I couple weeks ago my publisher, Robert Runte’, suggested I changed this website’s tagline from “from an amateur’s perspective” to “from a former amateur’s perspective.” I thought about his comment for a couple days before I went ahead and made the change as he suggested because…well, I AM being paid for my writing (more often than not) which, by definition, makes me a professional writer. That doesn’t mean I have arrived and can quit learning, however. I’ve still got LOTS to learn. That means, I still have lots to share. For example, I’m only just going into my second book’s edits. It is the second book in a series, which is also new to me. In case you didn’t hear, I […]
Read moreTag: mike plested
Point of View
I’ve had a couple of things happen in the past day or so that makes me realize that what I see is not necessarily what others see too. Or, at least, not exactly the same. I guess it goes back to the saying that if you ask ten people about an event you will get ten different stories. Some of the details will likely match, but outside of that, the renditions might be very different. That got me thinking about my writing. I normally focus on seeing the story through the eyes of the major character, whether it is the protagonist or antagonist. That has always seemed more real. More in the heart of things. That gives me the opportunity […]
Read moreMik Murdoch and the Power Within is Ready for Editing
I was going to title this post, “Mik Murdoch and the Power Within is Finished” but that really isn’t true. I still have to do a polishing edit before I send it to my publisher and editor. Once they have it, it will be edited/revised/re-edited to within an inch of its life. Then it will get a cover and layout followed by release as and ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) for review and finally it will be available for sale. That means we are still a few months away from it being generally available. The book ended up finishing at slightly more than 65,000 words, 29,000 of which I wrote during my vacation (which ended yesterday, unfortunately). What the final, published count […]
Read moreResetting Expectations
I’ve talked about setting goals before. I am a big fan of using goals to succeed in my writing. Sometimes, unfortunately, I lose sight of my goals. It could be because of just about anything. Recently, concerns about my job were…distracting me from my writing. When that happens, it can be hard to get the writing, or whatever project the goal is related to, back underway. When I find myself floundering too long, I try to set a line in the sand to force myself back on track. For example, we were planning vacation and I knew we would be doing a significant amount of driving. Since my wife prefers to do the actual driving while I navigate (don’t laugh, […]
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