Michelle Proulx's Blog, page 6

Story Bundle

Fellow author Misha Burnett has gotten his book into an awesome story bundle! Also, check out this really neat “immerse or die” review concept. I’m tempted to submit Imminent Danger, but I don’t handle rejection well, lol.

mishaburnett

I’ve mentioned Jefferson Smith’s Immerse Or Die Report before.

The concept is brutal in its simplicity.  Every morning he takes a self-published novel or story collection and gets on his treadmill for forty minutes. When he runs across something that breaks immersion–unclear syntax, wooden dialogue, boring exposition, pretty much anything that makes him look away from the page–the work gets one strike.  Three strikes, and it’s out.  The ones that make it past the forty minute mark without collecting three strikes are considered survivors.

EDITED TO ADD:  I was reminded that Jefferson Smith is joined by David Higgins in the “test to destruction” review process.  Dave’s no pushover, either.

It’s a tough standard–kind of a Gobi torture test for literature.

Of the two hundred and five novels that he put through the mill in 2015,he chose nine survivors to be included in the 2015 Immerse Or Die Story Bundle.

As…

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My Easily Distracted Muse

As a writer, you’d think constant visits from my muse with inspiration for stories would be a good thing, right?

Wrong.

So very, very wrong.

Right now, my one and only goal is to write the first draft of Cerulean Bound (Imminent Danger #3). It’s slow going, for several reasons. Firstly, I have a vague concept of what’s going to happen, but not too many details hammered out, so I’m constantly going back and changing what I’ve already written to accommodate the latest plot point I’ve decided to go with.

Secondly, I’m getting bogged down a little by the whole “this is the third book, people are expecting certain things, if you don’t live up to their expectations you’re going to disappoint them and lose all your fans” thing. I mean, by the time my mother gets done ripping the story apart and sewing it back together I’m sure it will be amazing, but self-doubt is still a wicked powerful demotivator.

And thirdly … my damn muse keeps getting distracted!

Whilst attempting to write a science fiction novel, I’ve decided to fill my non-writing time by watching The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, and by reading the new Cassandra Clare novel The Iron Trial, which is influenced by Harry Potter. Seeing any connections between these films and novels? They’re all fantasy! And I’m trying to write a science fiction novel. Brilliant, Michelle. Just brilliant.

The end result, of course, is that my muse is cartwheeling around and coming up with all sorts of awesome fantasy stories, and I’m sitting here at my computer trying to shove all the wizards and dragons and elementals out of my head so I can focus on starships and aliens and space jelly. To quote Darth Vader, Noooooooooooooooooooo!!!

So, yeah. That’s what I’m dealing with right now. Anyone have any muse stories they want to share?

 

Unrelated media of the day:

I was so sad to hear of David Bowie’s passing. What an amazing man, and such a talented musician. Today’s unrelated media is one of my absolute favorite David Bowie performances of all time.

2016 New Year’s Resolutions

It’s not really until you take a step back and look at the past year that you get a true appreciation for how your life is going. And I have to say, my life is going pretty well. Not bragging or anything — just grateful. I may not be a best-selling author or a brilliant neurosurgeon or anything, but all in all I’m quite satisfied with where I’m at. And that’s really all that matters, isn’t it?

And now, the resolutions! In no particular order, this year I would like to:

Write every day. It doesn’t have to be a lot, and it doesn’t have to be any good, but I definitely want to get back into the habit of daily writing. NaNoWriMo is a fantastic motivator, but I want to have that kind of motivation all the time. And I’m so tired of having all these amazing stories floating around in my head just waiting to be written down, but stuck eternally in limbo because I don’t have the mental discipline to sit down and actually write them. Currently I’m working on a few projects (including Cerulean Bound — banged out the first chapter yesterday!), and hopefully at least a few of them will actually get completed this year.
Get down to 140 lbs. I won’t tell you where I’m at right now, but let’s just say it’s above where I should be. Not drastically so, but enough that my old pants don’t fit, which is both frustrating and inconvenient. I don’t have plans to become a bikini model or anything — I just want to fit in my pants, dammit! I’ve managed to drop about 12 lbs since I started counting calories back in September, so hopefully I can keep it up.
Stop sweating the small stuff. I fully admit that I have some anger problems. Not in the sense that I randomly flip out at people — I just find little stuff irrationally irritating, and after silently fuming about it for a bit (or a while), I have to take a step back and be like, “Michelle, for the love of sandwiches calm down, it’s totally not a big deal.” So ideally I’d like to be able to go straight from “getting irritated” to “calming down”, and skip the “fuming about it” part entirely. Because, at the end of the day, all I really want is to …
Be happy. Let’s be clear — I’m pretty darn happy already! I just want to continue being so. That means doing things I enjoy, spending time with people I enjoy, accomplishing the things I set out to accomplish, and generally feeling content with the life I’ve carved out for myself. Part of how I’m going to do that is every night I’m going to write down one thing I did that day that I’m proud of or that I enjoyed. And then, whenever I’m feeling down, I’ll flip open my little notebook and remind myself of all the reasons I have to be happy. And, hopefully, there’ll be a lot of them!

So those are my resolutions for 2016. What’s on your list?

Oh, and … HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

 

Unrelated media of the day:

Book Review: Imminent Danger: And How to Fly Straight into It – Michelle Proulx

Hilarious review of Imminent Danger! Laughed so hard reading this. Awesome way to end the day :)

Title & Author: Imminent Danger: And How to Fly Straight into It by Michelle Proulx

Genre:  Young Adult- Sci-Fi, Romance

Release Date: January 11, 2015

Series: Imminent Danger #1

Publisher: Amazon Digital Services, Inc

Source: Provided by Author

Description: High school junior Eris Miller thinks she’s having a bad day when her roommate’s boyfriend catches her stepping out of the shower wearing nothing but a towel. Then she gets abducted by scaly six-armed aliens with a strange fondness for the color blue, and her day suddenly gets a whole lot worse.

Trapped on a spaceship bound for the slave markets of Sirius B, Eris fears she’ll never see her home again. But then fate whisks her away from her reptilian captors and into the arms of Varrin, a fast-talking space pirate who promises to deliver her safely back to Earth. He claims to have her best interests at…

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10 Things Writers Need To Stop Doing

You Write Fiction

I’m going to be brief and to the point today. This is a message for every writer out there, myself included. You need to stop…

…Defining success by number of book sales.

…Pressuring yourself to always write well.

…Assuming no one wants to read your work.

…Writing what everyone else is writing just to feed the market.

…Doubting your own talent, skills, and dedication.

…Equating a missed quota or wordless day with failure.

…Getting pulled down by bad reviews or negative criticism.

…Paying attention to unwarranted opinions on what you should or shouldn’t write.

…Trying to write stories and characters that will please everyone.

…Finding excuses to not get back to work and finish that story.

You’re better than all of that. Keep calm and write on, friend.

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It’s My Birthday!!!

Happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me …

That’s right, folks, today is the magical day when, 27 long years ago, I came into this world. I think it’s been a pretty good run so far. Here are some of my random life snippets, in no particular order:

Met and now live with some of the best friends this life has to offer (and went to one of their concerts last night!)
Developed an everlasting obsession with poodles thanks to my childhood pet Cocoa
Earned a Bachelor’s Degree in History and Classical Studies (have not found a use for it yet, but am working on it!)
Utilized a wandering group of fifth graders to save a tent from collapsing
Moved to South Korea for a year and taught English / explored / had a blast / fell in love with KPOP
Learned to play, with level of competence in descending order: piano, alto sax, handbells, recorder, trumpet
Wrote and published two books, with a third on the way!
Perfected the gooey and delicious pineapple upside-down cake recipe

If you have any fun and random life snippets, I’d love to hear them! And while you’re compiling your list, remember that Imminent Danger is free to download this weekend, and Chasing Nonconformity is on sale the 23rd to the 30th of December. Want to give me an awesome birthday gift? Read and review one of my books!

Stay awesome, my friends, and party on!

 

Unrelated media of the day:

Monday Writing Update

NaNoWriMo is officially over, and I have officially … lost.

Dammit.

Now, in my defense, I came pretty darn close. I started at 31,881 words and ended at  71,889 words, which means I wrote a grand total of 40k words. Not quite 50k, but still a great deal more than what I started with! So, I’m calling this one a moderate success.

Of course, my story is still in shambles. I’ve reached about the 1/3 point in the plot, and I’m 70k words in. So that means the book is on track to be 210k words long. Yikes. Excessive editing and cutting and rewriting will cut that down, but it’ll be a hassle for sure.

In other news, I’ve recently launched a proofreading service. This is partially because I’m good at proofreading and want to do more of it, and partially because my income is laughable at the moment and I need to pay rent. So, if you’re looking for someone to proofread your next book before it goes live, hit me up! The going rate is $0.0015 per word, which works out to $150 for a 100k word novel.

My final life update is something I mentioned before, but am still excited about–I’ve acquired a seasonal job at a local tea shop! The hours are whacky, and I’m having a devil of a time remember the 150+ teas we sell (and by “devil of a time”, I mean it will never happen), but it’s still been quite enjoyable thus far. Money is always nice, not to mention it gives me a reason to leave the house and get a bit of exercise. I won’t be able to head back to Ontario for Christmas this year, but I’m planning an awesome road trip in January/February once the contract’s over so I can go see my folks. Huzzah!

I think that’s about it. What are you awesome people up to these days? Any fun holiday plans? What’s your favorite kind of tea? Let me know in the comments!

 

Unrelated media of the day:

How To Pull Off the Perfect Crime

Tired of getting all your criminal how-to tips from heist movies? Well, look no further, my friend! I’ve got you covered. Follow this simple series of steps, and you too can become an infamous master criminal the likes of which the world has never seen.

How To Pull Off the Perfect Crime

Spend years plotting the perfect crime. Obsess over every detail, cover your walls in newspaper clippings and hastily-scribbled notes on napkins–the works. It is literally impossible to overthink this. The perfect crime cannot be rushed!
Today’s the day! But before you start your crime spree, you should definitely stock up on snacks. If things go south and you need to make a quick getaway, you’ll want nourishment for the road. So, head to your local convenience store and pick out some tasty foodstuffs.
As you approach the counter, remember that you’re a master criminal the likes of which the world has never seen. You shouldn’t have to pay for a few bags of potato chips! Turn around and walk right out of that store without paying.
The cashier is telling you to pay for the chips, or they’ll blow your head off with a shotgun. Ignore them. You’re a master criminal, and crime doesn’t pay.
Flinch and duck when the cashier pulls out a shotgun and attempts to blow your head off.
Do a graceful 180 degree spin and throw the chips at the cashier. While they’re perplexed by bags of potato chips flying at their face, dive over the counter and initiate a desperate grapple for possession of the shotgun.
Successfully acquire the shotgun. You now have a loaded weapon, your face is caught on security cameras, and the cashier is cowering at your feet. It’s okay. You can still salvage this mess. I believe in you.
Take the cashier hostage. Use some zipties to bind their hands, and throw them in the backseat of your getaway vehicle. Looks like you’re making your getaway a bit sooner than you’d expected. Don’t forget to grab some more chips before you leave, though. You earned them.
Drive off down the highway, ignoring the whimpering cashier in the backseat. Whatever you do, do not speed. As far as you know, the cops aren’t on your tail yet. If you just drive the speed limit and keep a low profile–
I told you not to speed! I know you’re in a hurry, but come on. Now you’ve got a cop car right behind you, flashing its lights and blaring its siren. You can’t pull over–you have a tied up cashier in the backseat. What are you going to do now, genius?
Apparently you’ve decided to engage in a high-speed car chase. In a beat-up old car, on a half tank of gas, on a two-lane highway in the middle of nowhere. Where exactly are you planning on going? There aren’t any alleys you can hide in, or clever turns you can make to lose the cops. It’s literally a straight road. And there’s an eighteen-wheeler up ahead slowing down traffic. I know surrender doesn’t sound like a great option, but it’s starting to look like it might be your only–
I stand corrected. Clearly, the best move here is to zoom out into oncoming traffic to pass the eighteen-wheeler. The cashier in the backseat is now screaming. Judging by the smell, they’ve also wet their pants. Or was that you? Either way, you should really consider cracking a window.
Okay, so you’ve managed to put some distance between you and the cop thanks to some truly impressive reckless driving. You need to get off the highway. Right. Now.
Take the next exit and zoom down the main street of a small fishing village on the coast. This is good. Villages mean multiple streets, which means you’ll at least have a chance of losing the cops. Turn down that alley there and–
Or you could just keep rampaging down the main street. Sure. Whatever makes you happy. You should really consider turning, though, because I’m pretty sure the street ends up ahead and turns into a dock, and the last time I checked, this car isn’t amphibi–
SPLOOSH.
Goddammit.
I really hope you know how to swim.

 

Unrelated media of the day:

Help! NaNoWriMo Woes

We’re now on day 23 of NaNoWriMo, and I am very woeful. Apart from being 5 days behind on my word count (noooooo), I’ve also encountered a very frustrating problem that I’m hoping y’all might have some advice for me on.

Essentially, my story is going to be too long. Like, massively too long. I’ve spent the past two years turning this story over in my mind, working out all the details and character arcs and whatnot. But now that I’m putting it on paper, it’s way too long. I just hit 63k words, and I’m not even at the halfway point yet. Not even close. Right now, the story’s looking to be 150k+ words. Which, for a YA novel, is … not good.

So I’m basically looking for suggestions on how to proceed. Obviously the book can’t stay that long. But what’s my best option for dealing with this?

A) Keep writing, and finish the first draft. Once it’s all done, go back, re-read, and re-evaluate the story. Cut out unnecessary scenes, tighten phrasing, etc., and get it down to a reasonable word count.

B) Stop writing. Re-read what I’ve got and tighten it up now, so I can keep writing off a solid base.

C) Keep writing, and finish the first draft. Don’t go crazy cutting scenes — just let the story be how long it needs to be. If that’s too long for traditional YA books, either embrace it and publish anyway, or pursue other publishing formats — i.e., release the story in multiple parts (ala Lord of the Rings) at a reduced price

D) Whatever y’all can come up with!

Right now I’m leaning toward option A, because I figure getting it all down on paper first is my best bet before I start chopping stuff. But I welcome any and all suggestions!

While you come up with awesome advice for me, please also enjoy the very chill unrelated media of the day.

 

(Very Chill) Unrelated Media of the Day:

Writing Prompt Wednesday: Zodiac Fun

So I was at the library today working on my “teenagers killing each other in space” story, and I ran across a book about astrology and writing. As in, how to use astrology to improve your writing. I think. I haven’t read it yet. The important thing is it’s filled with hundreds of absolutely phenomenal writing prompts, and I’ve decided to share one of them with you today.

So, without further ado, here is today’s writing prompt (inspired by my star sign, Sagittarius):

How is your character like a horse?

Yes, you read that right. That is an actual writing prompt. And now, because I’m in a silly mood, I shall attempt to answer it using my dear protagonist Eris Miller, space-adventuring heroine of the Imminent Danger series. Hold on to your horses …

Much like a horse, Eris is a four-limbed mammal born of a male and female of the same species–unlike a mule, which is of course the result of a horse and a donkey (in Spanish, “el burro” [often mistaken with “el burrito”, a traditional Mexican tortilla dish]) falling in love and emulating their avian and anthophila brethren in their time-honored mating tradition. Also similar to a horse, Eris has proportionally more hair on her head than the rest of her body, can move at different speeds (although speed names differ [walk, jog, run vs. walk, trot, gallop]), and communicates via emitting sound waves from her vocal cords. She has little interest in eating oats and hay, although she has been known to enjoy a sugar cube or two on occasion.

So there we have it! Writing prompt success. If you would care to compare your character to a horse (or any animal, for that matter) please feel free to do so in your own post, or in the comments below.

And now I shall be off, so I can go stirrup more trouble …

 

Totally related media of the day:

Source: http://funnystack.com/