M.B. Mulhall's Blog, page 2

Ideas Don’t Stop Coming to the Creative Mind

I think most writers have suffered from  writer’s block at some point in their career. It’s frustrating and can be a blow to one’s confidence, but it doesn’t have to be permanent. When we’re stuck, we need to change tactics to overcome the wall our brain has built to hold all those glorious ideas at bay.

Try your hand at free writing. Grab a crisp sheet of paper or a nearby napkin and jot down any and all thoughts that come to mind, regardless of whether or not they relate to your work in progress. You never know what’s going to come out. A turn of phrase or an odd idea can knock a hole into that wall and commingle with those previously repressed ideas, getting the words flowing again.

You can also try outlining. If you’re stuck on a specific area, skip past it and outline future chapters. If you’ve got ideas for those, mark the spot in your manuscript and move ahead. When you come back later, it will be easier to figure out how to connect the two.

Start re-reading. Go back to the beginning of your story and re-read it.  I find it helps reacquaint me  with the characters, their motives and smaller plot points I may have forgotten along the way.

If you’ve got a writing buddy, ask them to write up a few interview questions and answer them as your characters.  You might be surprised that the answers you come up with may move your story in a whole new directions, skirting around that wall or taking the secret tunnel underneath it.

When you’re the creative type, the ideas may get sidetracked, or seem elusive, but they never really stop coming. Our minds are turned on by the things around us: a beautiful landscape, an unusual looking person, a song, a television show, etc. When your pen runs out of ink, you don’t just throw your hands up and say “I’m done!”, you get another pen. When you’re struck by writer’s block, you find that other pen! You change your tactics and go about the writing process in a different way to work past it.

What tactics do you use to get past the dreaded writer’s block?

Don’t Overfill Your Plate

It’s not unusual for a writer to be knee deep in a manuscript when they’re struck with a brandy new sparkly idea.  That idea will sneak up on you in the shower. It will invade your dreams and try to work its way into your conversations.  It will use its literary wiles to try and lure you away from what you’re already working on.

Should you do it?

I know it’s tempting and it has certainly worked out for some, but I know others who have this problem chronically and therefore they never end up finishing a story.  It’s a shame but avoidable!

You need to focus, follow through and finish up that original project before you go back to that overflowing idea plate for more. Definitely take the time and jot down all the ideas and thoughts you have for that new idea and then put it into the freezer of your mind to be thawed and heated up when the time is right.

If you decide it really can’t wait, then focus on that idea alone and come back to your original project once you’ve finished. There are certainly people who can handle more than one project at a time, but I feel your writing can suffer when you’re trying to eat everything off that plate at once. You don’t want to choke! One at a time is best. Give it your all and then be fresh to finish up other projects.

How do you handle new ideas that pop up during current projects?

Feed Your Brain, As Well As Your Body

There’s lots of talk about feeding body and soul, about being healthy and putting the right stuff in to get good stuff out, but what about feeding the brain? There have been studies to say that keeping an active mind helps one to keep sharp as they age. There are even websites like Lumosity that use games to help keep the brain working.

In 2013, Huffington Post had an article stating that a survey was presented to 1,000 adults and the results show that 28% of the population had not read a book in the past year. Another 25% only read between 1 and 5 books in the previous year. Only 8% stated they had read over 50 books in the past year.

Now I understand people are busy and not a whole lot of us have the time for 50 books in a year (ahh I miss my years of reading between 150-200 books a year…). I get TV watching is relaxing and easier for most. I’m no stranger to couch potato ways and I’m quite familiar with binge watching shows on Netflix (although I pride myself in not getting one of those “You’ve been watching for X amt of hours, are you okay?” messages…). While you can certainly learn things from television, especially if you’re watching an educational kind of show (Shark Week, anyone?)  reading will work a different part of the brain.

Have you ever been excited to see one of your favorite books is being turned into a movie, but then are disappointed with the outcome? That main character looks nothing like you imagined.  That town? You expected it to look more desolate and rundown. Why? Because when you read the book your brain took the author’s words and worked up an image in your mind about what those characters looked like and how that town was depicted.  Your image may not exactly mirror the one the author had in mind, but that’s okay.  The perk of reading is that you get to visit and visualize new worlds and people in your own way. You are using your imagination, something that many seem to forget they have once they enter the Tween years.  To be imaginative is not a downfall. It’s not childish or immature. It’s creative, artistic, and good for the mind, body and soul.

Reading not only feeds your brain but gives you things to discuss and debate with other likeminded folks.  It can help you turn a non-reader onto something amazing. It can inspire you to create art, fan fiction and all sorts of other projects based on the world you step into when you flip through those pages.

Newspaper and magazine articles and non-fiction books certainly feed your brain as well, but fiction allows for the imagination to spark and grow ideas and images to accompany an author’s story. If you’re going to be health conscious, be sure to feed all aspects of the body, including the all important brain!

How many books do your feed your brain with in a year?

I’m Back, Bitches!

Of course I mean bitches in the “you’re my awesome fans and writing buddies and I’ve missed you dearly” way!

Things in life are still very much up in the air (wedding is…gah! 52 days away!) but I have somehow been squeezing in time to write. Driven  is officially done and sent out. Fingers crossed I get good news back on it.

I’ve come back to my Errand Girl series, working on edits and finishing up the last story. I’ve got some fabulous covers ready to get them out as soon as they’re finished. Maybe I will do a cover reveal soon. I really do love the way they turned out.

I want to get back into regular blogging as well. I feel like I’ve fallen out of the loop with a lot of great authors I had been friends with and worked with, and that makes me sad.  I’m officially opening the blog up to interviews, cover reveals, book releases, etc. as well covering topics of interest. I may have disappeared a bit from social media, but I’ve been reading and writing and following the industry news, so if there’s any topic people would specifically like me to cover, please let me know.

I’m glad to be back in the scene. I’ve missed you guys and I’m excited to reconnect and share new stuff with you all!

Life Imitates Art

My kind friend and fellow author, Bobby Mathews, recently linked me to an article stating “life imitates (your) art”.  I was surprised to see it was a story of a New Jersey high school senior, wrestling champ, that recently came out during his college scouting tour.

While the article doesn’t give me a whole lot of insight into Alec Donovan’s inner thoughts and struggles to compare to Ian, it does state that he was suicidal at a time, showing me that they may have had a lot of the same concerns and fears. Thankfully, Alec was helped past his dark times by a good, non-judgmental friend.

His story and Ian’s may have a lot more in common than the surface items. I hope he didn’t abuse his body with binge and purge or starvation. I hope his family was accepting and supportive of his life choices and decisions.  I hope he wasn’t given a hard time by teammates or school peers.

I’m always impressed with the courage it takes for someone to come out, especially when it’s an athlete in a sport where they have had to hide themselves for years. I wish the best for Alec and his future and I’m going to try to get a copy of Heavyweight to him, not only because he may find some solace in the fact that there is someone to relate to, even if that someone is fictional, but because we’re practically neighbors! Maybe he’s even seen the book in the local libraries.

Check out Alec’s story

Path of Angels – Book 2 – Zadekiel Interview

It’s here, the second story in the Path of Angels series by Patricia Josephine! I enjoyed the character interview with Michael from book one so����I decided to have��another with the star of book two, Zadekiel. ��Enjoy and keep reading for a blurb, buy links and info on the awesome author!

 

Q:��Let���s start with the basics. Tell us a bit about yourself and what makes you tick.

Zade: I am a reincarnated archangel. I���m also a middle child with sisters. My oldest sister and I hardly ever got along and our mother was always separating us.

Q:��Do you have any hobbies, favorite TV shows, books? Anything you fangirl/boy over?

Zade: I enjoyed school and worked hard at it. Any good book is appreciated, but I do love it when they make them into movies. I like seeing the images before me that were once only in my head. Sometimes they are the same, sometimes not.

Q:��What is one thing from your past you���re most proud of?

Zade: My grades in school. Given that our town is so small and my father, people always expected me to fail. I worked hard to earn all As and prove them that I wasn���t going to end up a thug.

Q:��Let���s play favorites:

Pepsi or Coke?

Zade: Neither. I like water. It���s refreshing.

Pie or Cake?

Zade: It depends on the pie. Apple, hell yes. Pecan? Give me the cake.

White or dark chocolate?

Zade: Have you seen my skin? Dark chocolate is the best. *winks*

Playstation 4 or Xbox 1or WiiU?

Zade: Xbox1 all the way.

Paperback book or ebook?

Zade: Ebooks are nice because I can bring a hundred of them in one small device. Although, hunting fallen angels means there���s not much time for reading.

Summer or winter?

Zade: Summer. I find the sun to be invigorating and you don���t get that as much in the wintertime.

Puppies or kittens?

Zade: Kittens. They���re so tiny and fuzzy and then they grow up to be complete nightmares that think they own you.

Vampires or werewolves?

Zade: Zombies. They are far easier to battle. One shot to the head.

 

Blurb:

The path is lost.

With Michael gone, the mantle of leadership falls to Zadekiel. In this time of darkness, with tempers running short, Zade struggles to guide his brothers. Hope comes in the form of a green haired woman with a unique gift. She represents a way back to the path they lost when Michael disappeared.

Zephyr fills books with cryptic poetry, a powerful compulsion, which is more a curse than a blessing. With no control over her ability, she struggles to live a normal life. When she meets Zade, he insists her ability is a gift from God. Reluctantly, she agrees to join the cause���it���s hard to dispute a man with wings.

Now the path is found, but one question remains. Will it lead to further darkness?

 

Amazon Link

Goodreads Link

 

About the Author:

Patricia Josephine never set out to become a writer. In fact, she never considered it an option during high school and college. She was all about art. On a whim, she wrote down a story bouncing in her head. That was the start of it and she hasn’t regretted a moment. She writes young adult under the name Patricia Lynne.

 

Patricia lives with her husband in Michigan, hopes one day to have what will resemble a small petting zoo, has a fondness for dying her hair the colors of the rainbow, and an obsession with Doctor Who.

 

 

 

Links:

Twitter

Website

Google+

Wattpad

Goodreads

 

 

Where is the comparative YA lit?

For those that don’t know, my degree is not in English, but Comparative Literature and Languages. I read a good deal of world literature and found similarities and differences in style, characters, etc. (see my senior essay on how Russian lit influenced modern Japanese lit here!). I was recently discussing my degree with someone and it got me thinking that I don’t read a whole lot of works by non-American authors these days (unless I don’t realize they’re not American. Maybe I’m naively assuming they’re all American!).

I tried to do some Googling of best selling non-American YA authors but not a whole lot comes up. I found this��list which has the very obvious JK Rowling and Cornelia Funk but I don’t recognize a lot of the other authors and some of the titles are very dated and strike me as odd to be considered YA (Crime and Punishment?!).

I know a lot of American titles make it across the Pond and onto Europe but I’m curious if they make it over to the Middle East and Asian countries as well. Do we get their work translated here as well? I think an influx of stories dealing with teens in different cultures could really be beneficial to young readers, especially in helping to banish racism and coming to learn that different doesn’t mean bad. I know there is a push in American YA lit for characters of color and minorities but I’d love to see the stories actually coming from different cultures where the authors have first hand accounts of the lifestyles, rituals and taboos there.

With a little more Google-fu, I found some other lists and articles that I will definitely be checking out!

Different but worthwhile foreign YA fiction translated to English

The Power of Foreign Young Adult Literature

Do you have a favorite non-American YA author? What are some of your favorite foreign stories?

Character Interview – Michael from Path of Angels

Michael (Path of Angels book 1)��released on March 30th. The wonderful author, Patricia Josephine, was able to grant me a much coveted interview with the main man, Michael, himself!

Be sure to scroll down after the interview for purchase links and ways to contact the author!

Let’s learn all about Michael!

1������Let���s start with the basics. Tell us a bit about yourself and what makes you tick.

Michael: I am a reincarnated archangel. It s my duty to find fallen angels and send them back to hell. There���s not much more to my life than that.

2������Do you have any hobbies, favorite TV shows, books? Anything you fangirl/boy over?

Michael: I suppose I���d sound like a religious fanatic if I said the Bible. It���s not my favorite book anyways. When I was younger I was a big fan of The Hobbit. Always imagined going on an adventure. Which I am on now. There���s no dragon at the end of this journey though and I���m not sure it will ever end.

3������What is one thing from your past you���re most proud of?

Michael: There isn���t one thing I can specify. My past is full of few regrets and lots of happy memories.

4������Let���s play favorites:

Pepsi or Coke?

Michael: Coke. Fizz lasts longer.

Pie or Cake?

Michael: Cake. Got some?

White or dark chocolate?

Michael: Dark. Mmmm.

Playstation 4 or Xbox 1or WiiU?

Michael: Haven���t played any of those. Too busy hunting fallen angels.

Paperback book or ebook?

Michael: I prefer the feel of a real book in my hands.

Summer or winter?

Michael: Summer. The grass, the flowers, it reminds me of Heaven.

Puppies or kittens?

Michael: How can you chose? They���re both cute and cuddly.

Vampires or werewolves?

Michael: Werewolves. They seem the lesser of the two evils.

Buy book one of Path of Angels�� here!

Blurb:

There is only one path.

Born mortal along with his three brothers, Michael is an Archangel with a specific role: hunt fallen angels and send them back to Hell. He is determined in his mission, never straying from his appointed path, until he meets Lake Divine, and discovers there may be more to his beliefs than blind duty.

But Lake is not who he seems. Offspring of a human and a fallen angel, a Nephilim, Lake must choose his own destiny: give in to the coldness and embrace the dark, or seek the light and rise above the sins of his father.

Two paths lay before them, but only one has the potential to destroy them both.

About the Author:

Patricia Josephine never set out to become a writer. In fact, she never considered it an option during high school and college. She was all about art. On a whim, she wrote down a story bouncing in her head. That was the start of it and she hasn’t regretted a moment. She writes young adult under the name Patricia Lynne.

Patricia lives with her husband in Michigan, hopes one day to have what will resemble a small petting zoo, has a fondness for dying her hair the colors of the rainbow, and an obsession with Doctor Who.

��Links:

Twitter

Website

Google+

Wattpad

Goodreads

Giving & Receiving Constructive Criticism

One of the greatest things a writer can get from someone is legitimate constructive criticism. It can help the author to grow and see their work in a different light. It can help them to be aware of things like passive voice and how to better create a sensation for the reader that brings them into the story rather than just having them watch from the outside.

I’ve got some great fellow writers who give very good feedback, and I’ve got some others who mean well but don’t really know how to give (nor receive) criticism. ��A writer needs to learn that criticism isn’t meant to bring you down but rather bring your craft to a higher level. It’s not easy to learn how not to take it personally, but if you’re not open to hearing what others have to say, then you’re probably not really looking to improve your writing.

When you belong to a crit group, go expecting to maybe have your ego bruised a bit but know that it will be helpful in the long run. Go knowing others are looking for real feedback that consists of more than “I liked it.” If you really have nothing to say, be honest and say whether you enjoyed the work or not (it’s okay if it’s not your type of story) and tell them you don’t have anything constructive to add. Don’t nitpick just for the sake of having something to say. It’s not constructive to tell them you don’t think a girl from Iowa would have rainbow colored hair or that you would never say what their character said.

I’m going to share with you all the feedback I received from round 1 of NYC Midnight’s Short Story Challenge. I appreciate that they cover the good and the not so good. For what it’s worth, I think all their constructive criticism is dead on and should I use the piece elsewhere I will look to improve upon those points to make the story that much better. Also, I completely agree with their comment on the title. I hated it but nothing else appropriate came to mind in the time period!

”The Fear Within” by MaryBeth Mulhall –

WHAT THE JUDGE(S) LIKED ABOUT YOUR STORY – ……………The opening is fantastic — it’s a grabber, and the reader is thrown into such a conflict he wants to go forward; the mechanics, as far as sentence structure and grammar, are solid, and the narrative flow is smooth. There is also excellent use of syntax (sentences longer and shorter) as a tool to ratchet the tension (for example, “No. Such. Luck.”)…………………………………………This story is great. Lively, funny, original voice, vivid scenes, memorable characters, kickass last line. A+……………….���……………………

WHAT THE JUDGES FEEL NEEDS WORK – ……………What’s missing here is the reason for the incident — this character is getting a comeuppance of sorts (according to the synopsis), but for what? Being a scumsucker? Relishing the fact that he’s alone and miserable so he wants others to be too?That would be an interesting thing to consider: he loves watching divorces, and show us his motivation for that — and now something dark has come to claim him as punishment.//It’s not made clear up front what he does for a living; the reader won’t have the benefit of the competition parameters.//”an unpleasant smell” — rather than a general that the reader has to contemplate, combine two familiar smells to create an unfamiliar one. For example, “rotten eggs and cherry cough syrup.” Getting the reader to “smell” what you’re imagining isn’t that difficult to do, and it makes all the difference in leaving a strong impression.//”A movement beckoned me from the corner of the office…” although this is active voice, it’s written in a descriptive manner, using longer sentences, so the impact is lost. Instead of the reader feeling tension, he just “watches” what’s there without any emotional connection — this is compounded by the fact that the character isn’t reacting; no fear, no surprise………………………….���……………The title isn���t as clever or as fun as the story itself; find a new one. You should be clearer about the main character���s gender earlier on���there���s a noir-ish tone to the narrative that had me picturing a man. A couple of awkward sentence constructions: (There���s an unclear antecedent in this line: ���Sharp, manicured nails dug into my palms in the hopes that pain would snap me out of my delusions.���) These are minor quibbles, though. Great story…………………………………….

Moving On!

March 10th is finally here! Today is the day we get the results of round one of the NYC Midnight Short Story challenge. The top five in each heat get to move on to the next round. That means around 1,400 authors have been culled to 240. ��I’m not sure how many move on from the next heat, but I’ll find out at midnight on Thursday when I get my new assignment!

That’s right,��The Fear Within was chosen as one of the top five in my particular heat. If you haven’t read it yet and are interested, clicky here!

I will have just three days to write a 2,000 word (max) short on a topic and in a genre I don’t yet know. ��It couldn’t come at a worse time with my work schedule, but I’ll make it work. Hopefully the subject will be inspiring because there will be no time to get stuck.

Wish me luck!