• Challenge,  Fun Stuff

    On The Road Once Again

    Headed for Lincoln City, Oregon.  That is a 20 hour drive and I am staying to the back roads for the most part, up through the center of Nevada, stay in Boise, then across the center of Oregon to avoid Portland traffic. And yes, I will be careful, basically drive-through meals and more hand sanitizer than I can absorb. Plus I stay away from anyone too stupid or callous to NOT wear a mask. And I do mean way, way away. A side note: If you are following this blog and think you are too good, too perfect, too smart to wear a mask when out in public anywhere and…

  • On Writing,  workshops

    ANTHOLOGY WORKSHOP PUSHED BACK ONE YEAR

    No Surprise to Anyone… We have officially pushed back the anthology workshop from Feb 2021 to February 28th through March 3rd, 2022. The writing for the anthology workshop always starts in November. We did not feel that it would be safe yet for anyone to really travel in seven months from now. So we’re giving it another year with the hope that things can be under control by early 2022. We did add in a bonus for those signed up and paid and who are holding over the year to 2022. Kris will need the Holiday Spectacular stories again, so anyone signed up and paid will be invited by Kris…

  • Challenge,  On Writing,  publishing

    Decade Ahead

    A Crazy Thing… Right now, one of the main conversations I am having with writers is how is this year going to turn out? No one has a clue. And we are all afraid to try to forecast anything in 2020, since this year started here in the States with an impeachment that didn’t hold and then gave free run for the same president to really screw us with this pandemic. So at the moment the States are a dangerous place to be as almost a thousand people a day are dying from this virus. That’s right… Every day. So it was a great, great idea in January of 2020…

  • Challenge,  publishing

    Kickstarter Full Workshop

    Finally Going to Do It! Kris and I have been talking about this for some time, but it just never seemed like a right time to launch it. And we have the Best Practices on Teachable already that is free, but without a workshop structure, that can only cover so many details. But today, as we were talking about different aspects of what Brandon is doing and why over the years more writers don’t use Kickstarter and other sites like it, the reason became clear. The details. Writers are overwhelmed by the details. What do you do first, what do you do next, how do you set stuff up, how…

  • Challenge,  Licensing

    4 New Videos

    On Kickstarter Best Practices That is a free service that Loren Coleman and I are doing on Teachable, trying to help fiction writers get started and understand fiction on Kickstarter. Right now, Brandon Sanderson is over 5 million in three days on his fiction Kickstarter. So this is worth studying and looking at, even as a new writer with no fans. I have seen new writers make nice money on Kickstarter. Just have to know what you are doing and follow some best practices, and that is what Loren and I have done on that location, detail out and talk about the best practices for fiction writers on Kickstater. Again,…

  • Challenge,  publishing

    Changes In Publishing

    A Glimpse of a Future As many of you know, I have been around and working in publishing and fiction writing professionally since 1987. Sold my first two short stories in 1974. Over the years, I have watched publishing change numbers of times. I knew the distribution collapse of the 1990s, caused by Safeway and invoicing, would alter publishing forever. And it did. And I watched as the Kindle changed everything in publishing and created the indie movement which is now the major part of publishing (even though traditional writers and publishers don’t want to think so.) And I have watched and wondered how this pandemic was going to change…

  • Challenge,  Fun Stuff,  running

    Exercise Again

    Every So Often I Just Have To Talk About This… Exercising. Critical for writers. Not a fun topic and most writers just sort of shrug and move on. But since I didn’t get the time to really unpack everything Brandon is doing on his Kickstarter today and record some videos about it, I figured I would fill this blog tonight with a reminder to exercise. I am working to lose weight and my goal as I have told many, is to run at least one marathon in my 70th spin around this planet. I am building toward that with a written-out plan that I have in a notebook beside my…

  • Challenge,  publishing

    Brandon Sanderson Kickstarter

    In the Fiction Section under Publishing… This is huge and great news for all of us writers because finally the fiction section of Kickstarter will start getting some attention. Loren Coleman and I have been trying to get fiction writers to put up Kickstarter campaigns. And put them in the fiction section. Why? To get readers and buyers used to looking in Kickstarter for new books and authors, just as gamers go first to Kickstarter for new games. But just like with the gaming side, it needed a huge name to come in and blow the number out of the water so that the entire category will get more attention.…

  • Challenge,  On Writing,  publishing,  workshops

    Last Day of Half-Price Workshop Sale!!

    Ends Tuesday Evening… The half-price workshop sale is almost done and no telling if we will ever do another. If the governors of the States can get this mess under control, people wear their face masks and stay six feet apart, this pandemic in the States might drop back under control. The only reason we have done these sales during this pandemic time is to help writers stay focused on learning and writing and stay home when possible. Focusing on writing and reading is a great distraction. And I sure hope this Summer Sale helped a few of you. We are sure bummed we had to do another one. So…

  • Challenge,  On Writing,  publishing,  workshops

    Organizing Classes, Study Alongs, and Subscriptions

    What Are They All? We are doing a half-price sale right now of everything on WMG Publishing’s Teachable classes and workshops for writers. Just hit purchase and then put in the code: SummerSchoolSale You will get anything you pick, or as many classes, workshops, lectures, or subscriptions as you want, at half price. This will end late on Tuesday. The last four nights I have been taking this opportunity to finally update and put together a complete curriculum of everything on WMG Publishing’s Teachable School. You can find everything I have done in the last four posts or under the Workshop Curriculum tab on the right. Actually updated. And Kris…