Pacing a teenage romance

I recently finished reading a highly anticipated YA novel, and while I enjoyed it, I had a problem with the pacing of the romantic relationship. It took fooorrrreevvveeerrr. Yeah, just like that. And on top of that, their interactions were extraordinarily brief and somewhat shallow, in my opinion. (Well, they were teenagers, so I suppose that is realistic)

On the other hand, I've read YA books where the romantic relationship moves at light speed. Ten pages in and they're in love and ready to run away together.

In my opinion, real teenage relationships fall somewhere in between. Yes, teenagers have intense feelings and tend to rush into things, but they are also for the most part incredibly insecure and afraid of said intense feelings not being reciprocated, so they tend to make absolutely sure of the other person's interest before admitting their own feelings.

The following steps apply to romantic relationships in modern day America, and may have to be adjusted for dystopian/sci-fi/fantasy genres.

1. The crush. The initial awareness of the other person's existence. Usually one-sided. Noticing of desirable physical or personality traits.

2. The "accidental" meeting. In high school, I memorized my crush's schedule so that I could casually be standing in a spot I knew he would pass on his way to his next class. Or made friends with guys on his sports team as an excuse to go to his game. Or happen to show up at the same after school spot where he hung out. If all goes according to plan, at this step the crush will become two-sided.

3. The first hang-out sess. Usually in a group setting, although some one-on-one time can be created. At this time, phone calls and texting are initiated.

4. 3rd party intervention. Friends on either side are made aware of crush and possible long-term interest and seek out confirmation of reciprocated feelings from other party, either directly or indirectly. This is the most important step, as the rest of the relationship hinges on whether or not both parties receive confirmation of like feelings.

5. The date. This can include simply sitting together at lunch if actual first date is not possible, or can include a one-on-one trip to the movies/mall/ etc.

6. Making it official. Facebook, that is. After this, public displays of affection and possessiveness are acceptable. Hating of jealous exes is appropriate, complete isolation from friends often ensues as the relationship gains in intensity and importance.

7. Complete and utter devotion

Obsessions in your writing

I think that all writers have certain obsessions that without fail appear in their writing. I know that mine come from things that have happened to me in my life and that I'm still (and will probably always) be dealing with or thinking about. My obsessions? Here is the list:

1. Death. Especially at a young age. If you missed the reason behind that, you can read my Thanksgiving blog post.

2. Forgiveness.

3. Betrayal.

4. Honesty.

5. Grandparents.

6. Missouri.

7. Florida.

8. Tattoos

9. Teenage romances that aren't perfect and don't end in happily ever after but teach you a lot about yourself.

10. God/religion/the afterlife

11. Puppies

So, what are your obsessions?

Is this glass half full?

Hope everyone had great Thanksgiving. Mine was lovely, with the exception of the bruises. You know, from trying to wrestle my MS Hellbound into submission. We fought, bitterly, for many days, until the merest thought of the damn thing made me so nauseous I almost turned down seconds of apple pie. Almost. Yeah, it got bad.

Therefore I have come to the massively gut-wrenching decision of shelving it for the time being. I desperately wanted to finish it before taking a break from it - I have been working on it steadily for almost a year. And itisthisclose to being done (well, the first draft, anyway). But I am so sick of looking at it that I can't bring myself to open it.

On the bright side, I have had a lightning strike of inspiration for my previous WIP, crappily titled Banished, which I shelved to work on Hellbound. The rough draft of Banished was completed and I was religiously editing when I realized that the plot was not working. I've come up with an idea to fix it, however....

It requires almost a complete re-write.

Sooo....I'd better get to work.

A Different Kind of Thanksgiving Post

I don't usually talk about this, because it's something that is very difficult for me, even this far past it.

7 years ago today my best friend died. We were 16. It's been a while since the anniversary fell on Thanksgiving. I think about her every day, without fail. A lot of times I think about how unfair her death was, how it wasn't supposed to be this way. I think about all the plans we had and all the things we talked about doing that will never happen now. I think about little things, inside jokes we had and times when we just laughed and laughed about pretty much nothing at all, because when you're 16 and invincible you think you have all the time in the world.

But today, I'm thinking about how lucky I was just to have her in my life at all. As much as I wish we could've become crazy old ladies together and done all the things we talked about, what's important is that I loved her when she was alive, and now I appreciate every second I had with her. She was an amazing friend, the loyal, funny, irreplaceable kind that don't come around very often. I hope that wherever she is she knows I'm thinking about her and that I will never forget her, and that her death changed me in ways I never could've imagined.

A Plea to YA authors

Dear YA authors,

Please stop making your heroes decades, centuries, and in my latest read, a couple MILLENNIA older than the heroine. I'm supposed to believe that a guy who has been around for thousands of years fell in love with a normal 16 year old? That over those thousands of years he never met anyone more extraordinary than this plain person? I don't care that he looks like he's 16, he's not, nor should he be acting like he is. It's honestly a little creepy.

Thank you for your time and attention in regards to this matter, and I appreciate your discretion in the future.

Sincerely,

Smoothie Girl

REVIEW: Siren by Tricia Rayburn

Seventeen-year-old Vanessa Sands is afraid of everything--the dark, heights, the ocean--but her fearless older sister, Justine, has always been there to coach her through every challenge. That is until Justine goes cliff diving one night near the family's vacation house in Winter Harbor, Maine, and her lifeless body washes up on shore the next day.

Vanessa's parents want to work through the tragedy by returning to their everyday lives back in Boston, but Vanessa can't help feeling that her sister's death was more than an accident. After discovering that Justine never applied to colleges, and that she was secretly in a relationship with longtime family friend Caleb Carmichael, Vanessa returns to Winter Harbor to seek some answers.

But when Vanessa learns that Caleb has been missing since Justine's death, she and Caleb's older brother, Simon, join forces to try to find him, and in the process, their childhood friendship blossoms into something more.
Soon it's not just Vanessa who is afraid. All of Winter Harbor is abuzz with anxiety when another body washes ashore, and panic sets in when the small town becomes home to a string of fatal, water-related accidents . . . in which all the victims are found grinning from ear to ear.

As Vanessa and Simon probe further into the connections between Justine's death and the sudden rash of creepy drownings, Vanessa uncovers a secret that threatens her new romance, and that will change her life forever.

I'm not a huge paranormal YA reader, especially when it involves mythological creatures. But something about this book caught my eye (the creepy yet gorgeous cover possibly?). I was intrigued, and after reading the glowing reviews I had to read it. I scoffed when the reviews insisted that this book had to be read in a day...but they were right. I bought this book last night and finished it this morning.

And while I've decided that I will never own a summer house in Maine -- bad things always happen at summer houses in Maine--the rest of the story was completely original and interesting. I didn't think I would like the MC and narrator Vanessa, a girl afraid of everything? No way. But she turned out to be immensely likable and sympathetic. Although I thought she avoided asking obvious questions, she turned out to be strong and brave. I loved Simon and Caleb. Especially Simon. He was ah-dorable.

The author drops enough hints throughout the book that you suspect what's going to happen, and yet it doesn't feel entirely predictable. I also loved the writing style, simple and straightforward but with just enough detail to get mental pictures of every scene.

I felt disappointed with the vague ending and the loose strings not being tied up into a pretty bow....but to my immense relief it is going to be trilogy. Phew!

Deciphering the Teenage Mind

Okay, the title of this blog is misleading. There is no deciphering the teenage mind. The things teenagers do don't make any sense. However, if you are writing a YA novel and sometimes wonder how a teen would react to something or what they would say, here are a few ways to get a glimpse into the teenage brain.

Watch 16 and Pregnant/ Teen Mom religiously.

These shows are the epitome of teenage naivete and immaturity. How a 16 year old girl could get pregnant (for the most part on purpose) and think that her equally irresponsible boyfriend will a) want to stay with her for the baby b) suddenly become responsible c) be an excellent, supportive father is the best example I can think of to show the utter lack of common sense teenage girls display. And yet somehow at the end of the show, every girl says "Oh, yeah, I should've waited to have a baby. It's hard."

Read Seventeen magazine. This is what teen girls actually care about: boys, hot boys, flirting with boys, having sex with boys...oh and makeup, clothes and shoes.

Disney Channel is not an accurate representation of normal teens. Normal teens are not secret pop stars, don't have magic powers, and no school sinks that much money on costumes and sets for high school plays . Instead, look at what happens to Disney stars in their private lives. Sexting, naked pictures, eating disorders and cutting, nasty break-ups, now that is realistic.

Watch MTV's True Life and/or Made. Okay, watch anything on MTV. No, watch everything on MTV. The absolute best source for info on teens.