First, I want to say thank you to all of you who have done any of the following: bought the book, read the book, reviewed the book, blogged, tweeted or talked about the book somewhere, told friends about the book, asked your library to order the book, etc. etc. Every little thing helps!
Really. I mean it. THANK YOU! Here's Stormy and me giving you a virtual hug for your support!!
The thing is, I love YA. Like, I love, love, love it. But I know there are many people who write it a helluva lot better than I do. There are many days when I feel I'm not the writer I need to be to compete in today's market.
I wrote Falling For You at a time when I needed to do something different. I was tired of hearing the criticism about verse novels. A lot of people don't even want to try them, and that frustrates me SO much. It's like they hear the words "verse novel" and their brain immediately says, "well, not for me."
So I put something different out there. Reviews seem to be kind of mixed. I'm trying to stay away from them, for the most part, because it doesn't help the already somewhat low confidence. And honestly, it's FINE, not everyone is going to love every book, I know that. I've gotten some really heartfelt notes from teens, teens who needed to read this book at this time, and knowing that makes me glad I wrote the book.
But what's next for me as far YA goes? I honestly don't know. Some days I think maybe I should bow out gracefully from the YA world. Let the far more talented have the shelves. But like I said, I love YA. It's hard to leave!
Since November I've been secretly working on a YA manuscript. It's quiet and lyrical and has two characters I adore. It's part verse and part prose.
And it's all me. The question becomes, is that enough?
For a while, I thought I wouldn't finish it. I was going to walk away, and leave the YA world behind for a while. But the book won't let me leave! It keeps calling to me and calling to me. So for now, I'm writing it JUST for me. It's fun. Magical at times. When it's finished, I'll have to decide if I want to show it to anyone. It may not have a big enough hook. It may be too quiet. It might suck! For better or worse, I haven't worried about any of that. I've just tried to write from my heart, which is where my best work comes from.
At the end of the day, publishing is a business. Numbers matter. I can't control how many copies of my books are sold.
Fortunately, a great story matters too. That's what I'm going to focus on for now. We'll have to wait and see what happens next...
xoxo
Lisa
Publishing IS a business, Lisa, but you know what? You can't argue with what's been put on your heart. I just posted about this the other day (http://coffeelvnmom.blogspot.com/2013/02/we-all-see-things-through-different-eyes.html)--I don't usually link back to my blog, but I think it's appropriate this time. The title is "We all see things through different eyes", and that's exactly the point for you, too. If we compare ourselves to others, we're never going to measure up. But, contrary to popular belief, writing isn't about being the best out there, necessarily, it's about sharing what means most to you.
ReplyDeleteThere are always going to be critics, and there are always going to be people who love your work. Don't let the critics change who you are or what you love to do, because, honestly, did you write for the critics? Of course not. Those who loved your verse novels may not like FALLING FOR YOU as much, and those who aren't into verse novels may like it more. AND you might end up with new fans for branching out like you did! :)
But, bottom line, as you said, you love YA. I totally get it--as I say, "My heart is YA". And proof of what's most dear to you is that your newest WIP is again in verse. So hold on to that, and roll with it. Things are changing so much in the publishing world right now anyway that it shouldn't be the determining factor in how you share your love of words!
Looking forward to getting my copy of FALLING FOR YOU (as in, it's on its way here in the mail--YAY),
Jessica
Thanks for the encouragement Jessica. I really do try not to compare myself to others, and to just do what I do best. Some days it's easier than others. :)
DeleteWe all have those days! I read an article yesterday (somewhere on the internet, I think it was Rachelle Gardner's blog) about how the more we look stuff up on the internet, thinking it will benefit us, the more it inhibits our creativity, instead. I think that happens when we look at books (not from a reader's point of view, but a writer's point of view) too often. We start to analyze ourselves. And it doesn't take long for accusations to pour into our heads and us to get stuck in self-doubt. I'm in the process of submitting my first YA book for publication right now, and just yesterday I read a few chapters (making sure formats worked and whatnot) and then told my husband I HATE IT! I HATE IT ALL! And well, we had an exchange of words, because what-on-earth-was-wrong-with-me-and-why-was-I-being-negative-and-so-on-and-so-forth. (And I was being negative, and I shouldn't have, but that wasn't the point.) Later, we both realized that all I needed was a little acceptance/boost of confidence. So... here's your boost! You're talented and people love you and look FORWARD to receiving your work! That's a huge compliment, and people can't wait to see what you come up with next!!!! GO YOU!!! :D *hugs*
Deleteidk what I'd do with out your YA books 0__0 I haven't gotten around to reading your latest one but thats just because I'm slowly getting myself back into reading (and other things like life)
ReplyDeleteThanks so much... :)
DeleteI just ordered two of your books! Don't throw in the towel!
ReplyDeleteAw, thanks. Not throwing in the towel quite yet, just not sure what the future holds. Thank you for your support, it means a lot!
DeleteLisa, I have adored your MG books, cried through THE DAY BEFORE and felt for Rae in FALLING FOR YOU. All different books but all SO very well written. You're doing great! Just keep doing what you're doing and ignore the haters. Haters gotta hate. And we just stick out our tongues...and turn them into villains in our next book. ;)
ReplyDeleteThanks Melissa. You are so sweet. I will just keep doing what I do best - being me - and if someday that's not enough anymore, at least I know I gave it my all!
DeleteHaving been lucky enough to hear about the YA novel you've been working on, to me, it sounds PERFECT (honestly, it seems like it has all the things I love!).
ReplyDeleteI love how your stories are a bit gentler and don't have the high drama that's so popular at the moment. They're the sort of books I loved to read as a teen and come back to now at age 35. And when people ask me for YA recommendations, I always include a Lisa Schroeder book on the list, because they're so different from everything else in the market.
An aside: every time I hear people are afraid of verse novels, I cry a bit inside, because I love, love, love them so.
You are the best Sarah, thank you!! We will have to get together sometime and share small town stories. :)
DeleteWell Lisa I don't think you should say others are better at writing YA than you are. Personally all your books impact me so much more strongly than some of those so called 'big' authors. Your books MEAN something and they impact peoples lives positively. Personally I don't know why your not better known because every one of your books has made me FEEL so much and really stuck with me. I even got my family addicted.
ReplyDeleteAnd I hate it when people refuse to read verse. If they just tried it they would see how powerful it is.
I really hope this story your writing does go somewhere but its not bad to write it for yourself. I just hope you'll share it with us one day.
I'm SO sad/mad I missed your signing. I was DETERMINED to find a way but Phaedra had a very high fever so I had to give up the idea. I honestly was ready to go 'just in case she miraculously got better'. Boo. :'(