Nathan? Emily? Who's Next?

      It's strange days for me lately, writer-wise.

      This was my MOD when it came to bigger projects (AKA manuscripts):

• Write something that spoke to me/healed me

       First it was a "bridge" book about a stray dog. I still haven't given up on that one... But it's gathering dust. Next was a novel that's gone through several transformations. I have a fearless beta reader wading through it. And the third one, it's... well, I'll get to it in a moment.

• Convince myself that it wasn't marketable/appealing. For the first one, I might be right. The judges haven't spoken yet on the second one. And this third one is not finished.

• Channel the character. I was a stray, desperate for love. I was a woman bent on revenge and desperate to find peace (which was easy to channel, 'cause that was me). Channeling a young boy in 1921, which seems the most satisfying and is coming the easiest.  

      In the past, I've had mostly just myself pushing the work forward when it comes to the bigger projects. My writing critique groups were encouraging, and offered to read the middle project/manuscript, but I'm not sure it's anything more than a hot mess, so I'm keeping the horrified people ("OMG, do you believe this drivel?") to a minimum.

     These days, however, I have 22 students who are nosey and curious and over-the-shoulder sneak-readers. Actually, they don't even try to be stealthy about it. They're bold, these kids.

        Nathan--one of my students--asks on a regular basis--"What's your word count?"  He's kept me informed on what's going on with his NaNo project.

        Emily is another student of mine. Yesterday, she had finished with her 5,000+ word story, and was busy inhaling yet another book. Sitting next to me, her eyes strayed from the book she was reading off my monitor.  No quick glances. Nothing sneaky. She was reading my NaNo (which is soooo far behind) and unfortunately, it was smack in the middle of the story.

      Her eyes--amazingly big and expressive--spoke volumes. She was into the story. She was hooked.

       Without taking the time to think too hard on it, I printed up a copy, and tossed half of it to her. "Is this for me?" she asked. I told her she needs to keep it at school, and when she's finished with that section, she can have the next section... and hopefully by then, I will have the final third written, at least in its first draft version. (But probably not... Emily is a rapid reader and I'm wading through some tough-to-find research right now.)

       It makes sense. I'm writing this book for students in the 5th or 6th grade, and Emily's a sixth grader...

         Last night I cooked at the Ronald McDonald House. (If you have one in your area, consider making a meal for the families. It's lots of fun.) A writing friend, Tracy (who made a scrumptious veggie lasagna), gave me an ARC (advance reading copy) she got from the NCTE conference (National Council of Teachers of English). And wonder of wonders, it's a YA novel about the same event I'm writing about. (However, it's a story told from a totally different perspective, so I'm going to wait until my first draft is finished before I treat myself to it. It's called Dreamland Burning by Jennifer Latham.) 

       Yes, Cathy Hall--Tracy got lots of free books and she even thought of me! 

       So Nathan, Emily, my other 19 students, Shay, Tracy... and many more--I'm getting a lot of help/prodding/encouragement.

       And for that, I'm grateful.

      What are you most grateful for? Rested minds want to know...