26 July 2008

Time to start the thesis

My manuscript should be lying somewhere in a big pile of manuscripts at Text Publishing by now. I agonised over the synopsis and ended up changing it at the last minute and now I'm too chicken to go back and look at it again in case I see a big, ugly mistake staring out at me. It's gone now & that's that.

So now I have no excuse for not starting on my 'exegesis' (or thesis in normal language). I'm meeting with my supervisor next week to discuss it because to be honest I can't even remember what I'm supposed to write. Not only that, I haven't yet made a final decision on what other YA novels I'll discuss in relation to my own work. I have to choose at least one, preferably two. Last year I'd decided that I was going to use Surrender by Sonya Hartnett and Tulip Touch by Anne Fine. But I've been reading a fair bit of YA stuff lately and I'm wondering if they are the best choices.

Both Surrender and Tulip Touch feature characters who definitely have 'issues'. But other novel's I've read this year, including Freaky Green Eyes by Carol Joyce Oates and Solo by Alyssa Brugman are perhaps more in tune with my style of writing and the overall tone of Girl in the Shadows.

I think I'll just do some more reading in the genre and see what other gems I can find before I make my final choice.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

hi ree the deadline has passed and i haven't heard the distinctively delightful whoop of success from your direction so i guess a a less enthralling storyteller won first prize and you are are wondering why. Who knows? I loved your story and your target audience loved your story and we still talk about them (the characters) so what does that tell you? We are seasoned and choosy readers and feel picqued that our reviews were not taken on board for the final decision. We voted unaminously for the girl in the shadows as winner! Yay! You go Maree. First prize! First prize! You'll always be a winner to us x x x x x