Michelle Proulx's Blog, page 24
October 10, 2013
Attention writers: Free online course “The Future of Storytelling” starts soon!
Hey everyone! I don’t have much time right now, so I’ll just cut to the chase — I ran across this free online course (https://iversity.org/c/6?r=103aa) called “The Future of Storytelling”, and it looks really great for any and all writers, including yours truly.
It’s 8 weeks long, and the basic format is weekly videos plus lots of opportunity for interaction with other students. They’re going to cover topics like:
Storytelling basics
Serial formats (on the TV, web and beyond)
Storytelling in role-playing games
Interactive storytelling in video games
Transmedia storytelling
Alternate-reality gaming
Augmented reality and location-based storytelling
The role of tools, interfaces and information architectures in current storytelling
Anyway, it looks pretty darn useful — and fun! — so here’s the link again if you want to check it out:
https://iversity.org/c/6?r=103aa
Oh yes, and in other free news, the talented Misha Burnett will be offering his ebooks for free on Amazon this weekend, so click here to get a sneak preview:
http://mishaburnett.wordpress.com/buy-my-book/
That is all.
Unrelated media of the day:
Source: http://imgur.com/gallery/hdTRQ
October 8, 2013
How (And Why) To Give An E-Book
How (And Why) To Give An E-Book
Electronic books are a cheap and easy way to read. They are less expensive than printed books, often a lot less expensive, and they are convenient. Even people who do not use a dedicated e-reader like a Kindle or a Nook often have reader apps installed on their tablets and smart phones.
Misha Burnett's article on gifting ebooks! Great idea for the holidays ... now I just need to make some friends who have ereaders, lol.
October 5, 2013
Reached 200 downloads on my silly short story!
200 downloads on The Coin Collector! Booya! I believe this means that people have officially downloaded my short story more than my debut novel. Ah well. The short story is short, not to mention free, so I suppose it makes sense. Still, happy day! Round numbers are awesome.
Speaking of short stories, a lovely lady in my writing critique group just published a short story called Chameleon - check it out here. I’ve only read the preview thus far, but it looked pretty darn good, so check it out if you’re looking for a quick read of the sci-fi/action/spy thriller variety!
In other news … yeah, I have no other news. Well, actually, I have officially started re-writes for Chasing Nonconformity. Two paragraphs down, several hundred to go! I stuck my notebook back in my bathroom and took out all the books so that I have no choice but to write during my morning … let’s call it a “sojourn”.
I also have a question for all you WordPress-literate types. My page views and “likes” have been down in recent months, mostly due to me being very lugubrious in my posting frequency, but I still get a few new people following my blog every day. So, no raise in views/likes … but new followers every day. Very suspicious. Any thoughts on this bizarre phenomenon? A mass conspiracy by the internet to mess with me? An unintended and inexplicable result of the recent American government shutdown? Could the United Platypus Alliance be involved?
Unrelated media of the day:
Source: http://imgur.com/gallery/s4iVkXA
September 29, 2013
Vlogs on hold while I find my video camera …
I’m really annoyed by this. I brought my FlipCam to the Argyle Arts Festival, where I had a booth back in August to sell Imminent Danger And How to Fly Straight into It, and I got a decent bit of footage from said event. I don’t remember if I mentioned the Argyle festival on my blog, but basically it was a medium success. I only sold 3 books, but I did trade one book for another local author’s book, and then I traded another book for some handmade soap and body butter. So not much in terms of sales, but lots in terms of swag!
Anyhoo, I’ve since misplaced my video camera, hence the appalling lack of vlogs. There are few things in life I enjoy more than babbling into a camera (Note: that was a blatant lie), and now I can’t even do that! Horror, thy name is my inability to replace objects from whence they came!
So that’s essentially why there haven’t been any vlogs for a while. Ah well.
On the writing front, still working away at Chasing Nonconformity. I’ve got the timeline worked out properly now, so at least my characters will be in the right places at the right times. Now to just get everything slotted into place.
I’ve also been toying around with a new short story concept, which would be called “The Dusk Bugs”. It would be based off my recent walking trip through the “Banana Kingdom”, a long stretch of pavement in a swampy area that someone has spray painted a bunch of bananas on. I made the mistake of walking through the Banana Kingdom at dusk, and there were … well, not to ruin the ending, but there were a fair amount of bugs. Terror ensued. I think it will make for an underwhelmingly thrilling tale. Stay tuned!
Unrelated link of the day:
The Harry Potter-themed series of gifs is titled: “No … no no no, I wasn’t ready for feels today!”
http://imgur.com/gallery/sB9Vj
September 20, 2013
“MC” or “The Official Debut of ‘The Stone Kingdom’!”
Ladies and gentlemen, royals and commoners, friends and strangers we’ll assume to be friends pending strong evidence to the contrary, welcome to Launch Day of my author’s newest novella, “The Stone Kingdom (Book Two of The Wilderhark Tales)”!
For those of you without a clue as to who is speaking to you right now, I’m Edgwyn Wyle, co-MC (that’s “main character”, you know) of “The Stone Kingdom”, as well as the one chosen to act as MC (meaning “master of ceremonies”, this time) for this announcement post, because Danielle likes to watch me do… just about anything, really.
Danielle E. Shipley's new fairy tale novella The Stone Kingdom drops today! Check it out :)
So I Accidentally Got Elected VP of the London Writer’s Society …
Big news! Last night I accidentally got elected VP of the London Writer’s Society. Well, not technically “accidentally”, but close enough to count. Here’s what happened …
So my local writer’s society is really great — we go on handgun field trips, have great critique groups, listen to interesting and informed lecturers at our general meetings, etc. etc. The thing is, elections for the exec board are in September every year, and all positions decided to step down this year … leaving all the exec spots open. For some reason no one in the society wants to be an exec, which led to the former VP basically bribing me into becoming VP on the promise that all I have to do is attend general meetings, exec meetings, and sometimes answer emails.
Und hence, I am now the VP! Huzzah!
Of course, immediately after the meeting concluded, a member hurried over to me and started asking about assorted VP-related matters. To which I had to shame-facedly say, “Actually, I have absolutely no idea what’s going on at all yet, so … yeah, sorry.” It was awkward. But she was really nice about my incompetence and congratulated me on my new post, so it all worked out.
I had another brief panic attack when the former treasurer came up to myself and the new treasurer and started talking finances, handed over the PO box keys, etc. My panic attack was due to the fact that I’m staggeringly irresponsible at the best of times, and I just knew I’d lose the keys the second they got into my possession. Luckily the new treasurer is far more competent than I, and she accepted the keys and the stacks of financial folders with a confident smile. I fully intend to ride her coattails to glory.
So basically I’m hoping that this new VP position will mostly involve me being a figurehead, and then the president and treasurer can be the real power behind the writer’s society. Mine would be a ceremonial position, if you will. I’ll probably get roped into organizing at least a few events, because that’s just what happens when you get involved with something, but hopefully I’ll pull through and said events won’t be a complete disaster.
Well, that’s all that’s new in my life! Anyone got any exciting news to share? Writing-related is great, but I’ll also accept anything involving a new pet, passing a test, getting promoted, going to the supermarket wearing real clothes (i.e. not sweat pants), etc. Share away!
Unrelated media of the day:
Source: http://imgur.com/gallery/l32HFPg
September 19, 2013
A (Relatively) Pain-Free Introduction to K-Pop
I know, I know, this blog is supposed to be about writing. Piffle, I say! Actually, I don’t say that, because a huge part of my writing “technique”, such as it is, is listening to and being inspired by music … and the musical genre that’s had its claws gripped around my heart for a few years now is none other than Korean pop music!
Stop running for the hills, people, it’s not as terrifying as you think. For example, think of Gangnam Style — not a half bad song when you think about it, even though they overplayed it quite horrendously.
What I have for you today, friends, are five K-Pop songs that will introduce you to the genre without making you cringe and try to valiantly contain your tears. I’ll explain why they’re amusing/interesting/awesome, as well as give you a one sentence run-down of what the song’s actually about, since it’ll be in … you know … Korean. Onwards and upwards!
#1: The first K-Pop song I ever heard
… was a cute song called “We’re With You” by the unbearably adorable girl group Kara. It’s about Kara explaining to the boy(s) they’re interested in that they love him and want to be with him tomorrow and (hopefully) all the tomorrows after that. Feel free to sing along to the “Shake it, shake it, baby” and “Bounce, bounce” parts. No one will judge you. Unless you’re in a public place. Then I’d suggest keeping your voice down.
#2: Possibly the most famous K-Pop song ever (besides Gangnam Style)
… is a song by Girl’s Generation, a huge girl group consisting of approximately seven bazillion members. The song is called “Gee”, and it’s about the girls falling in love for the first time and being really overwhelmed and excited about it. Best sing-along moment = “Gee, gee, gee, gee, baby, baby, baby. Gee, gee, gee, gee, baby, baby, baby”. (Note: actual song starts at 0:21)
#3: Time to get post-apocalyptic, semi-nude, and funky
… with Big Bang’s “Fantastic Baby”. This is pretty much one of my favorite songs ever. It’s catchy and rockin’ and awesome. It’s about … well, basically they want you to dance and have a kick-a** time. Best sing-along lines = “Wow, fantastic baby. DANCE! I wanna dance, dance, dance, da-da-dance” and “Boomshakalaka. Boomshakalaka. Boom-boomshakalaka.”
#4: Hopping back to the girl groups, we find four fierce females destroying stuff
… in 2NE1′s (pronounced “twenty one”) hit single “I Am the Best”. It’s about them being the best. There’s no English in the song, but it does feature a girl in skin-tight leather and spikes walking a standard poodle down a runway, so … yeah, it’s pretty phenomenal. For the chorus, what they’re saying is “nay-gah chay challah-gah”, which means “I am the best”.
#5: Last but not least, a rather bizarre and highly addictive rap song
… called “Knock Out”, by Big Bang rappers G-Dragon and TOP. TOP is the bleached-hair guy, and G-Dragon is … well, the other guy. Similar to song #4, it’s about them being awesome and the best, and how all the ladies want them and the guys want to be them. Look out for the gratuitous use of the Playboy bunny symbol, which G-Dragon and TOP have adopted as their symbol for some reason. For anyone wondering what the heck they’re singing in the chorus, they’re saying “bunk-ee-guy-oh”, which means “knock out”. This is used both to reference how you’ll be knocked out by the rappers’ awesomeness, and also referring to how insanely attractive the girl they’re singing about is.
And that wraps up today’s (relatively) pain-free introduction to K-Pop! All the groups mentioned above are extremely popular in Korea, so feel free to name-drop them at your next social gathering and watch how impressed everyone is. In all honesty, they probably won’t know what you’re talking about … but that doesn’t mean you can’t respond to something they say with, “Wow, fantastic baby” and then start laughing hysterically while they eye you warily and edge away.
September 16, 2013
And Thus the Re-Writing Commences!
As you may recall from my previous post, I recently got my manuscript for Chasing Nonconformity (sequel to Imminent Danger) back from my beta readers. Huzzah!
Now come the re-writes.
I’m not going to lie — I’m having a lot of trouble with Chasing Nonconformity. Sequels are really hard, and I’ve been struggling with making sure this book has as much “oomph” as the first book. It’s a delicate balancing act — bringing enough elements from the first book to keep the feel of the world and characters the same, while at the same time introducing enough new elements to keep the story and characters changing and evolving.
My first draft, waaaaaay back in 2010, was a lot of fun to write, but there was a distinct lack of plot. The characters mostly just wandered around and did amusing things — as I said, enjoyable to write (and probably to read), but not exactly a “story”. My second draft, which I finished back in the spring of 2013, was much better — the characters actually had motivation for doing stuff! But the stakes still weren’t high enough, which once again made it feel like the characters were just milling about.
Then, a couple of weeks ago — and all credit goes to my brilliant brother Jesse — the solution to my “lack of stakes” problem arrived. I can’t tell you what it is, obviously, but it is both awesome and incredibly amusing (well, amusing to me, at least!), and it has the added bonus of wrapping up a few loose ends from the first book. Woo!
That’s pretty much how my brain works. First I write the story … then I go back and figure out how to make it make sense. Not the most streamlined of processes, but … well, for whatever reason it seems to work for me!
So, for everyone keeping track of my writing progress, Chasing Nonconformity is slowly but surely getting done. Assuming all goes well, this should be the last major re-write. I figure that’ll take me a month or two. So going into December the story should be ready to go out to another round of beta readers … give them two months to read it, since my beta readers are notoriously slow … putting us at the start of February …
Therefore I’m going to tentatively put the release for Chasing Nonconformity somewhere around the Spring 2014 area. I was initially aiming for January, but that’s just not going to happen now. Onwards and upwards, my friends! To victory!
Unrelated link of the day:
Are you a 90s kid? Prepare to be blown away by nostalgia:
http://www.buzzfeed.com/daves4/things-that-look-just-like-childhood
Semi-related image of the day:
September 10, 2013
Book Review: Saving Saffron Sweeting (by Pauline Wiles)
The Book
Saving Saffron Sweeting
The Genre
Contemporary Romance
The Author
Pauline Wiles. British by birth, Pauline moved to California eight years ago and, apart from a yearning for afternoon tea and historic homes, has never looked back. Her work has been published by House of Fifty, Open Exchange, and Alfie Dog Fiction. Saving Saffron Sweeting is her first novel.
The Plot
Grace Palmer’s British friends all think she’s living the American Dream. But her design business is floundering and when she discovers her husband is cheating with her best client, she panics and flees home to England.
The tranquil village of Saffron Sweeting appears to be a good place for Grace to lick her wounds, but the community is battling its own changes. Reluctantly, Grace finds herself helping her new neighbours as they struggle to adjust and save their businesses. However, not everyone has the same opinion on what’s good for the village. The charismatic new man in her life may have one speculative eye on Grace, but the other is firmly on profit. How will she navigate the tricky path between her home and her happiness?
The Review
This was a cute little romance with fun characters, a great and engaging setting, and an extraordinarily satisfying conclusion. I had a wonderful time following Grace through the trials and tribulations of pulling her life back together, navigating her various romantic entanglements, and saving her new home from the ravages of modern industry. Grace is witty, and feisty, and just a delightful protagonist in general. The cast of supporting characters were entertaining and well rounded, making for an engrossing read.
The titular Saffron Sweeting is where most of the book takes place, and the author describes it exquisitely. I could picture myself sitting outside the bakery sipping Earl Gray tea and munching on a sausage roll with Grace, or walking up the twisting, tree-lined path to her little cottage in the middle of nowhere. This is one of those books where the setting becomes a character all its own.
All in all, a quick, fun, romantic read. Fire up your kettle, select your tea bag, and cuddle up with this book today!
The Rating
5 out of 5 stars.
Click here to visit the author’s website and learn more about Saving Saffron Sweeting!
Unrelated link of the day:
Marvel as the killer whale follows your cursor!
http://img0.liveinternet.ru/images/attach/c/5//3970/3970473_sprite198.swf
September 7, 2013
First Imminent Danger Fanfiction!!!
A few wonderful, sunny months ago, Celeste DeWolfe fulfilled one of my big life dreams by creating the first ever Imminent Danger fan art. Now, an anonymous source whose identity must be protected for … well, for his/her own protection … has written the first ever Imminent Danger fanfiction! And it’s awesome!
The link is coming up right below. Fair warning, though — if you haven’t read the book, the fanfic probably won’t make much sense to you. To remedy this problem, I shamelessly suggest clicking the giant book cover to the right of this post and buying/reading the book ASAP!
Everyone ready? Steady? Freddy? And … link!
The first ever super awesome IMMINENT DANGER FANFICTION!!!
Awesome, right?!
For everyone who didn’t just click that link, I will now share with you some of my favourite quotes to entice you into clicking. Ready? Favourite quote #1:
Eris’s Brain: Finally, I’m free! I couldn’t stand it in there! Eris’s Heart kept going on about how cute that stupid raider was.
Eris’s Heart: HIS HAIR WAS SHAGGY AND I LOVE HIM!
Eris’s Hair has deactivated its Facebook account!
Favourite quote #2:
Varrin Gara’dar has taken the quiz “What To Say When Your Girlfriend Is Taken Hostage”!
Varrin Gara’dar has scored 0% on the quiz “What To Say When Your Girlfriend Is Taken Hostage!”
Hehehe. Okay, so now that I’ve somewhat ineffectively convinced you how awesome it is, go read it now! Or not. I’ll still like you either way.
Unrelated media of the day:
Cool opening video/song for the Civ IV game. As a history major, this gives me chills of the “Mankind freakin’ ROCKS!!!” variety.
