Story Twenty-Two
DAY TWENTY-TWO…
Science fiction workshop just ended here at the coast tonight. Kris was teaching and I had the pleasure of saying hi before each workshop and by when they were finished in the evening. A great group of writers. And wow did they work hard.
I got home around 11 p.m. and went to join Kris, who was in front of the television being a vegetable, which she deserved to be. She read far over a half million words of fiction and assignments this week.
So after I watched some television, took a nap, messed around with some e-mail, took another short nap, it was almost 3 a.m. before I sat down and even started to play with titles.
And what was stuck in my poor, tired brain was a character named Tombstone Dan who will be part of the next Thunder Mountain novel I plan to write. It is one of the novel starts I came up with during this challenge.
So I figured what the hell and wrote his origin story. It’s called “Tombstone Canyon” and that will end up being the title of the next Thunder Mountain novel as well. The story is 2,600 words long and chances are it doesn’t stand alone. But it might. I’ll let Kris tell me after she recovers in a few days.
But I’m going to put it out as Tombstone Dan’s origin story as a short story anyway and then it can be part of the novel later.
So story #22 done. Just eight more days to hit this challenge.
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STORY CHALLENGE… Get Me to Read 30 Short Stories
The story challenge that I talked about where I will be a first reader has a few brave souls signed up on it. It’s going to be fun for me to read the stories. It will be a wonderful break every evening from writing on the novels I will be doing.
Information on it is a few posts back. And keep in mind, if you can hit 30 stories in thirty days, WMG will give you credit for two online workshops and if you hit 30 stories in 60 days, you get credit for one online workshop. A fun challenge that will keep your feet to the fire. (grin)
And you will have days like I had today, when life is crazy and you don’t feel like writing. Those are the days you sit down and write anyway. This is not a challenge for the muse, this is a challenge for a writer. A writer is a person who writes, in case you have forgotten. (grin)
You can start either May 2nd or June 1st. See the post a few days back for details.
ONE ADDED NOTE: If you pay for the challenge and start the challenge, but can’t get me 5 stories in ten days, you can bail at that point and the money will go for two online workshops.
The reason for this escape ramp is how difficult this challenge is. (I’ve done it twice now, I know.) I’m not doing this challenge to take your money and you fail and get nothing. I want everyone who signs up to win in one way or another. So if you sign up and pay for this challenge and say start on May 2nd and ten days later you don’t have five stories to me, we call it (If you want to, your choice) and WMG gives you two online workshop credits.
You have five stories turned in to me, you are past the no-return spot. (grin)
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MAJOR WRITING BUNDLE
Wow, Kris has put together one of the most amazing bundles to help writers I have ever had the pleasure to be a part of. And AbleGamers is the charity on this bundle, which is one of the best causes I have ever seen.
Authors in this are Mary Buckham, Tonya D. Price, Kristine Kathryn Rusch, Lawrence Block, me, Maggie McVay Lynch, Leah Cutter, Chuck Heintzelman, and Joanna Penn. Plus a $50 lecture from WMG, a discount to get Jutoh, and a discount to all the stuff at a Writer’s Cafe.
You can get it all for $15.00. If you are serious about learning your craft and business of writing, this is about as cheap as it comes.
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Here are the Covers and Stories for the April challenge.
STORIES FROM APRIL
Story #1… April 1… Not Easy to Kill the Light Next Door… 1,700 words
Story #2… April 2… A Reason to Play a Hunch… 3,200 words
Story #3… April 3… A Deal at the End of Time… 3,000 words
Story #4… April 4… A Nice Place for Murder… 3,400 words
Story #5… April 5… The Five Roads Tavern and Eatery …3,200 words
Story #6… April 6… The Last Short Putt of a Fearful Man …2,200 words
Story #7… April 7… The Wait …1,200 words
Story #8… April 8… Through the For Sale Sign …2,500 words
Story #9… April 9… Blind Date …4,100 words
Story #10… April 10… Keep Hoping for a New Tomorrow …1,700 words
Story #11… April 11… That Old Tingling …3,200 words
Story #12… April 12… The Last Man …2,500 words
Story #13… April 13… Smile …2,700 words
Story #14… April 14… Always a Way …4,000 words
Story #15… April 15… A No-Win Hand …1,800 words
Story #16… April 16… Habit …2,000 words
Story #17… April 17… A Thief of Regrets …4,600 words
Story #18… April 18… In the Dream of Many Bodies …1,400 words
Story #19… April 19… Wings Out …2,200 words
Story #20… April 20… Delightfully Dizzy …1,700 words
Story #21… April 21… An Immortality of Sorts …2,300 words
Story #22… April 22… Tombstone Canyon …2,600 words
(Plus six novel starts so far…)
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May ONLINE Workshops
All May online workshops are available and have openings.
ALSO, the workshop schedule through August is now posted. You can sign up ahead for any workshop you want through August.
So for information on how to sign up, go to…
www.wmgpublishingworkshops.com
Any questions at all, feel free to write me. And if you are confused as to which workshop to take first, we have a full curriculum posted on its own page.
Class #41… May 2nd … Author Voice
Class #42… May 2nd … Business
Class #43… May 2nd … Endings
Class #44… May 2nd … Writing Fiction Sales Copy
Class #45… May 2nd … Writing and Selling Short Stories
Class #46… May 3rd … Depth in Writing
Class #47… May 3rd … Advanced Character and Dialog
Class #48… May 3rd … Cliffhangers
Class #49… May 3rd … How To Edit Your Own Work (new)
Class #50… May 3rd … Plotting with Depth
HOW TO EDIT YOUR OWN WORK IS AVAILABLE STARTING IN MAY
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Tracking Running… April 22nd, 2017
3 miles. No running.
Weight 194. (Goal 170)
Month to date distance: 76 miles
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Tracking Word Counts… April 22nd, 2017
Totals For Year 4, Month 9, Day 22 (Year started August)
Writing in Public blog streak… Day 1,311
— Daily Fiction: 2,600 original words. Fiction month-to-date: 52,300 words
— Nonfiction: 00 new words. Nonfiction month-to-date total: 1,000 words
— Blog Posts: 800 new words. Blog month-to-date word count: 17,100 words
— E-mail: 18 e-mails. Approx. 1,100 original words. E-mails month-to date: 591 e-mails. Approx. 37,100 words
— Short Fiction Goal: 120 stories (July 1st to June 30th). Stories to date: 30 stories.
— Novel Goal: 12 Novels. Novels finished to date: 5 novels.
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