I’m looking for an agent for my YA novel, as I mentioned before.  My rational brain knows that part of the way to stay sane during this process is to keep writing, get started on the sequel (I’m hoping to spin this into a four-book series,) be ready in case lightning does strike sooner rather than later.

(It hasn’t struck yet. But it’s still sooner. I’m giving myself a year before I count it as later.)

My emotional brain gets in the way. It’s hard to get motivated when all you’re hearing are rejections. Why should I write book 2 when book 1 is getting the deep freeze? I think about the characters and plot all the time, I know where book 2 will start, I have the structure. I just can’t bring myself to sit down and string the words together.

Solution: Write something else. Over Thanksgiving, I got an idea for a true middle-grade boy’s book reworking of Snow White.  I know fairy tale reboots are trending. I don’t know if they’re trending for boys, but what the hey?

I wrote 100 words. My 8-year-old read them. He laughed in the right places. He finished, and he said, “I’d read more of this!”  So I guess even if it goes nowhere, I’ll have one true-blue fan.  Not a bad public, that.