time in writing, I don't think, unless the writing is designed to hurt someone who doesn't deserve it or to do some kind of pointless harm. I have two completed YA novels, the untitled mystery I mentioned yesterday and another which I'm currently calling A DIFFERENT KIND OF AUTUMN. These two lengthy stories will probably never go anywhere but my bottom drawer, but they had an important purpose. They clarified in my mind a place, the fictional town of Hampton, where I have gone back to time and time again in my writing. The mystery provided two characters, Sandra and Melissa, who became important in TISHA AND THE GIANT. A DIFFERENT KIND OF AUTUMN introduced Pete and Maggie, who became peripheral characters in TISHA, and occupy their own partially finished novel MAGGIE AND THE GHOSTIES. Hampton also became the setting for my play THE NEW HAMPTON SOCCER WARS and Tisha, Becky, Martha, Katrina, and some others from the play became the main characters in TISHA AND THE GIANT.
Equally important is the sense of a place that I have for Hampton. I know its houses and streets, churches and schools, parks and fields, and the places that surround it like it was a real. I see the people of Hampton and the place itself very clearly, and this makes writing about these friends and enemies who live in this hypothetical town easier and more fun.
I'm done for today with a rather short post, because today has been busy. Got my car serviced at 9:00, went to the Y at 9:30. Lunch and dominoes with the Smolnycki's in the afternoon. (If that doesn't sound like the activities at retirement community. . .) Then we watched the sad SU game at night. Ah, well.
Greg I love reading about your process! It brings back such great memories and brings forth such great insights into your writing world. It is also great because I have been beginning a little YA novel myself! We should exchange notes sometime!
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