Hey Folks, This morning, after spending about ten minutes with email and Facebook, I dived right into Smashwords. Time for some admin work and hard choices. That led to the topic below. I’ll be back tomorrow with another set of recommendations re DWS’ lectures (as opposed to his workshops). Topic: Why I’m No Longer Using Smashwords for My Novels and Short Stories This is kind of a personal author earnings report. I’ll still use Smashwords for … Read more
Hey Folks, Today will be a writing day. Not sure what yet, but a writing day. And then I’ll run the grandchild to work around 3:30. Every now and then, someone emails to ask what I think of one or another of DWS’ online workshops. As in, would I recommend it. First, I pretty generally ALWAYS recommend learning from someone who’s been-there-done-that. Especially if they’ve done it for a long time. Successfully. Because Duh. Of course, … Read more
Hey Folks, Get a free ebook containing five mystery stories from Dean Wesley Smith at http://dl.bookfunnel.com/316tz5t3km. Then go to his website and sign up for his newsletter (right sidebar). It’s supposed to be a freebie for signing up. (grin) But I doubt he’d mind me sharing this link. Well, I’d like to start a new novel today. We’ll see. I’ll ease my way into it, though. Partly because at the moment I have no clue what … Read more
Hey Folks, I apologize for the extremely short post today. Finished the novel with a LOT of cycling, a shuffling of chapters, a short story derivation and one hell of an ending. (grin) Today, and Writing Rolled out at 4. To the Hovel around 9. Mostly cycling and shuffling today, along with two good sessions. Back tomorrow. Of Interest At Dean’s place, “The Magic Bakery and a Disappearing Bundle” at http://www.deanwesleysmith.com/the-magic-bakery-and-a-disappearing-bundle/. If you’re interested in copyright, … Read more
Hey Folks, I encourage you to read this post even if you think you’ve heard it before. Especially if you don’t get it. I’m coming at it from a new direction. When I was a GED/college instructor, and later when I taught writing seminars, I soon found that not all students “got it” when I approached a topic from a certain perspective. So I soon learned to gauge student reactions, most notably their eyes or the … Read more
Hey Folks, Well, both yesterday and this morning I thought I’d finish this short novel today. Ain’t gonna happen. It’ll wrap tomorrow, though, no problem. This is kind of a “pulp detective” novel. A lot of tension, a lot of detail. So a lot of cycling. Thank goodness for computers, eh? The old pulp guys wrote on typewriters and they were paid by the word. So they learned their craft. They didn’t have cycling, and they … Read more
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) … Read more
Hey Folks, Wow, announcement remorse, eh? Yesterday I announced I plan to do a seminar and a workshop in the Phoenix and Tucson metro areas and in Cochise County Arizona. I believe I was thinking out loud. When I read the announcement myself in the post, I finally got a clue. If I do that, it will be in the future. Far enough in the future so I can set up a large venue and Fill … Read more
Hey Folks, Well, like the man said, Another day, another two dolla’s an’ fo’ty cent. I’ve learned a great deal about the craft of writing over the past couple of years. In that time, I stopped teaching seminars in order to focus more tightly on my own writing. Also in that time, I’ve written 22 novels, 2 novellas, and over 160 short stories. I’m currently working on my 23rd novel, and before this month is out, … Read more
Hey Folks, Well, I should have mostly a full day of writing today. Still having a little trouble actually writing the whole time I’m in the chair. (grin) Just gotta keep working on it. Today, and Writing Rolled out at 3:30 and made it out to the Hovel by 7:30. Jumped right back into an unfinished scene from yesterday. Also wrote a reverse outline for what I’ve done so far. Wow. Cycling, and by 10 I … Read more