APRIL HENRY, WRITER

The New York Times reports, “Lauren Mechling and Laura Moser have been writing a clever serialized novel on Slate called My Darklyng Their innovation: the plot unfolds not just in text but on Facebook and Twitter. For the purposes of what they affectionately call their “gonzo art project,” the veteran young-adult novelists Ms. Mechling and Ms. Moser created a fake Facebook page for their main character, 16-year-old Natalie Pollock.”

The article also explores how Facebook is changing teen’s lives. Read more here.

Do you have a headache right now? If the answer is no, take a moment to rejoice. Last night I had a killer migraine and even a sumatriptan did not stop it. It's finally gone now, or at least I hope it is. But in the middle of the night, if someone had told me I would feel like that forever, I might have chosen death. (Which seems kind of melodramatic in the middle of the day and not in pain, so maybe I wouldn't really...)

However, for the rest of the day, I definitely vow not to make unscripted comments to folks. Twice today I have made what I thought were particularly innocuous observations that did not go over well. I think I will be sticking with a pleasant smile from here on out....

From The Girl in the Mini Cooper, coming in (I think) January 2012 from Henry Holt:
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If you want something done right, you start with the correct raw materials.

My work has taught me that. You don’t begin with components that are completely wrong and try to force them to be something they never were and never can be.

I learned that lesson again with the first girl. What was her name? Jenny? Jessica? Janie? I no longer remember. She was an experiment, that's all. Much like when I was trying to decide between polyurethane and expanded polystyrene foam for modeling. You have to work with the expanded polystyrene before you realize that it does not allow for as many finish techniques.

And Kayla? Kayla is wrong in so many ways. Angry when Gabie would be sweet. Defiant when Gabie would be submissive. Ungrateful, damaged, disgusting. Gabie will be none of those things.

What I want - need - is to start over. With Gabie, the one I really wanted. But to do that, first I need to get rid of my mistake.

I can take Kayla down to the river and let her go. Release her from her troubles. They might not ever find her, and even if they do, the water should wash away any trace evidence. They’ll never know she was alive for a few days before she went in.

And then I can start fresh.

My editor is questioning it.