For the past couple of months I’ve been working on a project for Scholastic that has required me to read about 35 books a week. No, I’m not kidding. Most of them are MG and YA novels. So maybe it’s no shocker that I’ve had dozens of story ideas rolling around my head.
There was the one I sent out earlier this week, another that I’m holding off on until I hear back about story #1, and then last night, a third idea: this one, a Middle Grade novel, much more commercial than anything I’ve written. Writing brand new types of stories seem to be par for the course lately.
Thing is, next weekend I’ll be at the NJ SCBWI conference, and had intended to pitch a novel I’ve been working on since last year. But I think this new idea would make a better pitch; not because it’s better, it’s just more commercial. The thing is, I only hatched it last night, so it’s much too nebulous to pitch at this point unless I somehow manage to write a good chunk of it before next Friday night.
Can I write most of a novel in a week? Even if it is MG? With my crazy work schedule? And two small children to take care of? Am I insane?
Clearly. But I’m still going to try. And that’s why I need to stop writing this post this very
Tracey Baptiste 