Character details... an age discussion

After seeing a question posted by another author, I am forced to really think about how I approach a particular aspect of my own characters- their ages.

You see, the question that was posed to a group of readers was how they feel about the New Adult (NA) genre. The question was posed to gauge the reactions of readers if she were to incorporate a younger heroine in her WIP. The general consensus was that a character that fell within the 18-25 age range would not be mature enough to function believably within the story the author was creating. I was in the minority. But I got to thinking about my own experiences when I was that age and I realize that it was my own experiences that taint my view of just how mature people that age can be.

I met my husband when I was 16 years old and we started dating a year later. He proposed to me the night BEFORE my high school graduation. When we broke the news to our families a couple of weeks later, we were told that we needed to wait, that at 18 and 20, we were just too young. Of course, I didn't really buy into that theory.

Fast forward three years...

That couple that was just too young is still together. In fact we were married and had two small children by that time. My husband had finished his degree and commissioned as an officer in the US Army and went on active duty mid August of 2001. Three weeks into his Officer Basic Course, our nation was brought to its knees by the attacks of 9/11. It was at that point that I knew my husband, the father of my children, would be called upon to defend our country. Almost two years and one more child later, he did indeed deploy to Iraq. He was gone for an entire year.

I don't know if it was the way the world changed at that time or if it is just the way I always was. I know I never did go through a wild or rebellious faze. I was the one that my parents could depend on. I didn't cut class without permission, I didn't sneak out at night, and I almost always followed all of the rules. I did go out and party, but I never came home falling down drunk or missing clothing. I have never experienced a hangover (this really irks people sometimes), had a fling, or did anything that I should regret. I married young and had kids young- 4 by the age of 25, the oldest limit of the NA range. So, I guess I don't understand the typical angst that plagues the literature directed towards that age group or the  notion that people that age can't be emotionally stable, find enduring love, or make major decisions.

I guess that I write what I know. Myself and my circle of friends were always more mature than our peers and that is reflected in the characters I create. In one of my current WIP, the characters are young, 18 in the opening and 24 by the end, but I don't consider the story NA--it is just a story about a couple of people who happen to be young. They are still just as mature as some of my older characters and in a lot of ways, more prepared to handle what life is going to throw at them.

ADHD... A blessing and a curse

I don't know what is going on with me lately, but I swear, if my brain gets any more random, stringing together a coherent sentence is going to be as likely as hitting a lottery jackpot. Don't believe me? Just keep reading and you will see.

Some days I think my ADHD is a blessing. I don't easily get bored, because there is always a new distraction to entertain me. Lately, I've begun to feel like I'm cursed.

I can't manage to finish anything I've started. I have a manuscript that is almost 500 pages long and I am freaking out because the story isn't finished. I haven't gotten to the good stuff yet. So what do I do? I start editing the damn thing, thinking that if I start cutting out unnecessary stuff, I can get the story back under control. No problem, right? This has triggered rounds of edits, each product more frustrating than the last and I still haven't finished the book.

At least I figured that I could cut some stuff out and not damage the story. (One of the deleted scenes is going to be expanded to either a novella or its own book- just depends on how it works out.)

So instead of continuing the irritating cycle, I start working on something else with hopes that when I return to this story, I will be able to look at it with fresh eyes and fix the problems that plague me.

So I start on a completely different book and things are going pretty good but then I get sidetracked--creating playlists on Spotify and pinning pictures on Pinterest-- they go with the books, so it is for research and inspiration. Then I end up spending more time pissing my life away on social media than I should.

And then there's the family to care for, kids' homework to explain, clothes to wash, and food to cook. Then I lie awake half the night worrying about all I haven't accomplished. Sleep alludes me...


Yeah, it is just like that...

I need allergy medicine and sleep... hopefully tomorrow I'll be able to attempt to function. Of course there might be something else to distract me... Oh, look! Reruns...