hagai is 21, Sam a few years older), but it could be with a little work. Just a couple rewritten chapters and a few overhauls (though when I first thought of this plan, I thought I'd only have to change Hagai's age, which required no rewriting at all).
Point is, I'm excited. Really the only way to get over rejection is to work on something new!
I didn't know you were getting requests for partials and fulls. That is good news! I hope the changes help - or that someone realises it's perfect just as it is!
ReplyDeleteYou're so nice, fairy! Especially since I know it's not perfect ;-) Plan B also includes some changes to streamline the tension.
ReplyDeleteA lot of why I'm excited is because all my other ideas are (or can easily be) YA too. When this plan is complete, I'll finally know my true genre :-)
oh! partial and full requests!! that's great! and finding a genre where your writing fits! your plan b sounds so lovely! also, it will be nice to see some good ya that boys would enjoy! (not that there's anything wrong with girly!)
ReplyDeleteDo it. Make it YA. Just keep a backup of the original copy. You could always frame the first book as a YA and have the characters age a bit later in subsequent books.
ReplyDeleteWelcome to the YA world. I just downloaded a book Writing Great Books for YA. I know, I probably should have read that first before I wrote a couple of them! Don't know if it's any good yet, but a friend rec'd it, so I thought I'd give it a shot.
ReplyDeleteI think YA is expansive and experimental - there is so much that can go into the category, and many more open minds about what will work in it.
Go you!
You guys are doing wonders for my daydreaming life :-D
ReplyDelete@aspiring: Nothing wrong with girly at all, but it would be nice to be a go-to guy for boy books :-)
@Daniel: I make a new copy with every major revision (and sometimes minor ones). Still thinking about subsequent books though. It's a trilogy in my head, but so much has changed I'm not sure that matters anymore.
@Susan: In some ways, YA is much more experimental, but in others it's more limiting (protagonist's age, for example). But I don't mind limits, just so long as I can squeeze this novel into them.
You could always simply start the trilogy as YA and then keep the others in the adult fantasy world. It can be argued that Brent Weeks did that with his Night Angel trilogy depending on the definition of YA. The main character grows up in book 1 but the other books are set later in his life - late 20s I believe for book 2.
ReplyDeleteI can't believe I missed an Air Pirates post. If you're excited to change it, then that's great. I thought Air Pirates was YA, when I first started following your blog. Tell you what, why don't we both make our changes and then swap?
ReplyDeleteMy last reader thought I should split Star Swans into two books, and while I can see her point, it's making my head spin.
You're already on my list, Myrna. And I'd love to read Star Swans when it's ready :-)
ReplyDeleteOne of the things is everyone thinks Air Pirates is YA when they hear about it. Even folks who have read the whole thing think Hagai is a teenager, and his age is told in Chapter 1!
Very cool.
ReplyDelete