Michell Plested's Blog, page 18

Scouts of the Apocalypse: Zombie War is almost done in Draft

I’ve known there would be a sequel to Scouts of the Apocalypse: Zombie Plague since before I ever wrote the book. I’ve even had the broad, overarching story plotted for a long time. It was getting to the actual writing that proved problematic. I made the decision back at the beginning of November that I would have the first draft complete by Christmas. I made a spreadsheet to track my progress and fancied it up by having it calculate how many words I needed every day to hit the mark. Then I wrote new words. And then I let it sit for almost a week-and-a-half. The entire time it sat, I agonized about it; why wasn’t I writing? So, after […]

I Should Practice What I Preach

I have long believed that the best way to get better as a writer is to write (reading is important too, but writing is where the rubber meets the road). I have also said many times, you can’t edit anything that hasn’t been written down. I haven’t been practicing those beliefs as much as I should be. I have an excuse for that, and believe me, it is an excuse. It’s one I suspect many fledgling professional authors have faced. The excuse is this: I want every book I write to be better than the last. At first glance that probably looks like a good goal to reach for and it is. However, and here is how it has become […]

Time Flies

I just looked at my last post and realized it has been two weeks since I blogged last. TWO WEEKS! How did that ever happen? Is it that I don’t have anything to say? Um…sure, let’s go with that. Or maybe not. In actuality, I have had a couple extremely busy weeks since I last posted. That is, of course, an excuse. Busy or not, if getting a post out was a priority none of the rest of the stuff would have mattered. Unfortunately for the website, everything I was dealing with WAS important. So, I didn’t blog. I did do a little writing though. I just broke 14,000 words on Scouts of the Apocalypse: Zombie War.  That is a […]

What NaNoWriMo Means to Me as a Professional Writer

When I first took the NaNoWriMo challenge back in 2005 I was worried. Worried I didn’t have the right (or is it write?) stuff to succeed. I had just spent seven years completing my first novel. How could I possibly write another (albeit shorter) novel in just thirty days? I did my research – I read everything I could about NaNo – including strategies on how to win. I also saw a lot of the Poo Pooing some of the professional authors of the day were doing. “Only junk can be written so quickly.” “It is a waste of time.” “Just a bunch of wannabes pretending to be real writers.” Those were only a few of the negative comments I […]

Dealing with Character Mortality

I just saw the movie trailer for Logan and, while I’m excited for the movie, I’m also dreading it. Wolverine has long been a favorite character of mine. In fact, I probably have been a fan for more than thirty years. That makes the theme of the movie somewhat melancholy for me. It faces the aging and perhaps even death of someone dear to me. That may sound a bit strong for what is in reality a fantasy. A fictional character. You might even question my grasp on what is real and what isn’t. But, I ask you to consider this: characters from books, television and movies offer something real people often can’t. You as the reader/viewer get to experiences […]

Making Progress

I have a number of writing projects on the go right now and I’m excited to say, forward progress is being made. The first of those projects is the sequel to the novel I co-wrote with JR Murdock. That book is Jack Kane and the Statue of Liberty, a steampunk/superhero/YA novel. We started writing the sequel a year ago and, due to a number of life complications for us both, we stopped writing over the summer. Well, we are close to 25% finished our first draft and I’ve got to say, it is better than the first (and let me tell you, the first was some of the most fun writing I’ve ever had I’ve ever done). I think we […]

Mik Speaks

Hi there. Mik Murdoch here. My biographer, Michell Plested, has kindly allowed me to talk a little about my newest adventure. For those of you who have been following my adventures, you know that I decided to become a superhero a couple years ago. The one problem I was up against? I didn’t have any super powers (note: Mik Murdoch, Boy Superhero). I was and still am an avid comic book reader and I have read countless stories about ordinary people like me who regularly get super powers of their own. If they could do it, why not me? Turns out, comic book people have a slightly easier time to get super powers than people in the regular world. That […]

Thinking of a Change of Scenery

I’ve been give a lot of thought about brand lately. What am I exactly? Author, YA Author, cheerleader? This line of thought has come from a couple different incidents. The first was a request for my website link so promotion could happen for an upcoming Christmas fair. I’m going to have a table at said fair where I will be selling and signing books. Then I had a request for my business card from a young mother who was considering buying my books for her child. Both requests got me asking myself, “How do I want my target audience to see me?” Don’t get me wrong, I love interacting with other writers through my blog. But am I reaching my […]

Watching Your Characters Grow Up

One of the exciting things for me as both a reader and a writer is watching our characters evolve, grow and most importantly, grow up. It’s rewarding to experience their growth. It’s also a little melancholy. Take, for example, the Harry Potter series. We readers get to see Harry, Ron, Hermione and the rest get older, smarter and more accomplished with each book. We enjoy their successes, lament their failures..and mourn those characters that die over the course of the series. When the books were done, we knew that the adventures we lived vicariously through the characters were over. At least that series of adventures. And nothing would ever be the same. It’s very much like being a parent. We […]

Book Launch on the Horizon

As you may know, Mik Murdoch: Crisis of Conscience, the third book in the Mik Murdoch, Boy Superhero series is now available. To celebrate the new book, I will be holding a book launch Saturday, September 24th at Crowfoot Chapters (11 – 4 PM). Please come by if you would like your very own signed copy. I am also looking into doing an online event at the same time. I will post more if that comes to fruition.