He Said, She Said

No Girls Allowed?

The SCBWI Carolinas conference in September already looms large, and I have to make a decision about an ms.

Soon.

Summer months are not my most productive. If I'm to get the ms up to snuff in time to submit the first ten pages for an agent critique, I need to get moving.

Here's the dilemma:

I've known for a while that I only have half the story on my sci-fi. I decided to go YA because the tone fits better, and the other half of the tale has been simmering since then. But which perspective provides the best delivery?

Thirteen year old Taner's arc is already written, so I need to flesh out the opposing forces of his world from another character's point of view from:

A) The sixteen year old soldier with a hidden past
or
B) The thirteen year old virgin priestess creating a triangle

Here's what my teen boys say:

"What?! #$#%*$%" Translate. No girls allowed.
See pic above. Note: I am mom.

Critique group vote (from a guy):

"You can expand your audience with the sixteen year old's POV."

My thoughts:

Yes, but a girl's POV works too, as long as I keep her from being girly, which she isn't.

(I'd just read SCORPIO RACES, which switches between a boy and girl, and does it exceptionally well. You should go read it too, if you haven't already.)

My girl's character has an important arc, but is her arc as important as the older boy's?
(Secret thought: Can I even pull his POV off?) Hmmm.

Then I went to lunch with a friend who doesn't have a (water) horse in this race. She voted for the boy too.

I wonder. Did I explain the boy's story better (every time) because I already knew it was the right choice? Was I scared to write a YA "boy" book? Methinks the answer to both of those questions is yes. But if I explained it well, then I must be able to write it well. (I hope.)

So here's me, writing what I want to write, again.

And hoping there's a market for it...