Age of First Publication

So randomly purusing wikipedia, I found myself searching for YA authors I currently read. Throughout the whole process of doing just that, I realized I was looking for something rather specific: the age of the author when their first book was published.

This is what I found via Wikipedia:

Lauren Oliver - 27
Sarah Dessen - 26
Veronica Roth - 24
Stephenie Meyer - 32
JK Rowling - 32
John Green - 28
Cassandra Clare - 34
Jay Asher - 32
Maureen Johnson - 31
Markus Zusak - 24

Thus, the average age of publication for this list is 29. If I minus the two years it takes to get published (query, revisions, edits, production, etc.) and subtract another year for the author to write it, I come up with 26, the average age these writers started working on their debut novel.

You're probably asking, "What Michelle, does this all really mean?" Nothing really. I just find it fascinating. If this mathematical equation were a trend (which it isn't, because I suck at math) and I started my novel at my current age 22, I would like to hope that I could be published at 25 (because that would be a rad way to celebrate a quarter of a century of being alive!).

A girl can dream right?

That is all.

Some writing encouragement.

 

My photo of the day, or I guess I should say 'yesterday.'

As I've mentioned, my writing funk was awful last week. If at this moment, you are feeling stuck in a writing funk, I hope by the end of reading this post it is somewhat alleviated. I don't normally go on a reblogging spree, but today I'll make an exception. So here's some writing encouragement because I think you are amazing and you should keep on writing, because deep down you truly love it, even though at this moment it is oh so frustrating!

I'll begin by sharing some writing quotes I came across this morning on twitter (I know I'm really late, but I just realized the amazingness of this social media tool!).

Your inner writer is tingling upon reading the quotes, I just know it. To help you along with that, I wanted to reblog Jane Friedman's post on 10 Apps to Help You Stay Focused On Your Writing. Some of the apps are really cool and intersting, most of which I hadn't even heard of until reading the post. I'm thinking of getting apps numbered 9 and 10, since I think it'll be useful for me. How about you?

Alright, so hopefully you're getting jazzed to write again. So the question is how do you fuel the motivation? That's something I always mull over too. What works for me is imagining my work where I want it to be at the end so that I can finally query agents. That is my goal for this year after all. So figure out what your goal is, envision yourself there, and then keep working towards it until you get there. The journey is long and arduous, but split it into tiny chunks and keep chipping away at it. Soon enough, you'll find yourself there. If you want more encouragment than I can offer you, read this post by Lamar Giles on Adventures in YA publishing, I did, and his main point really stuck: If you want to write, you must finish.

And if you're hoping to query one day too, check out the #NaNoNewLeaf chat yesterday here where agents of New Leaf Literary answered questions on twitter.

On a final note, make sure to step away from your writing once and awhile so that you won't be so burnt out (I know easier said then done, right?). Not to mention, sometimes you get those great insights and ideas for your project when you're not writing! One of my favorite ways to take a step back is wine. So yesterday Michael and I went to Bottlehouse, my favorite urban winery in Seattle and ended the night with vegetarian dinner, a recipe from Yotam Ottolenghi's Plenty.

Happy writing, and happy hump day!

Ellie Goulding's Divergent Track and the YA Film Trend

So yesterday I retweeted V. Roth's EW post on the Divergent Soundtrack. Check out the article and the new Ellie Goulding song here. At the first listen, I loved it. At the second listen, I loved it even more. At the third listen all I'm thinking about is how I can get my hands on that soundtrack! As you can probably tell, I'm pretty stoked about this film as well as TFIOS (The Fault in Our Stars).

YA Lit is starting to become a large influence in the film industry. Harry Potter, Twilight, Hunger Games, need I say more? And as long as it gets people reading, I'm all for it. And I'm just hoping that the film industry takes the story to heart instead of doing rush jobs to reign in some cash. Remember the Eragon movie? That just about broke my heart.

This YA book-to-film trend, however, is finally placing emphasis on the Young Adult genre. YA used to be such a guilty pleasure for me, something I kept to myself, books I would read in the comfort of my own room. But now things are starting to change. More and more people are starting to read YA, even outside its designated age range. Even at my college a course on young adult fiction was placed on the same caliber as Eighteenth Century British Literature. Though I wasn't able to fit it into my schedule, I just think that's so awesome.

So what is it about YA that makes it such a phenomena? I think it boils down to the YA writers. They're taking creative risks whether it's through the narrative voice, structure, or whatever. Angels, vampires, wizards, dystopia, reincarnation, gritty realism...anything goes. They're taking risks and it's paying off as a collective genre.

No more funk!

Okay, remember last week when I was in such a funk about my writing? It was pretty awful. I had no will or desire to write, I was disappointed in myself, and I lost sight of the story making me feel so disconnected to my characters. Well, fast forward to the end of the week. I was still feeling the same way, but then I forced myself to write about one thousand words. They weren't the greatest, but it was a way for me to just push myself.

Later that night, Michael and I went to Nishino's for dinner. It was kind of a crummy day. We both weren't feeling well, but sushi can always cheer Michael up. We ended up at the bar and randomly got into a great conversation with the guy sitting next to us. I won't go into too much detail about it as I'm hoping it'll turn out into a cool story that I can post months or years after, but I will say this stranger kicked my writing funk to the curb!

It's crazy how meeting new people can do that for you. Give you a breath of fresh air, a new perspective, and even some inspiration.

So for the rest of the weekend, I caught up in some writing and delved into some YA books. Writing and reading. Two of my favorite things in the world, how could I have neglected it for so long? Getting back into the groove, I felt so much better. YA Lit, that's where I belong. It always feels like home when I get into a good book. So somehow someway, I'm going to get there and be a part of it, because that's the only place I see myself.

Thus, look forward to more writing progress as well as book reviews :)

And for something completely random, check out this delicious eggs benedict that made it into my belly Sunday morning from Tallulah's. Yuuummmmmm.

Book Review: Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Rated: 4 stars out of 5

So a few weeks ago before my trip to Boston, I perused the book store wanting something to read on my long flight. My eyes caught the cute cover of Fangirl.

At first I didn't expect much, but then I read the synopsis on the back. In short, it's a coming-of-age novel about Cath, a young girl entering college with her twin sister, who's a really great fan fiction writer. Her sister, who has contributed to the fan fiction decides to branch out and let go of the fandom, but that's something Cath just can't seem to do. Now, Cath is on her own and completely outside of her comfort zone as she navigates life away from her fragile father as she's faced with a surly roommate, a charming guy that always seems to be hanging around, and a professor who doesn't see fan fiction the same way she does.

I decided to read it, wanting a feel good book and lately I've been hearing so many good things about Rainbow Rowell that I just decided to go for it.

One thing that makes me keep reading rather than tossing the book is the writing and its readability. I found that in this novel, the fluidity of the writing was great making it easy to imagine the scenes and characters in my mind. Another thing that keeps me interested are characters. They just can't be bland. They need to pop out and be distinguishable. I found that I really enjoyed Cath as the main character, not to mention the quirkiness of Levi who's not the typical love interest you find in YA.

But I think the great thing about this enjoyable read was the simplicity in its plot line. It just goes to show that a story doesn't need to be heavily emotional or complicated. Thus, this book is great because its relatable to those who read it. You find a part of yourself in each and every character, or you've known someone who's just like one of the characters which makes you care about them that you keep flipping the page to see what happens next.

So if your looking for a feel good read. Then pick up Fangirl. I rated it 4 out of 5 stars. It was a great book, but I didn't rate it a 5 because 5's for me are books that make me want more, makes me go through an emotional roller coaster, or makes me so much in love with a character that I wish they existed in real life.

BBC's Sherlock Holmes

You need to watch it. This is a must watch television show. It's just so damn clever and engaging, the lines are so memorable, and the character development just hooks you in completely. The plot lines always keep you guessing. And the cinematography is so well done that it's better than the movies out these days.

I have to say. This is my current fave show, and I am so sad that I'll have to wait for the next season. It was really so great to binge watch seasons 1-3 in just two weeks. Now I'm going through Sherlock withdrawals. I want more. You need to watch it. I promise you won't regret it.

Sickies.

Yesterday it hit me like a ton of bricks. It was this huge tension headache squeezing my head, so hard I felt nauseous. It started at six p.m. and then lasted through the night making it uncomfortable to sleep. Now I've awoken drippy, sneezy, and full of chills.

The common cold.

It just sneaks out of nowhere and BAM. Hits you. So today is my sick day. Let the resting under covers, binge watching, tea drinking, and trying to catch up in writing with a fuzzy head, begin.

30,000 more words by my birthday is all I need. No more writing funk. Since I am such a fan of Veronica Roth, here's a link to her latest blog post: Getting a Character "In".