Getting Ready for January 1st…
Spending Time Getting Ready…
Almost December 1st and I am doing a ton of focusing and planning for January 1st. And doing a ton of getting ready. As I said, I am loading my old traditional published books and stories into boxes to take to storage. Finding a ton of stuff I had forgotten about. For example, I knew I had been in a few Twilight Zone anthologies, but turns out Carol invited me into three of them.
And wow did I achieve my goal of wanting to be a “paperback” writer. I’m filling box after box with paperbacks that I either wrote or have my story in them. Mass market paperbacks, before the days of trade paperbacks. And yes, the Beatles sang “Paperback Writer.” They were describing me it turns out. (grin)
Having all the extra shelves in my office is really going to be nice and freeing at the same time.
Also getting ready by relearning some of my InDesign skills. I will not be able to do the really beautiful covers we are doing now on some books from WMG, but I can do decent short story covers and lay out Smith’s Monthly when that starts to come back.
And one last thing, getting my printer up and working again. Been down for a few months, haven’t really needed it, but for the writing I will.
So a bunch of time-consuming details to get out of the way to free up my mind to do the challenge I decide on.
Interestingly enough, doing these fix-up and relearn chores to get ready are all fun.
A GOOD WORKSHOP QUESTION TODAY…
I had a writer ask me if we were going away from WMG Teachable with our classes. Actually, just the opposite. 95% of all new classes will be On Teachable way, way into the future.
The reason we use WMG Writer’s Store is because of the weight of the videos. Teachable can not handle recorded webinars plus 15 minute long classes and recorded responses. So if something cries out for Webinars, which will not be much because they are very disruptive for me and Kris, then we will do it on The WMG Writer Store. Otherwise everything stays on WMG Teachable.
Kris has a three-story December writing challenge starting on December 1st. Jump in and see if you can write more stories than Kris in December. Sign up On Teachable
Starting on Tuesday, December 3rd, THE KRIS AND DEAN SHOW will run for eight weeks. Topic is PREPPING FOR 2025. Sign up at the WMG Writer Store.
Kris and I will be doing a long video every week that is too heavy for Teachable. We will do that video together like we used to do the old Kris and Dean Shows at conventions. Then every week we will add four or so more videos on the week’s topic. Then the following week we will do a webinar that will be recorded if you can’t make the time. 8 weeks. Going to be fantastically fun.
It will only overlap the return of the Writer’s Block classes by a few weeks, so no issues there. (You can still jump into the Writer’s Block class, but you have to get both sessions. First nine-week session is almost all done and recorded, including the webinars. You have a month to go through it all. Second session starts January 7th and goes for two months. It seems to be a good class.
On Teachable we will be starting the BITE-SIZED BRANDING AND TRADEMARK on January 6th. Videos every Monday on the topics of Branding and Trademark. 4 quarters, 52 weeks of videos. That will make you more money over time than you can imagine. Jump into that one and remember that if you buy if for full price, you can also give a second one as a gift until the start of the year. So maybe two of you could go in together on that one.
The first three quarters of BITE-SIZED COPYRIGHT that we did in 2023 was given as stretch rewards for the Holiday Spectacular Kickstarter. See the updates if you are a backer to get the codes. And the 4th quarter is available for half price. Again the code is on the updates of the campaign for the backers to get the half price. And non-writers, remember if you backed the campaign you can give the workshops as gifts by sending them the code.
Also the new REGULAR WORKSHOPS On Teachable are starting on the third with one workshop returning from Classic status to give folks a chance at doing the assignments with me. The returning classic is APPLIED DEPTH. The other five regular classes are WRITING INTO THE DARK, TEAMS IN FICTION, DEPTH IN WRITING, KILLING CRITICAL VOICE, and ADVANCED DEPTH. Again they all start Tuesday and Wednesday. Sign up On Teachable
And one special holiday sale we are doing is the LIFETIME EVERYTHING SUBSCRIPTION. Normally it is $10,000 for the over $60,000 in workshops and classes on WMG Teachable, but right now it is $4,000. (Low as we can go.) Write me if interested. An amazing deal for learning into your future.
A February Goal
In late February, here in Vegas is the Rock and Roll half marathon. It shuts down the strip and thousands and thousands of people run or walk it. Starts in the middle of the Strip, goes out to the airport and turns around and then goes all the way downtown and turns around again and goes back to the middle of the Strip. Bands and cheering crowds all the way along.
At the moment I am not in shape to walk it this year. 13.1 miles is a long ways, especially for us locals who have to add another mile before and after the race to get to our cars. But starting December 1st the focus will be on building stamina with the walking and losing some weight to carry less.
Kris and I walked about 3 miles today to lunch and back. So starting up.
The picture below, taken by Kris, was four or five years ago I think, when I was only 70. I did not manage the event last year because of the shoulder. I know, this is nuts, but if I get the stamina up and the weight down some, it will be great fun. And a great first-of-the-year goal.
