Doing the Same Thing Over and Over Again…
… And Expecting Different Results.
That definition of insanity is often credited to Albert Einstein, but no evidence he actually said it. But wow does it ring true, and very much so for fiction writers.
Every year I watch hundreds of writers just keep doing what they have been doing, make no real changes going into a new year, and then get to the end of the year wondering what went wrong. Why didn’t their word count increase, why didn’t they get those stories or books out published? And so on and so on.
I suppose this is totally human nature, and patterns of behavior are very difficult to break without focus. I got that. But wow, fiction writers could be a case study in this.
The only way to really get different results is to change your mindset and push in a different way.
Yesterday I put up and announced a five week workshop called Mindset: Optimism and Prosperity in 2026. (Details repeated Below) It starts on December 1st, Monday, one week away and will go for five weeks to help with the mindset for the new year.
For those who want something even more substantial to change your new year and how you approach it, tonight, for one week only, we are putting all the challenges on sale for 50% off. Sign up now, start on January 1st or anytime, prepare to start over the next month, working on changing the mindset so 2026 does not end up the same as the last few years.
Again, this sale is only one week long. Ends when the Mindset class starts on Monday, December 1st.
Sign up now and start any time you want… You accomplish any of these challenges, you get the $10,000 value Lifetime Everything Subscription.
The five challenges are:
- Super Great Challenge (one short story a week for a year, published in the next two weeks after you turn it in.)
- Super Great Novella Challenge (one novella a month for a year, published in the next two weeks after you turn it in.)
- Super Great Novel Challenge (one novel every six weeks for a year, published in the month after you turn it in.)
- Super Great Kickstarter Challenge (five Kickstarater campaigns in a year, each funded and each must be fiction.)
- Super Great Publishing Challenge (publish one major book (novel, collection, omnibus) every three weeks for one year.)
More information about each one on WMG Teachable.
To get any of them in this next week at half price, simply use the code word
CHALLENGE
Hit purchase, put in the code and hit apply and you can get it for 50% off. If you miss, you get $600 in credit you can use for anything on Teachable except another challenge.
Again, the half price is only good for one week on the challenges and you can start any time you like.
Lifetime Everything Subscribers, you can do the challenge for yourself and not the subscription unless you want to pay the fee and try to earn someone else the subscription. If that is the case, let me know. Skin in the game is always a very real motivation.
Change it up, challenge yourself to get different results for 2026.
Here is the information again on the new Mindset workshop starting on Monday.
MINDSET: Optimism and Prosperity in 2026
A step-by-step guide to understanding how you can get your thinking ready for a great 2026 in writing and publishing.
5-week class given by New York Times bestselling author Dean Wesley Smith and planned by both Dean and New York Times bestselling author Kristine Kathryn Rusch together.
We will be honest and pull no punches, so if you want someone to pat you on the head, tell you what hasn’t worked for you in the past is how you should keep going into 2026, you won’t get that.
Mindset is everything in so many things in publishing and writing and you can have a great mindset going into 2026 if you know how to do it.
A good mindset brings optimism and optimism brings prosperity in both your writing and publishing.
There will be four awareness assignments in the five weeks to help you get to the heart of how to achieve a great mindset and learn what will work for you going into the future.
STARTS DECEMBER 1ST… Five Weeks long. Price is $250.
The last lessons will be on the 29th of December so you are ready to jump into 2026 with a great mindset for your writing and publishing.
Direct link to class on WMG Teachable is…
https://wmg-publishing-workshops-and-lectures.teachable.com/courses/mindset
LIFETIME EVERYTHING SUBSCRIBERS, this is already in your subscription.
And Note!!
And between now and when this class starts, because a few folks missed this last time around, we are offering the LIFETIME EVERYTHING SUBSCRIPTION for 70% off the $10,000 fee. That is $3,000 for all 600 plus classes and workshops. A great gift to yourself for 2026. Write me directly if interested or if you need more information about anything. Offer will only last until Monday, December 1st.
Hope to see many of you in the MINDSET class. It will be a great one to help you into 2026.