Michell Plested's Blog, page 14

NaNo 2017 – Day 8 (For Real) – I Can’t Believe I Hit My Goal

First, let me say, yesterday’s post claiming to be my Day 8 update was a lie. It was actually my update for progress up to Day 7. Somewhere (it was the weekend) I got mixed up. So, onto my REAL Day 8 update. I think I’m getting more creative as NaNoWriMo moves along despite how stressful and hectic my life is right now. Does that even make sense? I mean, I’m pushing myself harder than usual to get the writing done plus I’m dealing with the normal day-to-day stuff PLUS I have some personal things going on. How is it possible? But, I am coming up with new ideas for stories, posts and other interesting things as I’m going. I […]

NaNo 2017 – Day 8 – Still Chugging Along

I had a minor epiphany. I realized that, because I know I’m trying to write every day and more specifically, hit a word count goal every day, I’m starting to look ahead. What do I mean by that, exactly? Well, when I wasn’t setting concrete goals I would need to have some writing done and I would jump on it, usually at the last minute. I wouldn’t give much thought to what was happening until the day of and then it was a mad scramble. Now, I’m looking at what I have on the calendar. For example, I knew I had a meeting last night so I planned to spend some time after the meeting to write. I wasn’t sure […]

NaNo 2017 – Day 7 – It wasn’t pretty but…

On day seven I had more than my fair share of challenges. Remember that parent I mentioned? Well, I had a number of difficult discussions with my parent, the doctor and so on. I also had a full day of errands to run before my wife and went home (a three-hour drive, btw). We managed to get the errands mostly done. At least, done enough until we go again next week. And then we left for home. I was thoroughly exhausted by the time we started back and I really didn’t want to write, but I knew I had to keep the streak going. So, I managed a few hundred words in the car. Challenges of the Day Definitely spending […]

NaNo 2017 – Day 6

If you are keeping track you will likely note that I’m missing updates for days 3 – 5. I hope that didn’t frighten you or give you the impression I’m not having any success. Nothing could be further from the truth. I thought I would do a weekend wrap-up in hopes I could give you a truly amazing weekend total. Alas, while my writing totals were good, they didn’t quite hit the stellar levels I’d hoped for. For example, Saturday I set a personal goal of 5,000 words for the day. What I actually achieved was 2,443. Pretty good, but not quite what I was hoping for. That being said, let me give you a brief update of what’s been […]

NaNo 2017 – Day 2 (AKA I have a chapter!)

An amazing thing happened today – I realized I finished the first chapter of my soon-to-be masterpiece. This is important to note as the very first book I wrote took me twenty-five (25) tries and several months. I have now managed it in one try and two days. Perfect first chapter? Not by a long shot. Written and therefore editable? Absolutely! Challenges for the Day Work. Again. Not that it was a bad day. It was quite good actually but it does take away from writing books time.

NaNo 2017 – Day 1 Results

I thought it might be helpful to talk a little about my NaNoWriMo journey. To that end, I will be posting my daily totals, not to brag but to show how things are going and maybe motivate you (and me) to bigger things. Challenges for the Day Work. Definitely. It gets in the way of my writing progress while, at the same time, ensures I will be able to pay my mortgage and other bills for the month. Double-edged sword. Also, I was tired. Had to go out for groceries right after work too. Number of Words for the Day:  2103 words A good total. I actually felt that I could have gone higher, but I wanted to leave myself […]

Just Keep Swimming

Fall is always a busy time. Everything is restarting after a summer of rest (for some). That means, my already full schedule is even crazier than usual. To make things even more hectic, I have a parent who is beginning to fail. That means lots of trips up to deal with all the issues that are arising. Time away from home where I also have things that need to be done. And then, there is my writing. I have two books actively on the go. One is so close to completion I can almost taste it (96% complete as of yesterday). The other, my Wattpad story, is 2/3 done. And then NaNoWriMo is coming fast. I have yet another book […]

NaNoWriMo 2017 is Almost Here

NaNoWriMo, or National Novel Writing Month, is almost upon us once again. NaNo holds a particularly special place in my heart. It has been going on since 1999. I participated in my first one two weeks after completing my first ever novel in 2005. I will confess, I was worried, even a little scared, that first year. I had just spent seven years writing my first novel and I couldn’t possibly see any way to write 50,000 words in only 30 days (that is the challenge of NaNoWriMo, btw). Twenty-two days later, I hit that 50,000 word mark much to my own surprise and delight and I’ve never looked back. I have participated in NaNo six more times since then […]

What Makes a Book? (Pt. 3 – The Cover)

I think we have all seen books covers that make us say, “Wow!” I also know we have all seen book covers that make us shake our heads. The former make us pick up the book while the later make us move away from the shelf. Both are pretty extreme reactions. In some cases, our interest is piqued, while in others, we simply pass by without much thought. Ideally we want the “Wow”, not the, “What were they thinking,” reaction. That brings me to some tips you should probably follow when you decide on a cover. Tip #1 Knowing how to use Photoshop (or any comparable graphics software) does not mean you are going to be able to create a […]

Shadowzone Interview

My guest today is Calgary author Simon Rose, who has published fourteen novels for children and young adults, seven guides for writers, almost 100 nonfiction books, and many articles on a wide variety of topics. Earlier this year he released Twisted Fate, the second installment of the paranormal Flashback series. Today, we’re looking at his latest release, the Shadowzone series. So what’s the Shadowzone series all about? The series involves the discovery of a grim dystopian version of Earth that’s ruled by a totalitarian dictatorship, the threat of a deadly virus, and a race against time to save the lives of millions. Without giving too much away, here’s a synopsis for each of the novels. Shadowzone  While watching intense flashes […]