How original. I am ripping off the fact that today is February 29th, a day that only comes around every four years. Mind you, if all the end-of-the-world quacks are right, it is also the last one we will ever have so why shouldn’t I take advantage of it?

But why am I so happy?

Well, beyond the obvious play on words, things seem to be coming together. It has been a long slog and I now know more than ever what Pip Ballantine was talking about when she was on Get Published. Her 12-year Overnight Success, indeed. I’m not quite to 12-years yet, but then, I’m not even close to what would be considered a writing success (again, yet).

But, as I said before, I’m getting there. Several short-stories published, my first book coming out AND I’m co-editing an anthology that is being published next year. My podcast, Get Published, is doing well enough with a continuously growing listenership (thank you to all of you who are listening) and I’ve got another podcasting project kicking off (hopefully) today.

That’s the Action Pack Podcast in case you are wondering.

And there is lots more coming too. GalaxyBillies edits are going well. My collaboration novel with JRMurdock is finished first draft and I have a number of other books and stories in the wings. I will be doing an agent search this year and I will be attending both the When Words Collide writer’s conference and World Fantasy 2012.

So there you have it. Many reasons why I should be happy with my progress. Hopefully, you are also seeing some improvements in your own lives too.

Here’s to another four years of health, happiness and growing success!

Tags: action pack podcast, anthology, boy scouts of the apocalypse, mad scientist anthology, michael plested, Michell Plested, mik murdoch, mike plested, short stories, success

A common complaint from wannabe writers is “I don’t have time to write”or “I wish I had time to write”. They go on to talk at length about how busy their lives are.

Sound familiar? Are you/were you one of those people?

OK, time for me to climb on my soapbox for a change.

It’s easy to fall back on the “life is too busy” excuse but the truth is, if writing is important to you, you will make the time.

How do I know? Well, let me see… If you are a parent and your children are busy in sports, Scouts, Guides, Dance or a myriad of other activities, you know that your schedule adjusts to their activity. If you have extra work to do, you find the time to do it too.

Why would writing be any different?

We make time for those things that are a priority in our lives. If we have too many priorities, the ones that aren’t important are the ones we give up.

That’s pretty much standard for any people I know, myself included.

So back to the “I don’t have time to write”. If writing is important to you, you DO have time to write. It might be the time you normally watch your soap operas or it might be the time you spend going down to the pub for a couple beer. It might even be that extra half hour of sleep you allow yourself every day. Simply put, it’s the time taken by any activity that is of lower priority than your writing.

Personally, I’ve almost completely given up on television. There are lots of shows I’d like to be watching, but I haven’t bothered because I can’t afford the time it would take every week. The writing and podcasting simply need too much time of their own to allow for it. I’m alright with that because I know those shows will be available on DVD one day and I can watch them then.

Is writing my number one priority? Honestly, no. My family will always hold that position, but it is definitely a strong number two and I treat it that way. I make sure my writing projects are delivered when I say they will be. That leads to bigger projects because my writing improves and people know they can rely on me.

So, if you find that you don’t have time to write it is time to reassess your priorities. Is writing important enough to sacrifice something else? If it isn’t, that’s fine. Only you know what is important to you. But if that is your choice, you need to own up to it. Don’t say you don’t have time. Admit that there are too many more important things on the go right now to write. That changes it from an excuse to a reason.

Now, isn’t that easier to live with?

If, on the other hand, you decide it is important and you make the sacrifices but STILL don’t write. Well, that’s something you need to fix. Because the only way to become a better writer is to write. Period. Natural talent, if it exists, will only get you so far. Practice is the only way to make perfect.

Thank you for reading. End of soapbox session. Mike out.

Personal Update

My story “Apprentice” will be available very VERY soon in the premier issue of Flagship magazine, published by Flying Island Press. As you can probably tell, I’m pretty excited to see one of my stories in print. I will have the link posted for all to see when I get it.

I am making some good progress on my YA revisions. I’m about 20% done and happy with the results so far.

GalaxyBillies is coming along well. Thirteen episodes have been written and podcast and I’m almost done the fourteenth. That means the story is about 67% done and I’m still having fun.

I’m also working on the plans for a new project. This one promises to be a LOT of fun. I’m really looking forward to getting a couple of my current ones put to bed so I can really get writing on this one.

That’s it for me. I hope you all have a good week and great writing.

Tags: flying island press, irreverent muse, Michell Plested, priorities, short stories, time, writing