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Judging, Gifts, and Golf…
Yes, I Am a Judge… Of the Writers of the Future writing contest. How it works for us professionals is that the editor of the book Jody Lyn Nye and a host of first readers wade through all the submissions every quarter and they send us professional-writer-judges 8 stories. I tend to judge two quarters a year is all. There are no names on the stories, but if I recognized a student’s style or story, I would disqualify myself. So total blind judging on our parts. Now here is what is interesting that most writers don’t know. Many, many writers were published out of the contest, which means they had…
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Why So Many??
Got That Question the Other Day… Why have I done so many Kickstarters? Done 44 of them, working right now on building #45. My honest answer. I like to get my books and Kris’s books and our projects to readers. That simple. And here in 2024, that is the first step in telling readers what is available. Just as with any kind of promotion, Kickstarters take time to build up followers, but first question I always ask someone who is complaining about book sales is have they done a Kickstarter? Answer is almost always no. Fear. Too busy. Too much work. All the reasons for the answer “no.” And when…
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Writing, Learning, Fun…
New Structure Format… Coming Out of Writer’s Block… I have for some time now not been writing at the pace I usually enjoy. This is from three life events. Going blind for a time, major shoulder injury and surgery, and then a discovery with our business. But as with all Writer’s Blocks caused by life events, I am emerging back into the light and my creative voice really wants me to pick up speed. So now I am deciding on what to do next. And I hope sort of a start on December 1st with a ramp into 2025. I know what I want to do on the publishing side.…
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Last Day!!!
Kickstarter Workshops… Okay, in the last hours of this campaign, things went nuts for workshops on the WMG Holiday Spectacular 2024 Kickstarter. We hit both the special stretch reward plus the third stretch reward. That means all backers at any level get two more great holiday books to read, but also the first and second quarter of Bite-Sized Copyright. Both quarters of 13 weeks of classes are worth $500 each, so $1,000 in workshops for writers just for backing the campaign. (Not a writer or already taken the class, you can gift it to another writer. Make a fantastic holiday gift and you would get it just for backing the…
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Updates!!
Space Opera… From January 13th through noon on the 16th, Kris is teaching an in-person craft workshop on the topic of Space Opera. (She has won dozens of awards and even more nominations for awards for her space opera writing over the decades, not counting the millions of copies of space opera books and stories she has sold.) So those of you signed up for the in-person space opera craft class here in Vegas, the reading list will be headed out to you later tonight with more information. We are at a fantastic new place for this that we toured today. The Circa. It is just four years old and…
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The Kris and Dean Show Returns!
That’s Right! For eight weeks Kris and I will do a session together, like we started at conventions over 30 years ago, talking business and writing. People called it “entertaining” and gave it the name “The Kris and Dean Show.” This return of The Kris and Dean Show will focus on helping “Get Writers Prepped for 2025.” Eight weeks…Starting Tuesday!! Each week will have… — A session from The Kris and Dean Show on a topic for the week. — Five videos detailed out by both and presented by Dean. — Webinar the following Monday to talk over ideas and answer questions and more. Because of the heavy videos of…
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Workshops Started
Lost In the Insanity of Tuesday… 5 Regular and 2 Advanced workshops just started. Advanced Emotion Craft Workshop and also Advanced Unputdownable both started on Tuesday and go for 9 weeks on Teachable. Advanced Emotion is a critical craft workshop for bringing more readers to your work. Also all five core six-week Regular Workshops started on Tuesday and Wednesday. Depth, Advanced Depth, Writing into the Dark, Teams in Fiction, and Killing the Critical Voice. All of these are on Teachable It is the Advanced Emotion Class that is a major class to improve your writing and sales. Don’t miss it. It won’t be back around until next November. HOLIDAY SPECTACULAR…
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Classes Starting Tuesday…
5 Regular and 2 Advanced… Advanced Emotion Craft Workshop and also Advanced Unputdownable both start on Tuesday and go for 9 weeks on Teachable. Advanced Emotion is a critical craft workshop for bringing more readers to your work. Also all five core Regular Workshops are scheduled to start on Tuesday. Depth, Advanced Depth, Writing into the Dark, Teams in Fiction, and Killing the Critical Voice. Last Day for 30% off Early Bird Discount on new Trademark Class!!! Last few years we have done Motivational Mondays (twice), Creative Survival, and Bite-Sized Copyright with the structure of four videos every Monday morning for the entire year. So for 2025, we are going…
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Bite-Sized Branding and Trademark
EVERY MONDAY MORNING FOR 2025 Last few years we have done Motivational Mondays (twice), Creative Survival, and Bite-Sized Copyright with the structure of four videos every Monday morning for the entire year. So for 2025, we are going ahead and really doing a challenge with BITE-SIZED BRANDING AND TRADEMARK. Four videos every Monday morning for the entire year to make branding and trademark for writers easy and painless to learn. Of all the classes we teach, this might make you the most money in both the short run and long term. This will not be legal advice on trademark in any way, but will be advice from one writer to…
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Last Day of Workshop Sale…
Until April… So it is fine to stock up on a few workshops and take them when you have time. Or get a challenge and start in January. Let me Repeat a Few Things… Kris told me a few nights ago that she had sent out the first assignments to her Kris Reading Program where she gives assignments to a few writers and they have two weeks to write her a story. Then she gives them feedback and a new assignment. She really limited the participants to start, but she said that she thinks she is really going to enjoy doing it and wouldn’t mind one or two more writers…