Okay, I started the ghost story over. I got to the end of the chapter (these chapters are longer than the YA murder mystery chapters) and realized that while I was going for “mysterious” as a tone, I ended up with “morbid.” So I’m going to try again. Which should be easier now that I know what happens in chapter one.
That doesn’t mean I’ve committed to this story over the YA murder mystery. I still really want to do a YA murder mystery. And I like the one I’ve started. It’s got possibilities. I’m not entirely sure where it’s going, though. Or who killed the guy. Or why they killed the guy. I don’t even have the right name for my main character! Right now I’m calling her Megan, but she’s not a Megan. It’s hard for me to write a book when I know the main character’s name isn’t right. How can I truly know a character if I don’t even know his/her name?
That’s one thing I can say for the ghost story. The main character’s name is right. Her name is Clare.
Shawna started out as an Erica. I forgot what Martha started out with, but it wasn’t Martha. I just grab any old name to begin with. The MC eventually names herself.
P.S. I love “morbid” lol!!!
Now THAT’S weird…Shawna and Erica are both names I’m considering for Megan. And Shawna isn’t that common of a name! But I’m not sure those are right, either. You’re right…eventually the MC eventually names herself. But I’m impatient. I can’t do much until she finally does!
I really love the name Erica. But she seems more like a Shawna. Plus I wanted her to be named after her dad (John) and her dad most definitely is not an Eric, lol.
Well, I tried a couple pages with Megan as Erica and another couple with Shawna…neither one was right. Now I’m thinking Liana or Leandra…(pretty soon it won’t matter because I’m going to have to put the book aside and work on the one that is actually under contract)
Liana is pretty. It’s also once of my niece’s middle names. THEY all have such gorgeous names I actually put them in my book, lol.