Avoiding Cliche Like the Plague

I’m back! I apologize for the short hiatus. From choir tours, to auditions, to funerals and more, my life has been on overdrive lately.

There have been many personal triumphs lately. For starters, if you are living in Utah, be sure to come see me perform in “The Secret Garden” at the Hale Center Theater Orem beginning in April.  You can get details at http://www.haletheater.org.

I’ll let you know of the others in my writing update. As far as writing goes, I’ve really hit my stride. Just take a look at the numbers:

Stats:

My word count for the week: 11,672

Running Total: 75,586

Writing Tip of the Week:

I’ll start sharing some tips from my presentation at UVU called “Avoiding Cliché Like the Plague”. (See picture at the beginning of the post) Here’s my first installment:

There are three kinds of cliché I try to strike out of my writing:

Cliché Phrases: “He’s as skinny as a pole.”

Cliché Plot Points: “The knight saves the damsel.”

Cliché Characters: “The elf has pointy ears, and an affinity for baking.”

All of them can helped by taking what you have and twisting it, adding a vivid detail or two.  Instead you could have:

“He’s as skinny as a melting icicle.”

“The knight’s horse saves the knight.”

“The elf is a sculptor whose greatest dream is to fly.”

Much more interesting, huh?

Writing Update:

One of my short stories “Checkin’ It Twice” was accepted into an anthology this week. It will be out in time for the holiday season.  I’ll post more when I have it.

Speaking of Christmas anthologies, I still have a few slots in my own Christmas anthology of stories based on Christmas carols. Please check it out under “current projects”. 

I’m getting ready to submit a short story to David Farland’s “Nightingale” contest. It can only be 2,500 words, but I think it’s great. Here’s hoping.

I also had two short stories become finalists in the Parables for Today contest (parablesfortoday.com). I’m waiting to hear if I’ll get one of the cash prizes (1^st-5^th place), but I’ll be happy in any case, because they will be in that anthology as well.

Things also plug along well with the novels, with about 20,000 words in each. 

“Canticle of Night” has reached over the halfway point and has been really fun.  Please take a moment to support it by clicking the ‘like’ button on the page.

If you want to listen to or read "Canticle of Night", please visit my page at http://www.bigworldnetwork.com/CanticleofNight.html

I'd love to know what you think about it!

Canticle Kingdom II and Other Great Things

I’m very pleased to announce that I will be bringing The Frozen Globe to life this year, which will be the second book in The Canticle Chronicles.  Here’s a sneak peek at the cover:

My schedule for Life, the Universe and Everything (LTUE) at Utah Valley University is as follows: (All events are on Thursday February 9^th)

11:00 AM: Middle-Grade Books for Boys

2:00 PM: Book Signing

4:00: Avoiding Cliché Like the Plague

I’m only able to attend one day, because I’m headed down to Arizona this weekend to perform in a couple of concerts. See the full schedule here:  http://www.ltue.org/LTUE_2012.html 

Stats:

My word count for the week: 10,005

Running Total: 65839

Monthly Percentage: 15.9%

Yearly Percentage: 12.8%

Writing Tip of the Week:

No matter what you do, don’t think that you can revise everything yourself.  The human mind is a strange thing, and sometimes it glosses over mistakes. Having another set of eyes on your writing will help you catch those crazy mistakes.

For example, my wife was reading through one of my manuscripts and came across a hilarious typo. Instead of saying, “He took off his hat and set it aside,” it read “He took off his head and set it aside.” 

This wasn’t supposed to be one of my science fiction or fantasy stories.

Writing Update:

I’ve crossed the 20,000 word mark on “Wandaful”, and it’s going wonderful. I’ve been working on getting “Prometheus Returns” where it needs to be to send out and continue to send out queries for “Starspire”.  I got a nice rejection letter from an agent this week who said that the manuscript had strong writing and a great concept, but that she wasn’t taking on anything else right now. She thought that it would find a home elsewhere.

“Canticle of Night” has reached over the halfway point and has been really fun.  Please take a moment to support it by clicking the ‘like’ button on the page.

If you want to listen to or read "Canticle of Night", please visit my page at http://www.bigworldnetwork.com/CanticleofNight.html

I'd love to know what you think about it!

Additional Resources:
You can find info on writing classes from OnlineUniversities.net.

Young Adult Blog Hop Winner and Upcoming Conference

Thanks to all who entered my entry on the YA Blog Hop. What a great response! As promised, I will reveal the cover of Canticle Kingdom II, but I think I will opt to do it on Monday, as we have a few other things for today.

Winner:

Congrats to Samara O Tye! You have won the drawing for a signed copy of "The Canticle Kingdom."  If you didn't win this time, rest assured there will be plenty more blog hops to do.

LDStorymakers:

I wanted to let you all know about a great writer's conference happening in May that you should all go to if you live anywhere around Utah.  It is called LDStorymakers and it has some of the best classes, workshops and agent pitch sessions in the West. Each year just keeps getting better.

You can also win a great VIP spot at the banquet there with author Kevin Anderson and others. All you have to do is help get the word out. Get the details here: http://ldstorymakerauthors.blogspot.com/2012/01/show-your-love-for-ldstorymakers.html

If you want to learn more, follow this link address: http://ldstorymakers.com/conferences/registration/
There are only a limited number of spots and many of them are filled.  Sign up soon!

Upcoming Appearances: 

I've got two great appearances coming right up in the next week.  On Saturday, Feb 4th, from 1pm - 4pm, I will be at the Sandy, UT Barnes and Noble signing both of my books as part of their semi-annual Authorpalooza. There will be tons of great authors there, so don't miss it!

I'm also presenting and signing at BYU's annual Life, the Universe, and Everything conference, being held at Utah Valley University. I will only be there on Feb the 9th, but have lots of events, such as the debut of my new presentation: "How to Avoid Cliche Like the Plague".

Futher Information:
Guide to Career Education is a resource with information on English classes.

First Lap Down!

My first month of marathon writing is over, and I’ve set a good pace. I exceeded 50,000 words to come out a little ahead. The only think is that there are eleven months to go.  I feel good about things and about how things are turning out.  I should have many completed projects by the end of the year!

Still one more day to enter the Young Adult Blog hop to win a copy of “The Canticle Kingdom”. My publisher let me know that they are working on getting it out in eBook form, and I’m very excited for that.

Stats:

My word count for the week: 13828

Running Total: 55834

Monthly Percentage: 111.7%

Yearly Percentage: 9.3%

Writing Tip of the Week:

Look out for your own pet phrases. It may be hard to spot them by yourself, so you may need to enlist the help of a friend.  You may have a favorite cliché, or even a brilliant original phrase that you just use too much.  Maybe all of your characters say the same phrase when they’re surprised. 

Search and destroy.  Or at least, mix them up a bit.

Writing Update:

I’m hard at work revising “Prometheus Returns” and hoping to get that out soon. I’m also working on a musical project called “Quest”, which is a parody of typical fantasy stories.  I hope someday to some of my works on stage.

I’m also hard at work on “Wandaful” and am well into the middle of it.  I find that the initial idea of the magic system based on color and time is evolving quite nicely and I’m loving playing the quirky characters off of each other. 

“Canticle of Night” has reached over the halfway point and has been really fun.  Please take a moment to support it by clicking the ‘like’ button on the page.

If you want to listen to or read "Canticle of Night", please visit my page at http://www.bigworldnetwork.com/CanticleofNight.html

I'd love to know what you think about it!

Related link:
OnlineEducation.org is a great resource with information on writing courses.

Young Adult Blog Hop

Welcome to another great giveaway! Just full out the form below between the 27th and 31st for a chance to win a free signed copy of "The Canticle Kingdom".  As one of the options for this contest, I have included checking out the web serial that is a prelude to "The Canticle Kingdom" called "Canticle of Night".  So, if you'd like to see (or even hear) a sample of my writing, please go visit the link provided and check it out. (Don't forget to "like" it).  In other news, I hope to get the sequel out this year, entitled "The Frozen Globe".  I already have a cover for it, and it looks awesome.  If I can get over 150 entries in this giveaway, I will reveal the cover when I announce the winner.

Don't forget to visit all the other great blogs participating in the hop using the list below the entry form.

http://www.bigworldnetwork.com/CanticleofNight.html

Interview with Jarom and Giveaway

This week I've got a another character interview, this time from Xandir's sidekick, Jarom the Cherub. 

Speaking of interviews, I have one up here on Booksnatch that includes a giveaway of "The Canticle Kingdom". Hop on over for more details.

http://booksnatch.blogspot.com/2012/01/interview-giveaway-michael-d-young.html 

Interviewer: Today with us we have Jarom the cherub. He’s looking a little shell shocked. What’s the matter, kid? Never seen a city before?

Jarom: Actually, no, not an earthly one. It’s a little…dingy.

Interviewer: What did you expect? You mean they don’t let you look down here with your little heavenly periscopes or something?

Jarom: Oh, we could. I just never wanted to. It is heaven after all.

Interviewer: So, first I want to ask, are the streets there really paved with gold?

Jarom: Gold? For a garbage can maybe. We’ve got much better stuff than gold up there.

Interviewer: Interesting. Now tell me, what about St. Peter? Does he really sit up there at the gates and wait for everyone? Sounds like that could get a little boring.

Jarom: I think it would be more accurate to say the “Saints Peter” do that job.

 Interviewer: I don’t understand.

 Jarom: The St Peter you’re thinking about only does it once in a while. Basically, they recruit anyone who happens to be named Peter and split up the shifts among them. Most newcomers are too starry-eyed to notice the difference.

Interviewer: So what’s your job up there? Do you work for Cupid or something?

Jarom: Cupid? Heavens, no. He may look cuddly, but don’t get on his bad side, and don’t even think about using the word ‘cute’. Those heart-tipped arrows are plenty sharp. I actually work in the ambrosia business.

Interviewer: Ambrosia? Tell us about it.

Jarom: It’s only best food on heaven or earth. Manna comes in at a close second. Sometimes we even mix the too and have ambrosia filled manna. Literally, a match made in heaven.

Interviewer: So would you care to share the recipe? Sounds like I could win a few contests with that one. 

Jarom: I only wish I could. Sharing the secrets of Heaven with man is a banishable offense. If you a taste, I’d have to kill you.

Interviewer: A donut to die for. Now you’re just being cruel.

Jarom: I really am sorry. One angel who gave away secrets got made a destroying angel thousands of years. I can’t think of anything worse than that.

Interviewer: Do you have a pet peeve? Do angels have pet peeves?

Jarom: I assure you they do. And I know mine. It’s when people say ‘cherubs’. It’s not a word. More than one cherub and you say ‘cherubim’. Tell your friends.

Interviewer: I know you’re busy, but is there anything else you can tell us about heaven?

Jarom: Just that it’s worth it. I miss it like crazy already, and I’d do anything to get back. Something tells me that there’s a rocky road ahead before that happens.

Interview: Thank you, Jarom. We’ll let you get on to your assignment. There you have it folks, from the mouth of an actual cherub, proving that there actually are donuts in heaven.

Blog Tour: Time Gangsters

Separately, I think that either gangsters or time travel make for an interesting read. Together they’re more powerful than a Tommy gun with a full clip. You might think that the mash up is complete, but wait…there’s more. You also need to throw in ancient Egyptian coins with magical powers.

Though this sounds like the stuff of a strange Monty Python sketch, it all works out. That is the genius of Berin’s writing: he takes off-the-wall scenarios and turns them into entertaining reads. Instead of following the trends, he creates his own. (The book is blissfully free of anything resembling a werewolf or vampire.)

Berin did an excellent job of capturing the atmosphere and language of the gangsters are the characters move back and forth in time. It was also interesting to see his magic system at play with the various coins and their powers, especially how those powers often backfired on the kids and gangsters who tried to harness them.

“Time Gangsters” is a quick and entertaining read that I’d highly recommend. The author’s vivid imagination and quirky humor shine throughout. You’ll also want to find Berin to have him sign a copy for you. The last time I saw him promoting this book, he came equipped with the pinstriped suit and fedora, though I’m guessing the bookstore frowned on him sporting anything resembling a tommy gun.

 This one’s the cat’s meow, the bee’s knees, you hear?

Order here: http://amzn.com/1599559668

Helpful Site:
Accredited Online Colleges has information on English programs of study.