• Challenge,  On Writing,  publishing,  Writing in Public

    Day Five: Novel Challenge

    Day Five: Novel Challenge As I have been saying, this challenge this time is nothing at all like the first time I did this. And as I expected, I missed my word count today. Just not enough time in the day and energy in the old body to make it. But still two more days to go on this, so we’ll see how it ends up. Worst thing that could happen is that I need an 8th day to finish. Anyway, last night I got only just over five hours sleep because I needed to be up and to the WMG Publishing offices and store by 12:30 p.m. From around 1…

  • Challenge,  On Writing,  publishing

    Day Four: Novel Challenge

    Day Four: Novel Challenge This novel challenge is shaping up to be very, very different from the one I did that is in the book How to Write a Novel in Seven Days. No surprise, I know. I got out of the house and made it to the writer’s meeting at 2 p.m. up at WMG offices. Stayed and talked until around 4:30 p.m., then went to my office to work on workshop stuff. Worked there until after 7 p.m. before heading to get groceries and cook dinner. Meeting and work 5 hours. Right after dinner around 9 p.m. I got in here, did some e-mail, and then managed 900…

  • Challenge,  On Writing,  publishing,  Writing in Public

    Day Three: Novel Challenge

    Day Three: Novel Challenge I started off running some errands, then got to WMG Publishing around 2 p.m. Then off to do more errands, then back to work on workshop stuff. Then at 7 p.m. after one more work-related errand, I headed home to take a nap and cook dinner. 5 hours of work. I did some e-mail after dinner and then Kris and I went out for a walk. I got back after getting my 10,000 steps around 11 p.m. and got in here writing. 1 hour plus of exercise. That late of a start won’t work past tomorrow on this. Yikes. I managed in two short sessions to…

  • Challenge,  On Writing,  publishing,  Topic of the Night,  Writing in Public

    Day Two: Novel Challenge

    Day Two: Novel Challenge Again for Day Two, a weird day. For the first time all year, it turned sort of hot here. Maybe got up to almost eighty, which here at the coast is a killer for us locals. Silly, I know, but air conditioning is a lost art here. So it was too warm for me to work in my office at WMG, so went out for some walking, got a new pair of running shoes and some running socks as well. Home by 6 p.m., after only about one hour of work, 1 hour of exercise. Too warm to work in here, so I went downstairs and took a…

  • Challenge,  On Writing,  publishing,  Topic of the Night,  Writing in Public

    Day One: Novel Challenge

    Day One: Novel Challenge Really a strange start to this new novel challenge. I ended up getting to the WMG offices around 2:30 p.m., then headed out for errands, first going to our south store, then to a bank, then back to WMG offices, then to a second bank and the post office before heading to walk with two other writers. Got done with the walk around 5 p.m., headed to the grocery store for some lunch and to pick up what I needed for dinner, then back to WMG Publishing to work on workshop stuff. Home by 7 p.m., so 3.5 hours of work, 1 hour of exercise. Cooked…

  • Challenge,  On Writing,  publishing,  Topic of the Night,  Writing in Public

    Writing a Novel Quickly

    Here We Go Again Backed myself into a corner on getting a book finished, so need to do it quickly. So going to play here if you folks want to tag along and watch once again. Going to fire on finishing a novel from scratch, no outline, nothing, in seven days. Over 40,000 words. Going to use the same method as I did last time. Progression method. I want to see if it will work more than once for me. So minimum 3,000 words tomorrow, then add 1,000 words per day to the total needed for the day. Again, these are minimum words. What I want to do is be on…

  • Challenge,  On Writing,  publishing,  workshops,  Writing in Public

    Enough For The Moment

    Enough For the Moment Did a lot of words here on blogs the last few days, so scroll down and read those posts. Going to take a break today. I got my 10,000 steps in and all workshop assignments done. And did a fun podcast that will be out in September. So more on that later. ———- September Online Workshops 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. Class #21… Sept 6th … Author Voice Class #22… Sept 6th … How to Write Thrillers Class #23… Sept 6th … Speed Class #24… Sept 6th … Writing Mysteries Class #25… Sept 6th … Character Development…

  • On Writing,  publishing,  Topic of the Night

    Topic of the Night: Making a Living With Your Short Fiction: Updated 2016

    (Update 2016: About six or so years ago I did the first run-through of this post. I then updated it three years ago. Well, it seems a few people found the old posts and wanted me to update this idea for 2016. And see if I still believe a writer can make a living writing only short fiction in 2016. Short answer. Of course. It is very, very possible, unlike ten years ago when I would have given a very different answer. So following is the old post updated to 2016. Interestingly enough, not much changed. I marked updates where they were needed.) Requirements Needed For a Writer To Make a…

  • Challenge,  On Writing,  publishing,  workshops,  Writing in Public

    Updating

    Updated the Making a Living With Short Fiction Blog Above this I updated the post from 3 years and 6 years ago. That sort of scares me that many years have gone by here. (grin). ——- The Day Monday running errands, then met Kris at the mall because it was so cold and windy here, we decided to run (her) and mostly walk (me) in the parking garage. Yes, I know most of you are in massive heat, and if you go about ten miles inland, it’s hot in Oregon as well. But we live on the Oregon coast for a reason. Today I went out with a sweatshirt and…

  • Challenge,  On Writing,  publishing,  Topic of the Night,  Writing in Public

    A Myth of Time

    A Myth of Time I did a Sacred Cows post below this one. ——- The Day Writers’ meeting, then worked on workshop stuff at WMG, then walked to a late lunch with Kris, then back to work on more workshop stuff. Home to cook a late dinner and take a nap. Then I had to finish my 10,000 (5 miles) steps and got that done right before midnight, then just watched some television until around 2 a.m. Then in here to do e-mail and some more workshop stuff. I’ll fire on the new book tomorrow again. ———- September Online Workshops Click the workshop tab above for description and sign-up or go to www.wmgpublishingworkshops.com. Questions about any…