A New Direction

With my Quebec City adventure over, and Scotland still two and a half months away, it seems like this blog will have to stop chronicling my exploits and revert back to what it’s actually supposed to be: a blog on writing.

My posts will be a little different than the generic how-to-write-YA instructions that I used to write in previous years. Since so many authors are blogging on topics like how-to-create-fascinating-characters, or how-to-fix-a-horrible-first-draft, or the all important how-to-make-your-hero-swoon-worthy, I’ve decided to bow out of that scene. As an unpublished author, I feel like it’s better to leave the how-to posts to the pros.

I’ve decided instead to write more general, slightly theoretical posts. I’d like to take certain novels and dissect them a little, talking about what worked or what didn’t. I’d like to write some slightly more comprehensive book reviews, talking more about what the novels are really saying. Finally, I want to examine some key stories that YA isn’t telling, and deconstruct some of YA’s central conventions.

Don’t worry, though. When I say “theoretical,” I don’t mean Deridean abstract philosophy on the meaning of the sign and the signifier, or any of that fun stuff. I simply want to take some of the critical thinking skills that I regularly apply to literature in English class, and instead relate them to YA novels. I’ll try and make my posts as practical as possible to your daily writing life.

This summer I may also have a few my-life posts, since life on PEI is basically an adventure in itself. However, the real fun waits until September, when I fly out to Scotland. With just around 11 weeks until I leave, things are starting to fall into place, but there’s still a lot left to do (*coughVISAcough*). For now, though, the main purpose of this blog will actually be writing.