Michelle McLean's Blog, page 35

Sometimes the Long Way Around is Best

There is no royal road to learning; no short cut to the acquirement of any art.
~ Anthony Trollope, Barchester Towers
[image error]  Yeah...I had to learn this one the hard way :D Still learning this one the hard way. I like my short cuts....Just sayin' :D
See, I always think I can get away with scampering across the bridge instead of hiking down the canyon and back up again. My crit partners are generally in the middle of that bridge with big grins on their faces as they toss me over the edge and make me climb. But then, that's what good crit partners are there for :) And hey, at least they stick around to cheer for me as I make my way to the top. No matter how long it takes me.

Just when I think I have it all figured out, just when I think I can take a short cut here or there, just when I think I've got this whole writing business in the bag, something new smacks me upside the head and teaches me otherwise ;-)

I learn more and more with every book. I pick up new "tricks of the trade" and figure out new strengths and weaknesses. I get better and better. But there will always be something new to learn. I might figure out how to do something better, faster. But there are some short cuts that will just never work. There are some processes that work for other people that will never work for me (and vice versa).

Perhaps that is the most important thing I've learned = There are no short cuts and no magic "rules". Just hard work, the love of what I do, and the satisfaction of a job well done....no matter how long it takes me :D

Do you agree with Mr. Trollope? What have you learned while you strive to acquire your art?

I Know They Aren't Real But...

I just finished reading the latest installment in one of my favorite series. And it looks like my favorite couple may not make it. People are arguing this one with me, but I think it's the beginning of the end.

And it just plain DEPRESSES ME.

My husband finds this odd...that I can feel actual sadness over fictional people in a fictional situation. Then again, my ability to do this is probably why I'm a writer and he's not :D After all, this whole emotional intensity thing is part of what makes writers be able to realistically express emotions in their books. Occupational hazard I guess that it spills over into our reading lives (at least mine) :)

Now, I know I'm not the only one who feels this way when reading (right? I'm not, right? I'm not the only one a little...off, am I?)

But I'm curious...do you consider this when you write? Do you, as a writer, think about how your audience will feel when writing your stories?

Given the main character in question, the outcome of this relationship was inevitable. I knew it when they got together (and the author has flat out said that they won't end up together on numerous occasions). Yet, still, I found myself hoping they'd find a way. And I find myself sad and depressed and revisiting happier times (i.e. books where they are all hunky-doory (emphasis on the HUNK)) in order to feel better about the whole thing.

So, I ask you, my dear readers/writers - how do you feel when things don't turn out how you'd like in a favorite book or series? And does this influence you at all when you write?

Quote of the Day

Some happy talent, and some fortunate opportunity, may form the two sides of the ladder on which some men mount, but the rounds of that ladder must be made of stuff to stand wear and tear; and there is no substitute for thorough-going, ardent, and sincere earnestness. 
~ Charles Dickens, David Copperfield
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Winner of 101 Success Secrets for Gifted Kids!

And the winner of Christine Fonseca's amazing book, 101 Success Secrets for Gifted Kids is.....

Lisa Potts!!!!
Congrats Lisa!!!! Shoot me an email at authormichellemclean (at) gmail (dot) com and I'll get your prize sent out to you!

Hope everyone had a wonderful Mother's Day Weekend!!

Blog Chain - Stubborn Mule the Writing Fool :D

[image error] The new chain has started and this time our lovely Laura would like to know:

What keeps you going (either trying to get an agent or to get published or finish that WIP that's kicking your butt) when you know the odds are stacked way against you? 
Great question. With an answer that kind of changes for me depending on my mood and the day and the situation :D

Always, my writer buds. I'm not sure I could have kept this up if I hadn't met the awesome people I've met. It is a huge help to have people I can turn to who understand both the lows, and highs, of this whole crazy business. And part of it is that this is just what I want to do. Plain and simple. Given that, I don't really have a choice but to keep on pluggin' on.

Plus, I'm just plain stubborn. Me =


And (according to my husband) irritatingly optimistic. :D But hey, life's too short to worry about the down side of things. Pessimism isn't fun. ;-)

What keeps you going?

Be sure to check out the hilarious Shaun's answer from yesterday and stop by the fabulous Christine's tomorrow to see how she keeps going.

Friday Funnies

A story with a moral appended is like the bill of a mosquito. It bores you, and then injects a stinging drop to irritate your conscience. ~ O'Henry, Strictly Business 

 "One should never trust a woman who tells one her real age. A woman who would tell one that, would tell one anything." ~ Oscar Wilde, A Woman of No Importance

Something Worth Doing is Worth Doing Right...No Matter How Long it Takes

I often feel the need to finish something as quickly as possible, feeling sometimes frantic at the need to get something done...whether it be getting a project revised and out the door, getting a first draft done or meeting even more lofty goals such as getting published. Learning patience, and even more than that, learning to take the time to do a job WELL is one of the most important things to keep in mind. It's not quantity of time that matters in this business. It's quality of work. Something I try to remember whenever my frantic tendencies threaten to overwhelm me :)
"The power of doing anything with quickness is always prized much by the possessor, and often without any attention to the imperfection of the performance."
~ Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice
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Blog Chain - Getting in the "Write" Frame of Mind

Today is my turn on the blog chain. The topic for this round was chosen by the lovely Margie who wanted to know:

How do you get in the mindset of your genre? Do you research people or facts? Do you just reach into the recesses of your mind for events that would make a good story? Something else?" 
I love this question :D

My answer has sort of changed over the years. I write historicals. When I very first started, I had a hard time staying in that "historical" frame of mind, and a lot of modern terms and phrases would slip into my writing. My first book was set in Victorian England, so any time I needed help to get in the right frame of mind, I would watch An Ideal Husband. It would help ingrain the language and mannerisms before I started writing.

Since I write historicals, I do a lot of research, of course, but for the most part, I need something visual or audible to get in the right mindset. Movies help me with the language aspects of writing historicals, but for the emotional part, I'll come up with a short playlist of songs that strike the right nerve.

For the most part, I can just sit down and write. I'll go back a few pages and read and that is usually sufficient to suck me back into my storyworld, but if I need that extra help, I find a movie in the right time period or a couple of good songs :D

I'm the last link on this chain, but be sure to check out Eric's response from yesterday. And head over to Margie's blog if you'd like to follow this chain from the beginning :)

How do you get in the "write" frame of mind?

When My Creative World and Real World Collide

I've always been one of those people who has said that I have a hard time working when my house is a mess. Which is true. Yet there are plenty of times, probably more often than not, when I am plugging away at my writing while my house falls down around my ears, and my children are living off of cereal and digging their clothes out of laundry baskets. (In my defense, the laundry is at least clean...most of the time) :D

So, if my house is a mess, yet I'm still managing to work, then how can I say that I have a hard time being creative when my house is such a disgrace?

Well, I noticed something today. No matter how hard I seem to be working, when my house is a mess, I'm usually not really accomplishing anything writing-wise either. I have gone months without making any real progress. Yeah, my files are open all day and I even look at them from time to time. But no matter how long I sit at my computer, I'm not actually doing anything. And my house has been in a constant state of YUCK for months too.

Yet for the last few days, I have been amazingly productive. It's like something snapped and I just started DOING SOMETHING. My first picture book is FINISHED. I'm not doing any major promotion until we've done some final quality checks, but for the most part, it's done. My non-fiction proposal, the one I've been dragging my butt on for months? DONE.  By the time this post goes live, it should be in my agent's hands. Or...at least hanging out the door and waving goodbye :D

My next picture book project? Started...and the rest is outlined. My ever-patient novel? Completely edited, annotated and outlined, and impatiently chomping at the bit for me to focus all my energy on it so I can finish it and send it to my critters for one last round.

At the same time, I have been in an absolute TIZZY trying to get my house pulled together. I can't stand it right now. I've spent hours getting caught up on all my laundry, cleaning and rearranging furniture, organizing and tossing stuff out. There is stuff EVERYWHERE and my dog is shedding so badly I have to sweep the floor 12 times a day just to keep up with it. AND I'M DOING IT. I'm cleaning, washing, folding, sweeping...I've even cleaned out the litter box and folded AND PUT AWAY the laundry.

Because I just can't stand to do anything else.

So, my conclusion? Yeah, I might be able to eek some work out while my house is a total destruction zone. But in order to be truly productive? In order for my Creative World to reach its full potential? I apparently need to have my Real World in line.

Which I kind of find to be a cosmic joke. The universe's way of torturing me. Because now that I'm being ultra-productive and want to do nothing but bury myself in my writing, I'm spending a great deal of time focusing on beating my Real World into shape. Every second I spend sweeping or folding or washing, I'm thinking of my projects and how badly I want to be working on them. And every time I sit down to work, I notice something else that I simply must take care of before I dive back in to my writing.

Yet somehow, I'm accomplishing it all. I have no illusions that this will continue. But man! I love it when these little spurts hit me. For a few brief moments, everything in my life is working. Projects are getting done, house is clean, kids are clean and clothed, and all is right in both my worlds. These moments don't last long, but I try to enjoy them while they are here :)

How about you? Can you focus on work when things are a mess? Are you more productive when everything else is in order? And do you ever find yourself on this ultra-productive kicks where suddenly everything is getting taken care of? How long do they last? I'm already bracing myself for the fall :D

Blog Tour Stop for the Fabulous Christine Fonseca and 101 Success Secrets for Gifted Kids

[image error] The absolutely amazing Christine Fonseca is celebrating the release of her second book, 101 Success Secrets for Gifted Kids, and I am honored to be one of the first stops on her Blog Tour :D

Any parent or teacher of a gifted child needs to purchase this book! It's geared directly to the children themselves, and offers tips and advice both from Christine and from other gifted students. This book covers everything from how to deal with parents' and teachers' expectations, and the expectations the kids place on themselves, to how to deal with stress, struggles in school and with friends, and learning what being gifted really means. It really is just a wonderful book :)

Now, for a special treat, we get to hear from the awesome Christine herself :D Take it away, Christine! :D

Some of my Fav Tips from 101 Success Secrets 
YAY! Today is the first day of the official Blog Book Tour for 101 Success Secrets in Gifted Kids. It seemed only appropriate to start things off on Michelle's blog. When I asked her what we should do, she immediately thought of a vlog…

Yea, um….

They turned out horrible. No really – HORRIBLE!!! I am far to vain to let the horrible embarrassment of that vlogging attempt out…So, instead, I enlisted the help of my daughter and decided to present two of my favorite success tips. These are the exact tips I do with kids on my parent-kid workshops. So, I guess this is sort-of a mini workshop!Enjoy…


So, did you enjoy it? Trust me, both techniques really help kids and adults focus on that which they can change and keep some of their emotions at bay. For more information on this and other aspects of giftedness, check out 101 SUCCESS SECRETS FOR GIFTED KIDS. Written for kids, this books covers perfectionism, performance, friends and more using tip sheets, quizzes and fun activities.

Thanks so much for stopping by Christine, and CONGRATS!!!!

And even more awesomeness :D GIVEAWAY TIME!!! I will choose one lucky commenter to win a copy of Christine's fabulous book! Simply enter a comment on this post by midnight Friday and you are entered! I will randomly select a name and announce the winner on Monday. Good luck everyone and congrats again Christine!!

To Find Christine Online:

Her Website
Her Blog
On Facebook or Twitter
Order the Book
Read an Excerpt Here

(p.s. The Mystery Agent Contest is going on over at Operation Awesome this morning! Hurry over with your 25 word pitch!!)