Wednesday 2 June 2010

WIP Wednesday: Turning the other *Butt* Cheek

Still working on the Theatre rewrite and yo yoing between turning it into a YA or reducing it to novella length. It changes by the hour.

I'd love it to keep it novel (YA) length, but I'm not certain the book would fit well with Grim or with the next two books I'm planning or perhaps with a large YA audience. I think it may be a small book. The first chapter starts in the trenches of WW1 but it's not a war book - well not an ordinary war book. There are teeny battles and there are soldiers but it's all rather surreal. I worry that starting in the trenches (and my MCs boot snapping a rat's neck) wouldn't appeal to teenage girls (and possibly teen boys), and anyone who is sucked in by the brief glimpse at trench warfare may be disappointed to find themselves in a surreal otherworld forty pages later.

I'm overthinking.

I need to overthink.

I'm being impatient again.

Favourite new line of the week:  "Dear, I do believe you left a speck of humanity on his left butt cheek," the old woman said.

Strange Googling of the day: Is buttcheek one word or two?

17 comments:

Fox Lee said...

That is a lot of thinking - but I understand. I'm quite obsessed over an old story at the moment. An old attempt at a story rather...I think I drove it into a wall.

Kara McElhinny said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Kara McElhinny said...

Sorry Cate... I stuttered! :D

I think that we all tend to overthink. It's part of the process, but what's nice is that it's only temporary and once the over thoughts fall away, everything falls into place peacefully.

Good luck with it Cate!

Enjoyed your unusual google as well Cate! Made me giggle :D

Cate Gardner said...

Natalie, my brain is messing with me.

Thanks, Kara.

Barry Napier said...

And I would just like to add...




buttcheek

Corinne said...

I'd love it to keep it novel (YA) length, but I'm not certain the book would fit well with Grim or with the next two books I'm planning

Hee; I've got a similar problem now. I'm loving writing The Hands of Cally Wu but it's completely different from Always Read the Fae Print and most of the other books I'm planning. Which means I'm not entirely sure I'll want to query agents with this one; might be wiser to target small presses...

I don't think it's bad to do this much thinking, unless it gets in the way of actually getting things done. Of course, as another chronic overthinker, I might be biased ;)

Love that line by the way. Made me laugh out loud :D

Aaron Polson said...

Teenage boys would love the trench warfare and snapping of a rat's neck. At least this one would have (when he was a teenage boy).

I get in trouble when I Google buttcheeks/butt cheeks.

Mary Rajotte said...

I probably would have just said "bum" ;)

Jamie Eyberg said...

I agree with Aaron on this one. I would get in trouble and I think it may appeal to a teen boys sensitivities, although I just found out my teenage female cousin loved The Road, She thought it was a happy story, so do what you will. :)

Danielle Birch said...

Now I'm smiling thinking about butt cheeks being clenched together in "one" word.

K.C. Shaw said...

I worry about stuff like that too. I think you can pull it off.

Butt cheek vs. buttcheek. Hmm. I think it's two words.

Andrea Allison said...

Overthinking can be beneficial at times. Of course, that depends on what your overthinking. Buttcheeks may turn a few heads.

Cate Gardner said...

Barry, I need a butt cheek icon.

Cory, I swear we make problems for ourselves.

Good to know, Aaron.

Mary, actually you're right - thank you - my English early 20th century soldier had probably never heard the word 'butt'. Ha!

Jamie, I can almost understand 'the happy' comment with The Road. Almost, but not quite.

Ha, Danielle. Funny.

Kate, I'm going for two words.

Andrea, mine certainly would.

Katey said...

That favorite line seemed extremely, er, um, you know. Naughty. Haha though... buttcheek.

Right, sorry about that, I have the brain of a 12 year old boy, as we all know. I hate when I start overthinking like that-- luckily the 12 year old boy brain doesn't allow for it often.

Rich said...

Ditto, on the WWII stuff appealing to young boys. I don't think it would be a turn off if the rest of the book went elsewhere, as long as the cover wasn't war orientated and the blurb on the back made it obvious it was horror/fantasy etc.

Go for it!

Cate Gardner said...

Katey, I'm hoping it makes a lot of 12 year old brains laugh.

Thanks, Rich.

India Drummond said...

You could always split the difference and go for a hyphen!

I think many writers are a tad obsessive. :) I call it my "artistic temperment".