A Grim Reality...

I know, this picture doesn't go with the post title. These are the roses my kids gave to me for Valentine's Day yesterday. It was a wonderful day, with only one low point.

I got a rejection yesterday, and I'm OK with it, but the comments really made me think hard. I am thinking that my writing style (I write Young Adult and Middle Grade) may have been good if I was trying to get published in 1980, but this day and age calls for edgier stuff, and a unique voice that I just can't simulate. I think what it boils down to, is that I have great story ideas, but I'm not able to convey them the way I want, (or the way I'm supposed to, according to today's YA market.)

Why the Blunt Honesty? Because I've just had this revelation about my work and it's grim, but I would rather be realistic about my work than deluded. I don't want to be like those American Idol Tryout Hopefuls who sound like a rusty tin can scraping against a washboard when they sing, but they've been told by their mommas and their friends their whole lives that they sound fabulous, so they truly think they "do." I mean, I watched some tryouts and cringed the entire time, and when the judges told them they were awful, the poor deluded souls looked at them like they couldn't believe what they were hearing.

I don't want to be like this about my writing. Don't get me wrong, I don't think I'm a bad writer. I think I'm a good storyteller. I just need to work on the delivery, that's all.

I think one way to figure it out would be to take a look at all the YA books that are hot right now. I need to know my competition. It's too bad I have oven and floor people coming today, otherwise I'd spend some time in my Sanctuary (Barnes & Noble) and check out the YA section while the kids are in school.

So, that's my grim reality. I have some revising and rewriting to do. And it's going to take some time. But hopefully it will be worth it.