I'm working on draft six-ish of a novel about mermaids. A year ago, I hadn’t imagined writing a novel about mythical, sentient underwater creatures. The topic wasn’t too much of a stretch for me, though, considering that I have previously written about genies, mages, psychics, time travelers and four-winged humans. I love fantasy; I just hadn't gotten to mermaids yet.
I didn't consider taking the mermaid route until last summer, when I read several YA mermaid novels. I found Lies Beneath by Anne Greenwood Brown, The Vicious Deep by Zoraida Cordova, The Mermaid's Mirror by L. K. Madigan, Between the Sea and the Sky by Jaclyn Dolamore and Lost Voices by Sarah Porter. Each novel tells a different story. The mermaids' physical attributes and magical powers are different; their lifestyles and cultures are different; the plots of the novels are vastly different; and the settings are different.
An idea began to form in my head for the plot of my own novel, one that I felt was significantly different than the others. In July, I wrote the first draft. I've never written a single draft so quickly! Since then, I have edited several more drafts in which I clarify details and add essential scenes that further develop the plot and my characters.
Last fall, I researched mermaid legends. I wanted to learn how mermaids, mermen, sirens, water spirits and other aquatic creatures were portrayed in mythology, as well as in poetry and fiction. I came across Mermaids by Kerry Colburn, a wonderful compilation of a hundred or more paintings, photos of sculptures and bas reliefs, poem excerpts, short stories, and other information about mermaids. I plan to use some tidbits from those stories and paintings, but for the most part, I feel that my merpeople are unique and come from my imagination.
There's a downside to writing about a popular topic. I worry about how long that popularity will last. I wonder if I've missed my chance to get my mermaid novel published and if I should concentrate on one of my other projects. I hope not. A book takes years to publish, so if I got an agent's interest now, and that agent found a publisher, my novel would still not be published for a long while. I love mermaid stories, and I'd like to hope that many YA readers share that love and that the publication date won't matter.
Sometimes, my inspiration for stories comes about due to other factors in my life. This time, the literature published by contemporary writers inspired me, and I've been enjoying the results. That's why I'm still working on this novel and I'm going to keep querying agents about it. I think I've written something unique, even if it's about a popular topic, and until I'm proved otherwise, I'm going to keep trying to make it the best manuscript I can make it, and then I'm going to send more queries to agents.
I didn't consider taking the mermaid route until last summer, when I read several YA mermaid novels. I found Lies Beneath by Anne Greenwood Brown, The Vicious Deep by Zoraida Cordova, The Mermaid's Mirror by L. K. Madigan, Between the Sea and the Sky by Jaclyn Dolamore and Lost Voices by Sarah Porter. Each novel tells a different story. The mermaids' physical attributes and magical powers are different; their lifestyles and cultures are different; the plots of the novels are vastly different; and the settings are different.
An idea began to form in my head for the plot of my own novel, one that I felt was significantly different than the others. In July, I wrote the first draft. I've never written a single draft so quickly! Since then, I have edited several more drafts in which I clarify details and add essential scenes that further develop the plot and my characters.
Last fall, I researched mermaid legends. I wanted to learn how mermaids, mermen, sirens, water spirits and other aquatic creatures were portrayed in mythology, as well as in poetry and fiction. I came across Mermaids by Kerry Colburn, a wonderful compilation of a hundred or more paintings, photos of sculptures and bas reliefs, poem excerpts, short stories, and other information about mermaids. I plan to use some tidbits from those stories and paintings, but for the most part, I feel that my merpeople are unique and come from my imagination.
There's a downside to writing about a popular topic. I worry about how long that popularity will last. I wonder if I've missed my chance to get my mermaid novel published and if I should concentrate on one of my other projects. I hope not. A book takes years to publish, so if I got an agent's interest now, and that agent found a publisher, my novel would still not be published for a long while. I love mermaid stories, and I'd like to hope that many YA readers share that love and that the publication date won't matter.
Sometimes, my inspiration for stories comes about due to other factors in my life. This time, the literature published by contemporary writers inspired me, and I've been enjoying the results. That's why I'm still working on this novel and I'm going to keep querying agents about it. I think I've written something unique, even if it's about a popular topic, and until I'm proved otherwise, I'm going to keep trying to make it the best manuscript I can make it, and then I'm going to send more queries to agents.
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