Two summers ago my husband and I rented the movie Marley and Me. It made me want to stay home part-time with my kids. It made me want to write. So by the end of the school year I found a way to teach part-time, stay home with my kids in the afternoon, and every time I took a drive my mind wandered. I thought about things to write about.
Last summer, a year ago this past week to be exact, a girl in our Bunco group handed me three of the four books in the Twilight series. I read those and bought the fourth and finished them all in three days. Then I was sad until I realized I didn't need to be because I could just read them again. And again. (I don't care how many of you think she is not a good writer. Blek. I fell in love with the books and the characters.)
Once I saw the movie (and that, sorry I didn't like very much) three times (and kinda formed a tiny crush on Taylor Lautner-ew I know, I'm old)I started to wonder why I was becoming obsessed. Then my husband and I rented 17 Again and I kinda developed a smidgeon of a crush on Zac Efron (That one went away by the next morning though.). Then I knew. I was becoming a teeny bopper all over again. Yikes!
And THEN, one night my husband had to work really, really late (until like 4 in the morning) so I stayed up and drank wine and ate peanut butter toast and (gulp) watched Twilight until it dawned on me. I called my husband, a little (hiccup)giddy, and announced that I knew why I was so obsessed with all things teenish. I WANTED TO WRITE A TEEN NOVEL. It just all came together for me. Kinda. The only thing left to do was to figure out what to write the damn thing about!
Easy peasy, right?
Tonight's Dinner Menu: BBQ ribs on a stick, baby red potatoes, cooked carrots
% of successfulness: 40% (adults only...fatty ribs, blek)
I love that you have an epiphany moment! I think maybe I ignored mine for so long that I can not pin point mine exactly. Since as far back as I can remember I've had stories in my head. The characters were my friends and entertainment. Not too overly cautious my parents took me in to make sure there wasn't a medical reason for this! Lol!
ReplyDeleteThen I remember driving past the theater and seeing the ridiculously long line of Harry Potter fans freezing in the snow. I thought of J.K., the mom who scribbled down her idea on a napkin and then became a sensation. I totally cried. I'm not a crier. But how friggin cool would it be to see so many people willing to freeze their butts off because they are so in love with the characters that once entertained you in your mind?!?
It took a few more moments over the years like this before my own "aha!" moment. I love YA and I will never look back!
FyI-I got a sick little crush on Taylor as well. Okay, okay, I did the same with Zac on 17 again too;-)