What's the worst that can happen?

A few weeks ago, Lisa from the YA Cannibals shared this image on Facebook.

“Ask yourself, ‘What is the worst thing I can do to this character?’ and then do it!"

Y'all! This is soooooo hard to do!

Hello, first draft.
Don't you look yummy!

My first drafts always come out sugar coated and soft around the edges, like Peeps fresh out of the
package. Since escalating the conflict is a big part of what keeps people turning pages, I have to swallow my motherly instincts and up the stakes for my darling characters.

Some writers seem to have a knack for making their characters suffer. Bet they're the same kind of people that like putting Peeps in the microwave and watching them explode.

I don't put Peeps in the microwave to see what happens when they explode. Mostly because OHMYGODTHEMESS!

Which is probably a big fat analogy for my struggles with drafting. A safe, squishy first draft, while not as messy as an exploding sugar bomb, is also not nearly as palatable as what I could make if I added a little chocolate and graham to my Peeps.

I'm hungry.

No more Peeps analogies.

Remember this one
from the cover reveal?

Of the Cannibals, I'd say Rob and Mike have the least problems royally screwing their characters (Read ALL TOGETHER NOW: A ZOMBIE STORY by Rob Kent and any of Mike Mullin's books, ASHFALL, ASHEN WINTER, and SUNRISE for proof).

I don't even like zombie
stories, and I loved this.

I can't ever remember making a note in any of their manuscripts asking them to
give me more conflict. If anything, I'm pretty sure I begged for them to give me a few moments to breathe between escalating scenes.

In the end, their books blend crazy twists in the physical plots and emotional stakes that rise like the tide during a hurricane.

Completely forgot I
had responsibilities in
my real life when this
was released.

MeganShepherd’s HER DARK CURIOSITY and Marissa Meyer’s CRESS are two more amazing examples of books that push the boundaries both physically and emotionally.

While reading these books, I was panting, waiting to see "What's the worst that can happen?"--and knowing these women would not disappoint.

A part of me knew with every page turn that things were going to get deeper, darker, and more horrifying, but I kept reading, hoping (incorrectly EVERY. SINGLE. TIME) that just once my beloved characters would get a lucky break.

Devoured the entire book
in two days. No, I don't
feel like my kids suffered.
I left plenty of Pop Tarts
lying around for them.

Nope. No luck.

But there were victories amongst the losses. There was good to balance the bad. Despite mistakes or missteps, the main characters were never left hopeless. Neither was I.

When writing "What's the worst that can happen?" writers have to make tough choices. But there has to be balance in the story. There has to be a thread of hope that will pull the readers through the darkness.

If you can give me that thread like Shepherd and Meyer, then I'm yours.

I understand the concept of "What's the worst that can happen?" but as a writer, I still struggle with finding the balance. And it still hurts to make my imaginary kids suffer.

Hubster reassured me by reminding me that the worst thing that could happen to a character in a book is to be boring. So I'll keep revising. I'll keep letting characters make bad choices and see where the adventure leads.

Guess that's why it's great to be a YA Cannibal. I know they won't let me rest until I've gotten it just right.


Click on any of the book titles mentioned above for links to help you make them yours!