An Update On My Work-in-Progress

On her second go-round, my freelance editor delivered the kind of news every writer hopes for: “Now that you have the foundational pieces in place, you can focus on building up as opposed to out—which is a fabulous place to be.”
 

That means my plot is solid, and now I can turn my attention to what I love most: deepening the emotional stakes for my characters.

In Round 4 of revisions I will be focusing on two key areas: creating steady, rising tension within my scenes/chapters and clarifying charater motivations. For example, my editor thinks that rather than have Izzy merely feel upset about the Palm Springs Party spinning out, take it one step further and have Izzy hit rock bottom. 

She said, "It can be fun--and potentially painful--to put your characters through the paces and see what shakes out when they are at their emotionally most vulnerable." How true. When I think about my favorite stories it's the ones that make you feel a certain way that are the most memorable. 

Writers often talk about “comps”—comparison titles that help define a book’s tone and audience. For Finding Izzy, my comps include:

• Dash & Lily’s Book of Dares by David Levithan and Rachel Cohn 
• All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven
• Thirteen Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson
• Looking for Alaska by John Green
• Anna & the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

What do these stories have in common? They’re all character-driven, contemporary YA novels about adventure, connection, emotional transformation—and of course, self-discovery.

One of my favorite scenes in Finding Izzy takes place in the Irises gallery at the Getty Museum in Los Angeles—a space I’ve visited myself. In this scene, Izzy and Sally are given a private viewing of van Gogh’s Irises.

Sally, seated in her wheelchair, holds a vase of real, velvety purple irises as she gazes at the painting at eye level. For one breathtaking moment, surrounded by beauty, the cancer no longer has any hold over her. Izzy observes, “I was pretty sure that you couldn’t think about cancer and flowers at the same time.” It’s one of those transcendent scenes that reminds people that suffering can be overcome. Just because Sally is terminally ill, doesn't mean she has stopped living. Carpe diem to the end, is the mantra of Izzy and Sally.

This is it—my final round of revisions! After this, I think Izzy will be ready to meet the world. They say to enjoy the journey, and I'm going to keep this idea in the forefront as I layer in the finishing touches. It is really true what they say: a book is made in the revision stages. There's a great book about that too: Self-Editing for Fiction Writers: How to Edit Yourself Into Print by Renni Browne and Dave King.