• Challenge,  On Writing,  publishing

    Reporting Words and Steps

    Going to Start Again… Numbers of people have written me and asked if I was going to start keeping track of the writing and such again, plus the exercise, on a daily basis. Answer is yes. For a month or so this spring I will track it again carefully starting on the first of the month. And I will detail out my day each day as well. Might as well do that as I am ramping up the writing and exercise. Also, just about ready to start writing that new blog book called The Magic Bakery: Understanding Copyright for the Modern Fiction Writer. That will start next week. Considering how…

  • Fun Stuff,  On Writing,  publishing

    Some Pulp Writers

    Some Fun Names and Facts… Since it was asked about talking about the old pulp writers and how some people liked that, I thought I would do a quick post on just a few of the writers who wrote a book a week for years at a time. Yup, a book a week. For years. British writers this post. There were numbers of US writers as well, but the British during the final years of the pulp era and the start of the paperback era had some amazing writers working down in the trenches. (1948 to 1955 or so) So I did some quick research of names I knew (and…

  • Challenge,  On Writing,  publishing

    Spent the Night Reading

    And Not Even For a Workshop… Yes, I always tell writers they must read for pleasure, but then never talk about my own reading here much.  Granted, I did mention reading a number of times when working on the 1.3 million words for the anthology workshop. But past that, I just think of reading for pleasure as something I sort of do all the time. Most in bits and pieces. I am a paper reader. I don’t own a reading device, although there are a number of them scattered around the house. I do own an iPad, but never use it for much of anything. And I do read workshop…

  • On Writing,  publishing,  workshops

    A Few More Strength Workshop Questions Answered

    Been Getting Some Good Questions… So figured I would answer them here. Question: Do I have to start with Regular Craft or can I do Regular Business or Regular Sales strength workshop first? Answer: You can do any of the regular strength workshops you want first. Or just alone. A number have signed up only for the Regular Sales. — Question: Can I work on more than one workshop at the same time? Answer: Sure, you can do as many workshops at the same time as you want. So far this new method and Kris and I doing assignments as they come in hasn’t taxed us. In fact, it has…

  • On Writing,  publishing

    Some Bundle Fun

    Bundlerabbit is Nifty!!… If you folks are not familiar with Bundlerabbit, you should be. Especially as a writer. They are doing some wonderful stuff and the website is great. You can load up your work there and curators can put together bundles, or you can curate a bundle if you want. All the details are on the site. Like Storybundle, you can buy the bundle right there on Bundlerabbit, but unlike other sites, Bundlerabbit puts the bundles out for sale online in all the normal places like Amazon, Kobo, and so on. Over this last year I have been in a few bundles through Bundlerabbit and hope to be in…

  • Challenge,  On Writing,  publishing

    Being Behind And Setting Goals

    Yup, We Are All Behind… I sort of talked to myself last week in a few blog posts about the stress that often goes with being behind. And the freedom of this new world that causes that feeling of never enough time. Well, in an effort to continue to talk to myself and let you guys listen in on my ramblings, I’m going to try to get a solution to being behind at the moment. If my solution works in some form for your writing projects, great. First, not going to look back. That solves nothing. Like rewriting a story. A complete waste of time. Today, here in the middle of…

  • On Writing,  publishing,  workshops

    Strength Regular Sales Workshop Now Available

    Announcing Strength Regular Sales Workshop Just getting these up one at a time. Next up later in the week will be Craft Two. —- Regular Sales: This regular publishing and writing sales course tests your basic understanding of what makes a book sell. Covers, blurbs, wide distribution, expectations, plus much more. This will not only test you, but help you understand what you need to start learning to succeed in the future. In the Sales Two workshop, we will cover web sites, social media, newsletters, bundling, branding, series, and more detail stuff. But this Regular Sales workshop is critical to understanding sales and having the foundation under you in order for the details…

  • Challenge,  On Writing,  publishing

    Back to Writing

    Finally Got Started Tonight… Started and finished a short story from a prompt from a fun challenge.  A short Bryant Street story, Got it done and had fun, even with one false start. Here is how the writing night went for those interested on this Saturday night. Started with the prompt about subject sort of in the back of my mind. The prompt in summary was basically reburying an old skeleton. So off I went to my title sheets of half titles from old digest magazines. I grabbed a half-title “Tombstone” off of one list and “Cliff” off of another, slammed them together for “Tombstone Cliff” and started typing. I realized…

  • Challenge,  On Writing,  publishing,  workshops

    Information Overload

    Brain Fried… I had a hunch that would happen tonight after almost four hours of talking writing and business of writing with 18 professional writers. Tonight it seemed to all focus on marketing and discoverability. Wow, just wow. So instead of trying to talk about something intelligent, figured I would clean up some business and answer some questions. Thanks Everyone Who Bought the Bundle. Turned out to be a good one and the charity made some nice money as well. So thanks. Questions Answered On Strength Workshops — I want to repeat that there is no hurry at all in taking the workshops. You can work on them at your…

  • On Writing,  publishing

    Freedom in This New Publishing World

    The Responsibility of What to Do Next… Friday night about twenty professional fiction writers will gather from all over the Northwest at WMG offices for three hours of business and writing discussions. Without fail I know I will come away from the gathering with more things to do. Exciting things. New, shiny things… And thus back to the topic from last night about always being behind and figuring out ways to deal with it. The second part of last night’s post is the responsibility of choice. I have talked in various ways here this last year about the wonderful freedom the new world of publishing gives writers in all sorts…