Purple Prose:
Lost in a Heartbeat

As some of you know, I’m currently enrolled in two writer’s workshops through Writer’s Digest. For one of my recent assignments, I had to submit 1,000 words from my novel in which I had complicated my main character’s path to achieving her goal.

The excerpt I chose involved my main character, Calleigh, who was desperately searching for her friend and potential love interest, Aaron. He was planning to show up at the Fourth of July party on the beach but never did. Calleigh becomes worried for good reason. The excerpt begins with Calleigh finding him in the forest alone and unconscious. Beside him is an empty bottle of whiskey. Her cell phone battery went dead (of course) while she was looking for him. It’s a forty-five minute drive to the nearby town. And this is a forest, which means, you know, hungry animals like black bears and cougars might be searching for their next meal.

Because it’s impossible for Calleigh to drag Aaron to her car—it’s a long hike—she has only two choices: stay with him or drive back to town to get help. If she leaves, he could stop breathing and die. She decides to stay. The added bonus is that she used to be a lifeguard so she knows CPR. Also, it’s a popular hiking spot, so someone will show up the next day and can help them if necessary.

My instructor had some concerns, but they weren’t a big deal because I had dealt with them before the excerpt, only she didn’t know that. The problem came when I checked out the feedback from my classmates. One wrote: I worry that this part of your book might stir up some flack w/parents re: Calleigh not seeking help in a potentially deadly situation.

Now my first, second, and third response was great! Bring it on. One of the reasons I wrote Lost in a Heartbeat was to generate discussion among teenage girls, and hopefully reach out to someone who’s suffering through something similar to what Calleigh went through. If parents get upset about aspects of the story, such as the scene dealing with alcohol poisoning, then that’s a good thing. Maybe that will lead to a discussion within the family and school setting about the warnings signs of alcohol poisoning and what to do if you suspect it. Too many students have died because no one helped them when they passed out at a party. No one checked to make sure they were okay.

So here’s my question for you: Should writers of YA novels write stories that avoid upsetting parents, even if it means missing the chance of helping just one teen going through the same issue as our character? Or should we write realistic stories that deal with issues that are important to teens regardless of how some parents might react?

Now for some contest news. In case you haven't heard, and I'm sure every blogging writer in the blogosphere has, Sarah Wylie is having a contest to celebrate the sale of her novel. And the prizes are awesome. *runs off to enter*.

I know, the title sounds like some weird Einstein formula. But what it really means is using aspects of yourself in creating your character. I’m not talking about the character being you (unless you’re writing your memoir). Instead, I’m referring to borrowing from your interests, your sense of humor, your life experiences. And maybe it isn’t your main character who benefits from those elements of your greatness. Maybe it’s the best friend or—gasp—your antagonist.

For example, I love photography (as if you didn’t already know). In Lost in a Heartbeat (my wip), Calleigh’s best friend is a photographer. I was able to use what I know about photography in a number of scenes, but I wrote them through Calleigh’s eyes (pov). Although Calleigh isn’t a photographer, her best friend has explained in the past how she’s achieved some of her awesome shots. So instead of having Calleigh explain a picture in overly technical terms, she describes it in a way that’s realistic for her. This is important to remember for when your characters share your interests. Will they know as much as you do? If your character is taking a class for beginners, she isn’t going to be talking or performing like she’s been doing the activity for years. Right?

My question for you: Have you done the same thing? Taken your expertise (for example, baking cookies or playing an instrument) and shared it with a character from your story.

Oh, and check out Susan Field's blog for a chance to win a gift card to buy what every writer loves--books. And we can never get enough books. Right?

I was recently editing Lost in a Heartbeat for voice when I came to the following flashback:

“So where’s your boyfriend?” he asked.

“How do you know I have one?” I did, of course, but Liam wasn’t there. There were only a few weeks left of summer vacation then he’d be leaving for college, so I didn’t think there was anything wrong flirting with this guy. Neither relationship was going to go anywhere, either way.

But I realized the main character, Calleigh, wasn’t the kind of girl to flirt with another guy when she had a boyfriend. Even if the boyfriend was going away to college and she'd no intention of having a long distance relationship. So I tweaked it:

“So where’s your boyfriend?” he asked.

“What makes you think I have one?” Liam and I had broken up only a few days before that. Or rather, I had dumped a Blue Raspberry Slurpee on his lap after Alejandra told me the latest gossip. He’d been caught getting all hot and steamy with a junior varsity cheerleader at a party just the week before. We hadn’t officially broken up, but I figured the Slurpee incident pretty much said it all.

Great except for one problem. Yep, you guessed it. It caused a snowball effect. Other sections then had to be rewritten because of this one little change.

Yes, it was a lot of work, but it was worth it. The result was a domino effect that started with Liam cheating on Calleigh, and which resulted in the story problem. Now you see why I love editing. *grins*

Has this happened to you? Has one little change in your novel led to a snowball effect that you were excited about? One you never expected when you wrote your first draft—or edited your fifth?

I was just reading Elana Johnson’s blog, and apparently we writers are supposed to post a kiss from novel we are working on or have worked on. So here it is from Lost in a Heartbeat. Hope you enjoy it as much as Calleigh did. At least this kiss wasn’t disastrous like the first one.

We finished our breakfast, but I still wasn’t ready to move. Aaron didn’t seem to be in a big rush to leave, either.

I scooted closer to him, our bodies touching, my heart thumping so loud I was positive he could hear it.

“About the optional condition regarding this bracelet”—I held up my wrist to show him what bracelet I was referring to—“the answer is yes.”

He knew exactly what I meant. He leaned forward, his lips close to mine, then he paused, a smile on his face. “You’re not gonna hit me if I kiss you, are you?”

I didn’t actually answer him with words. Instead, I leaned in the rest of the way and kissed him. And unlike last time, the only thoughts I had were of Aaron and the caress of his mouth against mine.

Do you have a favorite book in which the kiss scene rocks? Check out this link to Absolute Write in which kissing in YA novels was discussed. There’re some great recommendations.

My seven-year-old son’s teacher asked me if I could talk to his class about writing and the publishing industry. Hey, why not? I thought. Now this is something I definitely know about.

But then she asked if I would discuss where my story ideas come from. Whoa, I can’t do that. My current book deals with rape, not something that I want to discuss with second graders. So as you can imagine, I won’t be discussing with the class exactly where I found some of my ideas for Lost in a Heartbeat, but I can share some of those moments that triggered an idea.

Basically, anything that gets me thinking can lead to a story idea. For Lost in a Heartbeat, an element of the plot comes from a horrific event that occurred in a city not far from my own. The news story spurred an idea for something that happens in my novel (sorry, no plot spoilers here).

Another idea came from reading Saving Zoë by Alyson Noël. In it, the protagonist learns about the events leading up to her sister’s murder by reading her diary. This, to me, was a brilliant way to reveal something about the sister of one of my characters (again, no plot spoilers). Because of the diary, I was able to built suspense into the revelation.

Ideas also come to me while I’m running. My mind is free to wander (and wonder), allowing all kinds of ideas to flow. Unfortunately, I don’t usually carry pen and paper with me, so I have to repeat the idea in my mind the entire way home or else it will vanish.

So as you can see, anything can encourage ideas to visit you—a news story, book, song, movie, TV show. The main thing is to turn it around and make the idea your own. Use it as a stepping stone to something new.

My suggestion to you is to have a notebook with you at all times so you can jot down those moments of inspiration. You’ll be thankful you did.

Wanted: dream agent. Only those with the following qualifications need apply:

• Brilliant (She knows the industry like an old friend)


• Passionate about books (I guess that goes without saying)


• Loves YA novels as much as I do (I haven’t read an adult book in two years—other than those by Jane Austen)


• Eager to share her wisdom and challenge me


• Not afraid to tell it as it is


• Very approachable

Are there any other qualifications I’m forgetting?

So I’ve been making my list, and checking it twice. And I’m now ready to begin the query dance for Lost in a Heartbeat. And maybe if I’ve been really good this year (thinks for a moment if she’s been good), Santa will bring me a partial or full request for Christmas. Okay, maybe in the New Year since agents are really busy right now.

What are you hoping for Christmas this year?