#rbwl

This may be presumptuous, but if you ever see an idea - an image, a retelling worth thinking about, a drama that should be a YA or MG-ish shaped thing - that screams KAYE to you, please send it my way.

Seriously. I would be honored and tickled pink and probably stash it away in my mind as something worth doing, even if it’s just one of my late night flash fictions or a short story.

Whoosh! Hallelujah, praise the Lord, it’s over. #RBWL was this past Friday. To tell the truth, I was dragging my feet over this round of the Wishlist. I didn’t want to do it, I didn’t want to let it suck up my day, I didn’t want to promote it… I think a big part of the problem was I was concerned that people were getting tired of the hashtag. I didn’t want to bore anyone or bother their timelines, but after several people asked me specifically when #RBWL was coming back, well…

And you know what? I can’t speak for you all, but I had a blast. Old faces and new faces joined in and seemed to enjoy themselves, and several people said they were gleaning NaNo inspiration, which is just what I wanted.

Here are just a few of some of my favorite tweets (not including my own):

I would love to read gender swapped fairytales. (The girl is the beast, the Prince is woken by Snow White, etc). #RBWL

— Kathy Coe (@kathycoe) October 17, 2014

Christian main-characters! Normal Christians. Not the stereotypes of us! #RBWL — Jessica (@bookgeek2872) October 17, 2014

And while I’m wishing for that, books where faith is shown as just a part of life. Praying before meals, going to church, etc. #RBWL

— Jessica (@bookgeek2872) October 17, 2014

Also, more books where the girl is the aggressor in the relationship and the guy blushes sweetly, because yes. #RBWL — AntiChristina (@Reader_Fictions) October 17, 2014

I need more dragon riders. POC dragon riders. Dragon riders of different fantasy-races. Modern POC dragon riders. #RBWL

— deux lectrices (@deuxlectrices) October 17, 2014

Really, just more stories from the villain’s perspective but bonus points if they’re ladies #RBWL — megadeath (@megsaysthings) October 17, 2014

Also, in general, I suuuuuuper ship romances where they are so obviously in love but don’t explicitly say it. #RBWL

— AntiChristina (@Reader_Fictions) October 17, 2014

MULAN RETELLING. I’d kill to have one done right. If you can put dragons in, EVEN BETTER. #RBWL — Char as Steve Rogers (@cheeralotte) October 17, 2014

I would like a YA novel inspired by “Cell Block Tango”. Can you imagine a group of girls who get away with murder? A+ villains. #RBWL

— Alexa S. (@alexalovesbooks) October 17, 2014

A female MC who is a virgin and doesn’t have to have sex by the end. Or one who swears off boys AND DOESN’T END UP WITH ONE ANYWAY. #RBWL — Overstuffed Bookcase (@OverstuffedBook) October 17, 2014

I want more NA/YA/adult books that use uncommon mythologies like those of the Aztecs, Mayans, Polynesians/Hawaiian, and Celtics. #RBWL

— Jessie H. (@Jessi_Squeakers) October 17, 2014

Woman-kings. Sweeping, epic dynasties and intrigues. #RBWL — Release Kaye-raken! (@gildedspine) October 18, 2014

I want female friendships that CAN’T BE BROKEN aaaand morally ambiguous ladies and ladies doing things and ladiesss #RBWL

— Serial Giller (@mizgillianberry) October 17, 2014

In case any of you were wondering, yes, the #RBWL Archives are still a thing, even though they haven’t been updated for ages. That’s part of my “Need to do someday” list. Sigh.

Also, I’ve decided that #RBWL will be scaled down to an annual event rather than a semi-annual event. I’m worried that people will just regurgitate old wishes if we keep to the October/April format, and #RBWL seems more useful just before NaNoWriMo anyways.

So thank you all for turning out on Friday, thank you for celebrating books and the wonderful stories and characters inside them, and thank you for continuing to strive for something more. See you all next year!

Step aside, Jiminy. Wishing on a star is all well and good, but when it comes to wishing for the perfect story, there’s nothing like wishing on a hashtag.

Tadaaaa! That’s right, ladies and gents, it’s time once again for #RBWL to take over Twitter! The October round is always my favorite, because it’s a great way for readers and writers to get pumped for NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), which is just around the corner.

Now for those of you who either have no idea what #RBWL is or have forgotten the details, allow me to plagiarize my post from last time.

What’s #RBWL?

#RBWL is a hashtag that stands for Reader/Blogger Wishlist. It’s a way for readers on Twitter to discuss what they want to see in their books.

What’s the point? 

There are four great benefits to #RBWL.

1. It’s super-cathartic. Honestly, once you start, it’s hard to stop. All these things you didn’t even consciously know you wanted start pouring out of your head and onto the screen. Dragons! More hate-to-love romances! Skinwalkers in ancient Carthage! Space operas!

2. It’s comforting. Not only are you pouring your readerly heart out, but others are, too, and some of them want the same things you do. You’re not crazy, hooray! Even better, some of them have already read books that match that special something you’re seeking, so they can recommend books.

3. It’s proactive. I’m not saying that the industry leaps to attention when #RBWL speaks. We’re not that special. But agents, editors, and authors do want to know what will entice readers. So let them know!

4. It’s great NaNo fodder. I can’t tell you the number of people during the last October #RBWL that said they would be using something from the hashtag to get them started. Whether it’s an idea shared by someone else or something jumpstarted by your own creative juices, #RBWL just might give you the head start that you need.

When is it?

RBWL is coming back October 17th at 12 PM EST/9 AM PST, so mark your calendars and set your alarms!

How do I participate? 

Go on Twitter at the time and date mentioned above and tweet what you, as a reader, are wishing for. Be sure to add the hashtag #RBWL at the end so others can see it, too! And be sure to tell your friends, because the more people we have, the more fun it will be!

See? Nothing too fancy. Your wishes can be genre- or age-specific or just a general wish. They can be about different kinds of tropes, stories, plot twists, formats, narrative styles, settings, you name it! If you want it, you can tweet it.

Is this just a YA thing?

Nope. We heard this one a lot last year, but #RBWL is for ALL readers. It tends to swing toward the YA end of the spectrum just because a lot of us who participate are YA bloggers, but we’ve had wishes for YA, adult lit, MG lit, NA lit, and even picture books! Again, tweet what you want, and if you feel that your age category or genre is underrepresented, then pull some like-minded friends to tweet their wishes as well!

I’m a writer/editor/agent/other professional person. May I participate, too?

Absolutely! All readers are welcome. We do ask, however, that you refrain from spam-promoting the thread. Just use common sense. If you’re a nuisance, you’ll turn people off, not only on your book but also on you. If you have any questions, just ask. I’ll be bumming around the hashtag all day if anyone has any concerns. And, of course, you’re more than welcome to add wishlist items if your own!

What if I can’t think of anything to wish for?

Believe me, you will. But if, for some reason, your brain juices stop flowing, explore the hashtag and see what other people are wishing for. Odds are you’ll see something that you agree with or makes you think of something else you’ve been hungering for. You can also check out the #RBWL archives to see what people have wished for in past sessions.

~~*~~

Okay, so repeat after me. #RBWL on Twitter, October 17th, 12 PM EST/9 AM PST.