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Comics and Workshops and Business Diversity
Comics and Workshops and Business Diversity Last few days was a pretty good example of the business diversity of WMG Publishing Inc. Kind of fun to look at, actually. It started off a few days ago when the electronic issues of the new Fiction River went out to subscribers. Paper copies will be headed out to authors and subscribers as soon as they arrive, which should be any day now. I will also have out a few more issues of Smith’s Monthly shortly and a new novel this month will go out. All on the publishing side of things. We are publishing about five projects a month now on a normal…
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Dinner With Friends
Dinner With Friends Writers meeting at 2 this afternoon, a planning meeting afterwards, some exercise, and then dinner with friends, which was the highlight of the day. I am stunningly lucky. I still have friends from my days in junior high. I have known one of the friends I had dinner with tonight for more than fifty years. And my friend would just tell you that my being a writer was not something ever on my radar back then. I was a golfer and skier. And I hated writing. But no matter what crazy thing over the years I have done, this old friend just shakes his head and supports me.…
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Back Running
Back Running A bumpy start, but got out running today. Horrid weather, but in the parking garage at the mall the weather is pretty good. No wind or rain, just some cars. I ended up doing six miles of walking and running today. Only about two miles of running. I did some tests. Seems my running pace is a little fast for what I really want to do. About ten minutes per mile. But if I run about a hundred yards, walk ten, run a hundred and keep that pace up, I can do a mile in just over eleven minutes. And got a hunch I could keep that routine…
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An Evening of Learning
A Night of Learning Once again tonight it has been proven to me that I am one of the luckiest people on the planet. I got to sit in a room tonight with eighteen other professional fiction writers and spend three hours doing nothing but talking about publishing and writing. The beginning writer still tucked inside of me sort of still just claps with joy. The writers came from all over western Oregon for the evening. No structure. Only rules are only writing and publishing talk from 8 p.m. until 10:30 or 11 p.m. Sharing information and asking questions. Tonight I ended up asking a bunch of questions actually. Terms…
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Point of View
Point of View As I said yesterday, Kris and I took a day off and drove into the valley, an hour to two hour drive, depending where you go from the coast. And along the way we were talking and brainstorming about the new online workshop Point of View. I was telling her what I saw from beginning writers since she doesn’t see beginning writers much with what she teaches and edits these days. I was telling her about the character having “thoughts” like … I wished I was there, he thought… A huge viewpoint problem if not done right in a story. And I was telling her that I…
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Took a Day Off
Took a Day Off Nice dinner in the valley, fun movie, a bunch of television when I got home. I did manage to get some e-mail answered, but past that, a day doing real world things. Who knew Kris and I could do that at times? (grin) ——————— October Online Workshops Start In One Week Click the workshop tab above for description and sign-up or go to www.wmgpublishingworkshops.com. Questions about any of the workshops, feel free to write me. All are limited to 5 writers. All still have room at the moment. Class #31… Oct 4th … The Business of Writing Class #32… Oct 4th … Character Voice/Setting Class #33… Oct 4th … Writing Mysteries Class #34……
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Regaining Focus
Topic of the Night: Regaining Focus Last night I talked about focus, how times and outside events sometimes cause us to lose focus in our writing. How do you get the focus back on writing besides the simple answer “Slowly?” That answer helps no one, really. So let me give a few ideas on how to regain focus, or at least how I have done it at times. How I have brought back up writing on my priority list over the years when the world is tossing in far too many things. Look at Overall Goals Sometimes losing focus can be not only caused by other things in life taking…
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Focus
Focus It has been sort of a very strange period for me with my writing over the last few weeks or so. And I got a hunch this sort of things happens to everyone at times. Not the first for me, but one of the first times since I started this blog streak three plus years ago. Let me see if I can describe this. It takes, at least for most of us, a level of focus at fiction writing. I am not talking about planning ahead or outlining or anything silly like that. And I am not talking about all the problems that stop us from getting to the…
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Workshop Finished Here On The Coast
Workshop Finished Here Today was the last day of the Historical, Time Travel, and Alternate History workshop here at the coast, taught by Kris. What a fantastic group of writers who attended from all over the world. Kris was the instructor on this one, so I played behind-the-scenes support, but last night I got to read a group of stories from them because Kris wanted me to be reader feedback. I was impressed and got to give them my feedback today. Some of the most innovative ideas came out of there and I got a hunch I’m going to be seeing a lot of those stories as parts of new…
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Running Breakthrough
Running Breakthrough As I have talked about since the first of this month, I am in training to try to finish a marathon in November. I started this over twenty pounds heavier on July 1st and have been slowly and carefully working my way toward that goal of starting that race. Very, very carefully since I was overweight and have bad knees. My goal is to run/walk the marathon. I want to say that right from the start. Actually my goal is starting. Finishing is sort of a distant dream. I respect that distance. But after today it feels a little closer. I had planned on upping my daily milage…