Poetry Novel

I’ve started on a new venture this week. I’m writing a Young Adult poetry novel. I’ve completed the first 1,000 and so far so good. There is every chance that others will think it’s absolute trash, but I’m finding it liberating.
I recently read What My Mother Doesn’t Know by Sonya Sones and I have to say that I was impressed. Books like this are rarely a commercial success, but I would be very proud to get mine published all the same. Is it one for Cinnamon, Salt or even The Red Telephone?
I think this type of novel has three great advantages: you can get really close to the main character, they’re quite a quick read, and each poem is still self-contained. Lets hope I manage to make this one work.

Sonya Sones’ “What My Mother Doesn’t Know”

This book is a little bit different. It is a poetry novel. I found it extremely readable and the verse form did not put me off at all. If anything, it enhanced the emotional involvement. That’s good news for the teen reader as well. Emotional involvement is always important. Poetry novels also have the advantage that they are quicker to read – even though they stay with you longer. An efficient process, therefore.
If this hadn’t been a poetry novel, because of its content, it would be “chicklet-lit”. Chicklet-lit is like chick-lit but for the next generation down – for the young adult. It already has a little more gravitas than the Bridget Jones style novels. In this form, though it really takes off. I don’t think I’ve ever felt as close to a protagonist as I do to Sophie in this novel.
Is it something I’d like to have a go at myself? I certainly think so. It is definitely something I’d recommend to my students. It would be fantastic for their Final Portfolio, an important final year module.