MG/YA Book Reviews by a MG/YA Writer
Welcome, and Happy New Year!
I didn’t write any book reviews this month. After completing 300 pages on a new manuscript (in three months, no less), I kind of ran out of steam. I’d been in the middle of pushing to ‘complete’ my NaNoWriMo goal of 30,000 words, when a revolutionary notion quietly slipped into my brain. Why not just stop?
Creative work has its own rhythms that ebb and flow according to patterns that have more to do with listening to and working with myself alongside a regular writing practice. I’m the first to admit that these two impulses are uneasy companions at best. My default has always been to push through and write more, as if I was blasting my way through a wall of granite instead of writing a book. However, I’m legitimately tired. I’ve been writing at a blistering speed for three straight months, and have a lot of decent pages to show for it. Even though I’ve fallen short of my NaNoWriMo goals, I’ve written a very plausible midpoint and can see a lot of options for the last third of the book. I’ve just temporarily run out of the energy needed to develop them. That I’m justifying taking a break as something I deserve because of the work I’ve done rather than something that should happen because I’m tired is a sign of how new this kind of thinking is to me.
Since becoming an indie author, I’ve felt pressured to share and be connected at all times. My impulse as a writer is to do exactly the opposite, especially when I’m writing. There’s something about writing a new manuscript that draws me inward, and I find myself wanting to protect that space and energy. As an indie author, I’m aware that I’m running a business, but for me, the act of creating art has nothing to do with business. Creative writing runs on an adjacent yet separate track, demanding a state of immersion that publishing and business tasks don’t.
I’m getting better at protecting the time and space necessary for creative work, but I’m still uneasy with setting aside enough time to take breaks.
Luckily, I came across a few reminders of the importance of rest and pacing recently. I buried them in places where I was sure to come across them. Not in the pages of a journal, as you’d expect, but in the guiding statements of my business plan. This is also the time of year when I do a lot of reflecting on my personal, writing, and business goals. Yesterday, I cracked open my computer to do just that.
I always start off by reading my vision, mission and values statements to see if they still ring true, or if they need some adjusting. Here is what they said:
Vision: Linda Browne creates books that combine character and plot-driven narratives with high literary value, as well as a book blog that seeks to inform and inspire readers through thoughtful and constructive critiques. She strives to break even in her writing business and maintains a healthy balance between indie authorship and a rich, fulfilling life off the page.
(That bolded bit has changed from: ‘She earns a good income from her work,’ which is a goal for many in the indie writing community. I half-heartedly adopted it, but it never felt like a good fit. This year, I changed it. If I can break even in my business, then it can run itself without ongoing owner investments.)
Mission: Linda Browne takes the time to develop high-quality work. She invests in revision, editing and design, as well as good tools and technology to help her business run smoothly. She shows respect for herself by designing humane production schedules and routines that protect her time, while leaving enough flexibility for unexpected adventures.
Values: Linda Browne values freedom, creative control, balance, time and space. She works as slowly as she needs to in order to produce excellent books. Her creative process is designed to let life in, not shut life out. Regular creative rest and play, including time off, are vital parts of that process.
May all of you find the courage and grace to allow yourselves the time, pacing and rest you need to bring your creative work to fruition, and enjoy a rich and fulfilling life while doing so.
Thirteen-year-old Ermin is a gifted mechanic and the worst student at St. Anselm’s Training School for Orphans. She’s just failed her exams for the third time—something nobody’s ever done. Worse, Ermin’s been running her own repair business for money—something that’s expressly forbidden. If the headmistress finds out, Ermin will go to prison. Her future will be over before it’s even begun.
But that’s not her only secret.
Her best friends, Colin and Georgie, are wizards in a world where magic is strictly controlled. Ermin worries that her friends will be captured, drained of their power, then banished. When Georgie’s caught aiding the Wizard’s Resistance, Ermin repairs a broken flying carpet so all three of them can escape.
Hesitant to join the Resistance because of her lack of magical power, Ermin steals an experimental device from a wizard hunter that could destroy every wizard in the Creek. She’s faced with a choice: either smash the device or convert it into a different kind of weapon—one that not only helps wizards but just might get her an apprenticeship at the prestigious Guild Academy.
Ermin’s got one chance to get it right. If she fails, she risks losing her two best friends… and her dreams.
Find Shadow Apprentice at your local library through Hoopla or buy from online retailers:
Thanks for being a Bookcase Bizarro reader! I’ll be back next month with more author news, and more MG and YA book reviews. See you then!
#IMWAYR is a weekly blog hop hosted by Unleashing Readers and Teach Mentor Texts. Its focus is to share the love of KIDLIT and recommend KIDLIT books to readers of all ages.
Greg Pattridge also hosts weekly MG blog hop MMGM every Monday at his website, Always in the Middle.
