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Catching Up… To Do or Not To Do?
A Great Question… I got that question from a writer just today and I had a pretty simple answer for him. But there is more to my answer than what I was able to give him at the spur of the moment. I said this: Try to catch up if doing so is possible and will be challenging. If impossible to catch up, then simply reset the challenge and start fresh. Sounds simple until you start figuring out if something is impossible or not. Sometimes you just know you have screwed the pooch. No catching up is possible. Reset and restart!!! But other times the added challenge makes it even…
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Time of Great Forgetting…
It Is Back, Stronger Than Before… In all my years of watching writers go through this period from April to the middle-end of July, break all streaks, get too busy to write, actually forget about writing and publishing completely, I have not seen a year this bad. I got a hunch there is one major reason. This is the first spring in two years that we feel (as a population) safe enough to get out and do things in most parts of the world. So wow, all that postponed stuff from the last two years is going to be done this year no matter what. I get that, I really…
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Finally Getting Some Things Caught Up…
Not Everything, Yet, But Gaining… Today I finished all the layout of Smith’s Monthly #60. Yes, realize or try to imagine 60 monthly issues. Five full years, although there was a 2 year gap in there when Kris was sick and we had to get down here to Vegas. But now still going strong. And I also did the introduction and got everything together for Smith’s Monthly #61. Will turn that in after a day or so. And also got a bunch done today on the next issue of Pulphouse Fiction Magazine. Got to get that turned in. So all kinds of fun projects. And a very strange Sky Tate…
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Spent a Bunch of Hours Doing Layout…
So My Eyes Are Worn Out… Worked for maybe four hours down in intense details laying out an issue of Smith’s Monthly, so realized as I came back up here that my eye(s) were exhausted and I had better not press much more. So this will be short and I won’t even finish up my email until tomorrow. Also did some recording today which also takes energy and took two naps which I think tire me out more than not. So calling computer work done for the day after this. In other words, a filler blog to keep the streak alive at (3,650 minus 98) 3,552 days without missing a…
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Another General Day
Some New Covers, Workshops Caught Up, Other Stuff… Didn’t get a story done tonight, didn’t even start one. Just did other stuff. Tomorrow back on a regular story per day again. Should be interesting to fire back up. I really miss not being regular at it. I think this is day #111 or so, and I think I have about 90 or so stories done. I’ll know more tomorrow as I finally start using my new tracking and filing system. But 90 sure isn’t bad and 21 is easy to make up. Should have that made up around August 1st. Maybe sooner if I get on a run. So not…
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THE 2022 WRITE STUFF BUNDLE
WOW, THIS IS A GREAT BUNDLE!!! And it has a $150 Pop-Up class in it as well, all part of the ten projects to help with your writing and publishing. Kris curated this and did a fantastic job. This one is worth grabbing, folks, and telling people about. You can get it at www.storybundle.com/writing. And while you are at Storybundle, Kris and I both have books and one of our major collections in Celestial Sagas bundle put together by Robert Jeschonick. It is a great one. So you can grab a bundle to help you with the writing and publishing and a bundle of great reading. So here is Kris’s…
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How Do I Keep Going…
When a Big Project Is Finished? I get this question a bunch, usually from someone who has just finished one of the big challenges, like a story per week or a novel every two months. Very real and very tough question. The essence is that when the motivation to do something in writing stops, how to replace it with an as-effective or better motivation? The answer is, of course, “It depends…” “And it is different for every person…” But here is how I would look at it. First, look at the motivation that has been keeping you going through everything. Sit down and list why it kept you going, the…
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More Pictures of Writers of the Future
They Sent Me a Bunch… Thought I would share some. The first two pictures is a sight many of you see who take workshops online. Here the poor students in one day got me for 2.5 straight hours on a topic called “The New World.” I hope it all made sense. The next picture is the next day. Tim Powers and I did 45 minutes or so on the fun, the insanity, and dangers of Hollywood. We both had some fun stories. Next picture is at the signing. All the writers and judges had to sign a few hundred books. Fun assembly line. Across from me was Rob Sawyer. Luckily…
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Last Day Finally Of the Sale
Extended to Sunday Evening Late… Then done. To get any thing on WMG Teachable at half price, go to WMG Teachable and hit see all. Then find the class or workshop or whatever you want, hit purchase and on the next page put in the code: SpringSale to get the class or workshop at half price. Any questions, feel free to write me. ———– Now for a picture of my trip to Writers of the Future. It is me at the podium thanking Galaxy Press and Writers of the Future for trusting me with the editing job and promising to do the best job I can do, right before I…
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Front List and Back List
Talked About This Before… But yesterday I got this newsletter that comes out monthly focused about 95% on traditional publishing. And let me tell you, folks, from the sounds of things in traditional publishing, everything is just doing great. (Note I said from the sounds of things.) They are using all kinds of hinky percentage increases that are statistically bogus and mean nothing. And, of course, the real reasons the balance sheets are standing strong under observation of public traded corporations are the IP valuations and depreciation of those IP assets. Book sales are not holding these companies up, let alone the companies vast expenses in New York property, or…