Rewrites
and awards I didn't win this week
I’m deep in the middle of rewriting my 2026 YA release, which is currently called OUBLIETTE but probably won’t stay that way.
This book started out as a quite fun romp - a high fantasy romance skipping through different worlds. It was whimsical, with some deeper, darker themes about the nature of good and evil.
Then my editor came back to me and basically said make it creepier and sexier. And usually I am pretty good at taking on feedback, but I confess I prickled a bit at this one. Because it had been so much fun writing the whimsical romp. And I do feel like YA is pushing darker and older at the moment, in a way that makes me wonder if we are even really writing for teenagers at all any more.
So I bristled, and I grumbled.
But then I had a really cool, creepy idea, and a different version of the story unfurled in my mind. One that connected more deeply with the themes. One that would be quite fun to write.
Unfortunately it means basically unpicking the entire story and stitching it back together differently. I had hoped I could just shuffle bits around, but it’s turning out to be a complete rewrite, which is something I haven’t done for a while.
The book will be better, though. Eventually.
Awards I didn’t win this week
Deep is the Fen and Bravepaw were both shortlisted for Aurealis Awards, and Bravepaw was also shortlisted for the ABIAs (Australian Book Industry Awards). I love an awards ceremony, even when I don’t win. It’s lovely to see so many friends and colleagues celebrated, and in the case of the ABIAs, it was a very swanky shindig with a Bridgerton-style string quartet and plenty of industry gossip.
The three highlights of the ABIAs were
Allen & Unwin won the inaugural Best Children’s Publisher award!
Getting to meet the brilliant Bravepaw illustrator Lavanya in person!
Seeing QBD Bookseller Dion’s Bravepaw tattoo in person!
Congratulations to the winners - all very deserved!
Read
I’ve been absolutely mainlining the complete works of T Kingfisher - we have so many narrative touchstones in common! Grandmothers who grow roses that turn into monsters! Chickens! People turning into bears!
I also loved The Axeman’s Carnival by Catherine Chidgey, a NZ book narrated entirely by a magpie. It’s darkly funny and at times chilling (CW for domestic violence). Strong rec for the audiobook, narrated by Nic Sampson.
Watch
I continue to mainline medical dramas in my spare time. The Pitt, of course. I’ve done all of Grey’s Anatomy, including the most recent ones which were not great (I think they overestimate how engaging audiences find grant funding as a narrative thread). And The Resident which is in some ways Temu Greys, but is still super watchable thanks to the excellent cast (including Logan Huntzberger who is aging very well). I was wondering recently why I love a medical procedural but dislike a police procedural. My working theory is that the central tension in police procedurals tends to be fascism vs freedom, and in medical procedurals it’s capitalism vs socialism. And I find the latter more intriguing. Maybe?
Play
I finally finished Baldur’s Gate III. Minsc and Boo 4 eva.
The rewriting is so interesting, Lili! It sounds like your editor is responding to market vibes and/or sales potential, perhaps. But as a writer, do you feel like the rewriting will make it a better book or a different one - both equally good?