Reading YA, Writing YA, and Being Totally Awesome discussion

Post here what you're currently writing, how much you're writing, experience writing it, etc.

Most actively, a paranormal YA-to-NA with mild elements of horror.

I'm also working on a story which is a NA paranormal historical fiction. (It takes place both in the 1910s and the 1970s.)

The first one I feel like I've been working on forever, and am convinced one day I will finish it, but it is kind of my "baby" of my stories in the sense that it is really personal and close to me, so I invest a lot more than maybe some of my other ones.

The second one started as an idea that seemed to just slap me in the face. Seriously, almost the entire book idea from beginning to end seemed to jump into my head. I've been mulling it over in my head, cultivating finer details, creating outlines, and character profiles. I don't do this much organization with all my stories, but I feel compelled to do it with this one.

I've written 7,000 words in the past three days. :)

When I attended two-time Newbery Medalist Kate DiCamillo's event to promote Flora and Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures, one thing she said that really stood out to me is that she only writes two pages each day. She said, "I told myself early on that I can't make myself talented and I can't make others like what I write, but I can make myself show up and do the work every day." And so she started with something manageable, just two pages a day, and has stuck with that ever since.

Josiah wrote: "When I attended two-time Newbery Medalist Kate DiCamillo's event to promote Flora and Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures, one thing she said that really stood out to me is that she..."

I don't know if I could limit it to two pages, but I really love that advice. She accepts her stories and writing style for what they are, and just does what she loves. Thank you for sharing that, I feel like it was what I needed to read. I've been reading this book I thought would help inspire me to write, since a lot of people said that about this book, but if anything I feel a little discouraged and self-conscious about writing. So reading that was perfect for me.

I write mostly original fiction- fantasy, first person. I do that a lot. I write fanfics ocassionally.