Hey Folks,
I talk a lot in this Journal about Dean Wesley Smith and his lectures and workshops.
One reason for that is that he (along with his wife, Kristine Kathryn Rusch) is a long-term fiction writer who has made his living with his writing for about four decades.
Lest you think they write only SF, they don’t. Both of them write across all genres.
And unlike most writers in their position, they (and especially Dean) share what they know. I’m not aware of any other successful long-term fiction writers who do that. Not by half.
Yesterday, in an exchange with him, I learned a great deal more about who Dean is as a person. The “type” of person he is. And I was impressed pretty much beyond words. That is not a usual situation for me.
I won’t elaborate because it was a personal exchange, but let me say this unequivocally:
Dean’s lectures and workshops are WELL worth the money and time you spend on them. He honestly wants to help, and he will do all he can in that endeavor.
If you’re serious about the craft of writing, his workshops truly are an investment in your future.
Especially if you prefer doing business with people who always give their best and are honest to a fault.
If you want to advance in the craft or business of writing, consider investing in some of his training.
You can find his site at http://deanwesleysmith.com.
While you’re there, I encourage you to click his Online Workshops tab and sign up for a workshop that specifically addresses a weakness in your own writing. Seriously.
The regular 6-week workshops are $300 and worth every penny. That’s $50 a week for professional instruction.
Many of them now are “classic” workshops (so 1/2 price at only $150), meaning you don’t get personal feedback but you can return to them at any time in the future.
I also recommend you visit Kristine Kathryn Rusch’s site at http://kriswrites.com. Hover your mouse over the Business Resources tab and check out the stuff below it. Amazing.
Especially Business Musings and the Discoverability Series. But they’re all informative, depending on what you need.
Today, and Writing
Rolled out at 2 this morning! Woohoo! As usual, I’ll use the early hours to wake up and for admin stuff.
At 6 (first light) I headed for the Hovel. A little bit of admin stuff, then to the novel by 6:30.
I cycled through more of the novel until around 8:30. Then to the grocery with my wife.
At 10 back to the novel.
Well, this will be a full day, but a very fragmented one.
I cycled from 6:30 to 8:30, then worked on the novel only sporadically from 10 until 3. Took a few short breaks and a few longer ones.
One of the longer ones was to acquaint my grandson with the working end of a shovel. He wants to plant tomatoes. He didn’t think about the prep. Now he knows.
And while Grandma was supervising (I was writing), she flirted with heat exhaustion. That was the other long break.
Got her a wet cloth and some water while I was mixing up a batch of Gatorade. Dumped the trash (she had added to it in a most unladylike fashion) and back to the novel.
This novel probably will end tomorrow. I didn’t expect it to end this soon. I was hoping for 35,000 to 40,000 words for both novels this month, but I think this first one’s going to come in at around 26,000 to 30,000.
That’s fine. In my own Fiction Lengths chart, a short novel runs from 25,000 to 40,000 words.
Back tomorrow.
Of Interest
At Dean’s place, “Strength: Regular Business Now Available.” See http://www.deanwesleysmith.com/strength-regular-business-now-available/.
Fiction Words: 2610
Nonfiction Words: 590 (Journal)
So total words for the day: 3200
Writing of Novel One (tentative title, natch)
Day 1…… 3442 words. Total words to date…… 3442
Day 2…… 2089 words. Total words to date…… 5531
Day 3…… 3018 words. Total words to date…… 8549
Day 4…… 2882 words. Total words to date…… 11431
Day 5…… 5117 words. Total words to date…… 16548
Day 6…… 3985 words. Total words to date…… 20533
Day 7…… 1434 words. Total words to date…… 21967
Day 8…… 2610 words. Total words to date…… 24577
Total fiction words for the month……… 24577
Total fiction words for the year………… 176443
Total nonfiction words for the month… 6050
Total nonfiction words for the year…… 42640
Total words for the year (fiction and nonfiction)…… 219083