Michelle McLean's Blog, page 12
January 18, 2013
January 14, 2013
Blog Chain time again :D This time Amparo wants to know:I...
Blog Chain time again :D This time Amparo wants to know:
It's a new year, and some writers have taken it upon themselves to switch things up. *points at self* It might be the genres you write in or your revision process. It might be your main character's voice. What's one thing you've chosen to change in your writing this new year? Why do you wish to change it? If there's nothing you're going to change, why do you think it should remain as is?
I actually started changing the way I write as of a couple months ago. Mostly because once my trilogy was signed by Entangled, I had a bunch of shiny new deadlines to hit...and they were pretty close together LOL
So, I found myself needing to bump up my word count and being a lot more disciplined with my time. I also don't have the time to send my manuscript out to a dozen crit partners anymore so I've had to rely a bit more on one or two very fast critters and my gut and own editing skills, which, I'm not going to lie, causes some stress lol
It's definitely a different amped up way of doing things, but so far I think it's going okay :) It definitely forces me to work instead of dilly-dallying around with it.
It's also made it necessary to really outline before I start writing. I always did this in some form anyway, but it's vital now that I have a solid, detailed outline and synopsis before I start writing. This has really cut down on the problems I used to have. My first drafts still need a lot of work, don't get me wrong, but it has cut down on writer block problems and issues of writing myself into a corner or veering too far off on tangents.
Basically, my new writing method is much more organized and scheduled than it used to be. And it's working well so far :)
Do you have any new writing goals or methods for the new year?
Be sure to swing by Lisa's blog and Alyson's tomorrow :)
January 11, 2013
Friday Funnies
First off - the countdown begins!! To Trust a Thief releases in 10 DAYS!!! Woot!! :D
And now for some funnies:
And now for some funnies:
January 4, 2013
Operation Awesome's New Year's Revisions Conference is Live!
OA's NYR conference is up and running!! We have an amazing list of editors, agents, and authors who are sharing their revision tips and strategies. This is one conference you don't want to miss!
It's 100% free and online so everyone can attend :) Oh, and we're also having a huge giveaway at the end :D
Hurry over and check it out!!
It's 100% free and online so everyone can attend :) Oh, and we're also having a huge giveaway at the end :D
Hurry over and check it out!!
December 28, 2012
December 24, 2012
Blog Chain - Author Advice
Today's blog chain topic was chosen by the lovely Cole who said :
Christmas is a time of gift giving. If you could gift aspiring authors with one piece of advice, what would it be?
I always have a hard time with this because I want to say something witty and wise. But really for me, I think it's quite simple. I actually have two little tidbits for you. And I know writers hear this a lot (probably because it's true) ;)
Follow your gut - and - Don't give up
The first one I've learned over many years of writing and editing and getting critiques and revising and repeating the process over and over. I get a lot of good crits from my crit partners. They catch A LOT of mistakes, help me patch a lot of plot holes, brainstorm with me and really help make my manuscripts shine.
But sometimes I think you can have (to use an old cliche) too many cooks in the kitchen. I remember one instance where I got a crit back, I revised incorporating the suggestions I'd received, sent that out to a new person for another crit only to get suggestions that advised changing what I'd just changed back to what I had before.
At some point, you just have to listen to your gut. YOU are the author. It is your book, your creation, your story. You know what's best for it. Now, if everyone is telling you there is a problem, you might want to listen :) But always follow your gut. It's usually right.
For the other - well, it's self-explanatory :) Don't give up. Yes, being an author is hard. If it wasn't, everyone would do it. Many people say they want to write a book. Some even do. Fewer write one and rewrite it and polish it and revise it again and make that baby actually publishable. Fewer still actually get the book published (though there are so many wonderful options out there for authors now that are enabling more books to hit those physical and virtual shelves).
If writing is what you want to do, don't let anything stop you. If being published is what you want, keep at it. Don't ever give up :)
I hope everyone has a very very happy holiday! Don't forget, I'm over at Kate Evangelista's today giving away a copy of To Trust a Thief!! Head over and enter!
Also be sure to stop by Alyson's blog tomorrow and head to Lisa's blog to see her advice. To follow the chain from the beginning, head over to Kate's :)
Christmas is a time of gift giving. If you could gift aspiring authors with one piece of advice, what would it be?
I always have a hard time with this because I want to say something witty and wise. But really for me, I think it's quite simple. I actually have two little tidbits for you. And I know writers hear this a lot (probably because it's true) ;)
Follow your gut - and - Don't give up
The first one I've learned over many years of writing and editing and getting critiques and revising and repeating the process over and over. I get a lot of good crits from my crit partners. They catch A LOT of mistakes, help me patch a lot of plot holes, brainstorm with me and really help make my manuscripts shine.
But sometimes I think you can have (to use an old cliche) too many cooks in the kitchen. I remember one instance where I got a crit back, I revised incorporating the suggestions I'd received, sent that out to a new person for another crit only to get suggestions that advised changing what I'd just changed back to what I had before.
At some point, you just have to listen to your gut. YOU are the author. It is your book, your creation, your story. You know what's best for it. Now, if everyone is telling you there is a problem, you might want to listen :) But always follow your gut. It's usually right.
For the other - well, it's self-explanatory :) Don't give up. Yes, being an author is hard. If it wasn't, everyone would do it. Many people say they want to write a book. Some even do. Fewer write one and rewrite it and polish it and revise it again and make that baby actually publishable. Fewer still actually get the book published (though there are so many wonderful options out there for authors now that are enabling more books to hit those physical and virtual shelves).
If writing is what you want to do, don't let anything stop you. If being published is what you want, keep at it. Don't ever give up :)
I hope everyone has a very very happy holiday! Don't forget, I'm over at Kate Evangelista's today giving away a copy of To Trust a Thief!! Head over and enter!
Also be sure to stop by Alyson's blog tomorrow and head to Lisa's blog to see her advice. To follow the chain from the beginning, head over to Kate's :)
Kate Evanglista's 24 Days of Guest Posts and Giveaways!
I'm over on Kate's blog today sharing my top 5 favorite stocking stuffers AND giving away a copy of my soon-to-be-released novel To Trust a Thief (previously Treasured Lies)!!!! Stop on by and enter!!
December 21, 2012
Friday Funnies and an OA Giveaway!
Today I bring you our regularly scheduled funnies, but also, the ladies over at OA decided to start gearing up for the New Year's Revisions Conference by doing a little giveaway! :D Just fill out the rafflecopter below or head to OA for more details :)
a Rafflecopter giveaway
And now, for funnies :) Have a great weekend!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
And now, for funnies :) Have a great weekend!
December 20, 2012
December 15, 2012
Entangled Under the Mistletoe Winner!!!
And the winner of my Entangled Under the Mistletoe's blog hop giveaway (a copy of To Trust a Thief) is.....
Eva!!
Congrats!! I'll be contacting you to get all your deets :)
Thanks to all who entered and if you didn't win, stay tuned because the release festivities for To Trust a Thief will be commencing in just a couple short weeks. There will be lots more opportunities to win copies of the book along with TONS of other really fun things. Starting with another celebration I'm participating in, the 24 Days of Guest Posts and Giveaways with Kate Evangelista. I'll be giving away a copy of To Trust a Thief on her blog on the 24th!!
Eva!!
Congrats!! I'll be contacting you to get all your deets :)
Thanks to all who entered and if you didn't win, stay tuned because the release festivities for To Trust a Thief will be commencing in just a couple short weeks. There will be lots more opportunities to win copies of the book along with TONS of other really fun things. Starting with another celebration I'm participating in, the 24 Days of Guest Posts and Giveaways with Kate Evangelista. I'll be giving away a copy of To Trust a Thief on her blog on the 24th!!
