Books by Michael D. Young

NaNoWriMo!

October 31st, 2010

November is National Novel Writer’s Month! This means that writers everywhere are taking up the challenge of writing 50,000 words (a mid-sized novel) during the month of November.

Last year, I took up the challenge and wrote 50,000 words towards the sequel to my first novel “The Canticle Kingdom” (which is now at my publisher for consideration). It is a brutal challenge, but one that’s a lot of fun. This year, I have been working on creating outlines for other projects that I’ve had, and I have decided to work on one of those for which I already have an outline.

The working title of my work is called “The Dreamspire”, and it is a YA Fantasy set in our world. It follows Tyson, a young boy who accidently swallowed a magic gem as a baby. Sometimes, when he dreams, the gem turns his dreams into reality. When he falls asleep during a low-quality magic show, his dreams turn the unskilled magician into a powerful wizard, who casts a spell on Tyson to make him sleep indefinitely. Tyson then begins dream and his imagination creates a tower around him that grows and grows as he has more and more dreams.

His parents must scale the tower and find away to wake up their little boy, before they lose him forever.

I’ll keep track of my progress on this blog. Stay tuned!

If you would like to participate in NaNoWriMo, visit the official site at http://www.nanowrimo.org..
October 28th, 2010

Head over to Tristi Pinkston’s blog for her latest installment of Making Friends Monday. Here’s a little bit about her.

Tristi Pinkston has been blogging since 2006. On her main blog, (http://www.tristipinkston.blogspot.com) she covers everything from writing tips and the life of a published author to kid funnies, spiritual thoughts, and embarrassing moments. She also has a weight loss blog, one for writing challenges, another for her fictional characters … and she lost count of how many others she has. You can find the links for them on her sidebar.

Tristi is the author of five published novels and a whole kit ‘n caboodle of unpublished novels. Right now she’s focusing on cozy mysteries, although she has written historical fiction in the past and plans to write more in that genre. She works as a freelance editor, online writing instructor, and a virtual book tour coordinator. She loves taking long naps, being charmingly annoying, and watching good movies. She’s a Mormon, a homeschooler, a Cubmaster, and most of the time, a headless chicken.

Thanks Tristi!
The 13th Reality: Adventures in Quantum Physics

October 21st, 2010

http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=thecant-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=B002QX44BK&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr

http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=thecant-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=B002QXO6UE&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr

http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=thecant-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=1606412396&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr

Quantum Physics is not usually a topic for light reading. However, in this popular series, it’s the bread and butter and very interesting. The premise is based on a number of alternate realities, of which ours is the 1st or Prime reality. Each reality is a strange take on our own with alternate versions of all the people in our reality. The heroes use a variety of high-tech gadgets and certain people can control a power which works a bit like the Force in Star Wars. This force congregates around people and places where great choices have taken place.

The plots are very clever, with the heroes having to solve a variety of strange riddles, which are enough to scratch the head, but not enough to hopelessly confound. The characters are varied and interesting, and provide a constant stream of snappy dialog. What I enjoyed most about the series thus far, was that the ideas seemed fresh, and I didn’t feel like I had read it before. The artwork accompanying the series is also intriguing, and adds to the overall appeal.

The series should appeal to a wide age group from Middle Grade to Young Adult (and, well, I liked it as a adult as well)

There is a fourth installment which comes out in 2011. I’ll be picking up my copy.
Sentence Soup

October 19th, 2010

In talking to the young people about writing sentences that flow well together, I told them that writing a story was like making a good soup.

First I asked, what makes up a good soup? I got all sorts of answers, from chicken, to veggies, to noodles and crackers. So we decided that a good soup has a lot of good ingredients, but not too many of any one ingredient.

I then asked them if any of them like pepper on their soup. Many hands went up. Then, I asked, “But what if I came over and dumped the whole pepper shaker into your soup. Would you like that?” No one did.

So we agreed, that having too much of any one ingredient or spice can spoil the soup. The same goes with writing. Here are the ingredients that I mentioned to them:

Sentence length: Mix up long and short sentences to make things more interesting.
Describing words: Add some adjectives and adverbs, but be careful not to add too many. (It’s like too much pepper)
Types of sentence beginnings: Sometimes leading with subject and verb, and other times leading with a clause.
Using strong, concrete verbs: Think of different ways to say common words such as “walk” and “talk” to paint a more exact picture.
Have perfect punctuation: Use it when you need it, but don’t overdo it, such as using more than one “!”

I think the soup analogy really helped the students grasp what I was saying, and I think it is a concept that any writer should think about.

Please join me next week for another installment, and on Thursday for a review of the first three books of the 13th Reality series by James Dashner.
Roy Writing: Week One-Organizing Your Writing

October 12th, 2010

The great thing about organizing your writing, is that there is no one right way to do it. The best way to do it, is whatever works for you. This often comes down to personal preference and style. Different writers also want/need different levels of organization, running the whole gambit of micromanaging to only placing the biggest “landmarks” of a story to hit along the way.

My presentation to the students focused on giving a few ideas to try out to see what works for them. I encouraged them to organize both their plot, but also their characters.

Here are some of the ideas:

Organizing Your Plot:

o Sticky notes: Write down scenes or events that will happen and then rearrange them. (Put them in the beginning, middle and end piles)

o Write an outline on paper or on the computer. This can be like an essay, or in columns such as “Beginning, Middle, and End”

o Create a timeline and place the events of your story in order.

o Create an idea web with one bubble for each scene. Make branches off each scene or chapter that describe what you want to happen and what the reader should feel.

Organizing Your Characters:

o Write a “wanted” poster

oWrite a letter as one character to another

o Write the character’s eulogy

o Keep a “character book” which has how they look and how they feel in it

o Create a problem (like a flat tire) and then write how each of your characters would handle it.

See the entire presentation here, and find out how writing a good plot is liking riding a good roller coaster. (The presentation is attached to the page and is called “Organizing Your Writing.pptx”)

Feel free to post additional idea you have!
Roy Elementary Author Visit

October 6th, 2010

This week, I had one of the best experiences of my writing career. I had privilege of visiting Roy Elementary in Roy, UT to get the students excited about writing. They are putting on a “Young Authors Fair” later this school year, and my visit was to help them prepare for that.

I gave two different assemblies to the school to talk about how I became and author (and how they can too) and then I was off to the classrooms. Over the course of two days, I visited 21 different classrooms, ranging from Kindergarten to Sixth Grade. Each teacher had been stressing some part of writing in their classrooms and they had me give one of four presentations about an aspect of writing that they wanted their students to work on. I was so impressed how well-behaved the students were and how many of them were excited about learning how to write and telling their own stories.

It was a bit of a challenge tailoring my presentations to match the needs and learning levels of such a wide variety of age groups (for example, in Kindergarten, we just talked about ways to use your imagination, while in sixth grade, I could hold a lengthy discussion about the elements of a story), but in the end, I feel that I got the hang of it.

From an author’s point of view, it was a very worthwhile exercise. The principal suggested that I have books on hand for the students to purchase, and through this, I sold 33 books, which is far greater than most events that I hold in bookstores.

As a teacher, the experience was incredibly satisfying, as I saw those young minds light up and ask very intelligent questions about writing and I could tell they were getting excited about it.

I want to make the presentations I used available for use by other writers and by other teachers. There are four in all, including:

How to Organize Your Writing
Sentence Fluency
Brainstorming
Hooking Your Reader

I am going to use this opportunity to explore each of these topics on my blog; once a week for four weeks. I will prepare a post on this topic and then the PowerPoint presentation file available for free download.

I would love to hear about other opportunities to visit schools. If you know of any such opportunities, please contact me at thecanticlekingdom@gmail.com.
Book Review: Alma the Younger

September 28th, 2010

http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=thecant-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=1608610209&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifrThough this is the third book in Moore’s series of historical fiction based on the events of the Book of Mormon and the first one that I’ve picked up. (It is nice that you can read the books in any order)

I have read The Book of Mormon many times and I think sometimes, it is easy to get into a rut where you start to forget that they were real people will real lives, which were much more complex than was recorded in the record that we have. The author does a wonderful job of bringing these well-known characters to life and giving them a plausible life story, all while hitting the major points from the original record.

She also mixes in aspects of culture extrapolated from Central American and Mayan culture. On top of this, she cites her sources, which made me feel like she had done considerable research before writing this novel so that the facts would be plausible. I think this added a nice flavor to the novel and gave me food for thought outside the main story.

The story is so interesting that I think that this book can be understood and enjoyed even by those who have not read the Book of Mormon. The themes of broken and reunited families, class inequalities, abuses of power, fall and redemption, love lost and gained are those which can be enjoyed by all readers, LDS or not. Now that I have enjoyed this volume, I intend to go back and search out the other ones. I will go ahead and list them below if you are also interested.

http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=thecant-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=1598118641&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr

http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=thecant-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=1598116541&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr
Review: Pocket of Guilt

September 21st, 2010

http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=thecant-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=1589824903&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifrI have always enjoyed a good historical fiction and this one takes an angle that I have not yet seen. It follows the plight of a German LDS Family through World War II and the challenges placed upon their faith.

I have read many different books about the time period, and this one still brought me new insight. The author did a great job of providing references and a timeline of events It was faith-promoting and interesting and eye-opening all at the same time.

Above all, it made me grateful to live in the country in which I live at the time that I do. The freedoms I enjoy now, I should never take for granted. It’s especially interesting for me, who has lived in Germany and has seen first-hand the effects on those whose parents and grandparents suffered through this pivotal time.
Guest Blogger Appearance at Anne Bradshaw’s Place

September 15th, 2010

I have a guest post on Anne Bradshaw’s blog. Anne is the author of “Famous Family Nights”, among other things. Thanks to Anne for posting this. The topic is “Five Things Every Aspiring Author Should Know”, drawn from my experience of recently making the jump from “aspiring” to “published. I hope you enjoy!

http://annebradshaw.blogspot.com/2010/09/guest-blogger-author-michael-young.html

http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=thecant-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=1599552922&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr
Take a Bow: “The Road Show”

September 7th, 2010

http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=thecant-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=1599553562&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr

Debut author Braden Bell has put together a richly-woven story that highlights how people can change for the better. Each character in his cast struggles with a personal Goliath – from chronic illness, to depression, to being socially backward, to a crippling addition to pornography. All of these things overshadow these people’s lives, until a “road show” brings them together. For the uninitiated, a “road show” is a 10-15 minute theatrical production put on members of an LDS congregation. Through putting together show, each of the characters are given experiences that allow them to start changing their lives for the better and allow the wounds of the past to heal.

That author did a wonderful job of drawing together a number of stories into a cohesive story. I was also impressed at the kind of issues he decided to tackle. It is interesting that he selected problems that I am sure many people struggle with, but are too embarrassed to get help about, or don’t know how. I’m sure I’ve known people with these types of problems, but I was oblivious to their pain. The book awoke in me a great sense of empathy for my fellow men and women and uplifted me greatly. Any book that can do that is worth a read.

Please support this budding talent and pick up a copy of “The Road Show.” You’ll be glad you did.