I just finished reading "Shine" by Lauren Myracle and now I'm inspired to work on a book I started writing a few years ago in which the central character is a similarly unfortunate young woman living in the South.
"Shine" is about a girl on a mission to find out who attacked her gay former best friend in a small Southern town where many people could be suspects in the hate crime. And, of course, she's dealing with her own past trauma and poor circumstances. As sad as the story sounds, it's not in the end. There is some hope that at least a few of the young people in this poor North Carolina town will rise above their economic disadvantages.
The novel is a good example of how well-written young adult books can be. I often find that in the young adult category the stories are really engrossing, despite writing that is only so-so. Instead, "Shine" paints a vivid picture of the town, its people and their awful surroundings without being overly descriptive or unnecessarily mysterious. And as Cat continues her amateur investigation, turning up all kinds of things she didn't know about her friends and family, you find that you just can't seem to put the book down for fear that she will really get into trouble and you'll miss it.
And now, I must admit, I'm at a crossroads (as usual, I guess) in my own writing. Yet again, I want to pick up where I left off on an old project -- or start a new project -- when I should be finishing the two books I've written all the way to the end. I should incorporate feedback I've gotten on those novels and send them in to agents and editors who said I could solicit them (although I'm sure they forgot about me almost as soon as they gave me their business cards).
Instead, I'm thinking about giving up on my first novel altogether and focusing on my other books with more colorful characters and more interesting plots. So, unable to make up my mind, I'm once again paralyzed by indecision, so that I'm doing nothing rather moving any of my projects along.
Well, not nothing ... I am reading a lot ...
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