-
Fun Interview
Robert Jeschonek Interviewed Me… A fun and short discussion with Robert about different things science fiction and 1970s, because he’s doing that SPACE: 1975 Kickstarter Campaign. When we recorded it, it was about 60% funded, but now the campaign has made the funding and first stretch goal and is doing great. I am excited because I get to write a story for it. The interview happened when I was in the worst of the allergies from the smoke and I wore big headphones, so I looked a little more beat-up than normal. (grin) But it was fun. And since I sold my first couple of short stories in 1974, I…
-
Cover Basics
I Got a Surprise Today… With the Covers 101 workshop starting next week, I decided I needed to round out my education a little on what the writers were doing who hired people to do their covers. All of you know I think that is a waste of time and money and can hurt your writing overall, but numbers of writers I know have others do their covers, so I was curious. So I wrote one wrier and asked a favor, if that person wouldn’t mind sending me a blank copy of the contract they use with their cover designer. I got a nice letter back saying they didn’t have…
-
A Quick Covers Post
Different Aspects of Cover Art… I tell writers to do their own covers. The levels of critical voice excuses I get back are amazing. And all the excuses are geared to make sure the writer fails. After all, that is what critical voice does, it stops you. In this modern world, unless you have a ton of money you want to just toss into a garbage can, no writer can afford to hire covers done. Wait, let me change that. No moderately prolific writer can afford the time, the money, the problems that come with having someone else do your covers. Moderately prolific? Four novels and a number of short…
-
The Return of Boss Kickstarter…
Is Down to Counting Hours… As I write this, 65 hours left. Only that much time left to sign up for the new special workshop, or get the two new Diving novels early. Or a bunch of other great stuff. We have made it through five stretch goals, which means there are some great extra books and for writers three Pop-Ups that everyone will get automatically. And there is still time to hit that last stretch goal and add in even more. So help us pass the word. Or if you haven’t looked at it yet, click over to The Return of Boss Kickstarter campaign and look at all the…
-
What Is The Point?
My Blog Tonight… No Point… I was going to write a blog tonight about something beginning writers do that I got three different notes about just in the last two days. One from a new professional writer who knows better, one from a full professional sending me a link that was funny, another was from a beginner asking me what I actually thought and how to do it. The subject: Tracking Rejection Times. So what do I actually think about doing that? I think it is just about the stupidest thing a writer can do. And then it dawned on me (while I was writing back to one of the…
-
Just Hit 5th Stretch Goal!!!
How Cool Is That? I am, of course, talking about the Return of Boss Kickstarter campaign that is going on now. And we have a nifty sixth stretch goal and a seventh waiting in the wings. So I figured that with 5 days left (ends Thursday evening), and since we still have another stretch goal we are aiming for, I should detail out what every backer at the $5 level and above gets at this point in time. To start off, anyone, backer or not, can follow the link in the campaign story and get a free electronic copy of the novella “Diving into the Wreck.” That is the award-winning…
-
September Workshops Are Up
They Start Very Early This September… On the 1st and 2nd. So they are now all available, including the new workshop COVERS 101. And yes, lifetime subscribers, September Covers 101 is in your subscription and you can take it the first time through or wait until later in the fall or winter. Your choice. (Boy, lifetime workshop subscriptions are an amazing deal.) Here are the workshops in September. Notice Kickstarter Basics Workshop is going to run every other month, so its next time up is in October. I will have the October workshops live in the next day or so as well. Getting ahead and caught up at the same…
-
Short Story and Fun Project
Writing a Lot of Short Stories Lately… Tonight I just finished a new Poker Boy story for a project, got another cat story to write for the cat books, and have another story assignment. But one story assignment I hope you will all help me get comes through this really nifty Kickstarter campaign going on from the amazing Robert T. Jeschonek. Many of you know Robert from his fantastic stories in both Fiction River and Pulphouse Magazine, but he also writes amazing novels and sells his short fiction to just about every major market. And now he is editing this wild and fun idea and wants me to write a…
-
New Workshop Starting In September…
Yes, Another One… Lifetime Subscribers to the online workshops have been in heaven lately, with a new workshop just about every month this spring and summer. And now another new one in September. (And I will be putting up on Teachable the September workshops shortly. And the October workshops as well.) We have done a Licensing 101 workshop that is offered every month. And then we added in a Publishing 101 workshop, also now offered every month. So continuing that series, we will start in September a COVERS 101 workshop. That’s right, for everyone too afraid to do their own covers, here is the workshop that will teach you how…
-
Scary Scam
Invite to Judge a Contest… Today, in separate emails, both Kris and I got an invite to judge a contest. The point of the contest is to get writer’s work in front of agents and traditional publishers. Yes, Kris and I got that invite to judge a contest to help new writers get their work in front of agents. I will let you stop laughing now. This woman thought it would be a great honor for me to do that, since she had no idea at all who I was. So while laughing and trying to decide what to say in return, I made the mistake of looking up the…