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Topic of the Night: One Reader
ONE READER: New and Old World I have been been just sort of thinking through different aspects of the new world of publishing compared to the old world. And adding in what is success in this new world and time and other factors. It has been kind of fun and I hope to continue approaching this from different angles at times. Not all the time, just at times. So for a moment here, I want to be clear on the summary of some of the clear differences between when I sold my first novel in 1987 (not first novel written) and the world now. First, what was happening thirty years…
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What I Do Not Believe
WHAT I DO NOT BELIEVE Since I listed a number of things I do believe, figured I would list one or two things I do not believe about writing. ——- THE DAY Made it to the WMG store around 2 p.m., then home again, then to the snail mail, grocery store, and back to WMG offices to work on Smith’s Monthly and other things until around 6 p.m. Home to take a nap, then cooked dinner, then got in here around 9 p.m. and got out all the letters for the February online workshops. (Still time to jump in. They start on Monday.) Then more television, then back in…
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Some Beliefs
SOME WRITING BELIEFS Just trying to be clear on some of my beliefs. See below. ——- THE DAY Made it to the WMG offices around 2 p.m. for a meeting at 2:30 to work on planning the layout of the new store. Great fun. At 4 p.m. went walking with two other professional writers. And yes, got my ten thousand steps today for the first time in over a week. Back to WMG offices to work on moving the workshops and getting the February online workshops ready to go. First letters will go out late tomorrow night. Workshops start on Monday and still room in all of them. Then to the…
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Responses
RESPONSES TO LAST NIGHT’S POST As I expected, my short little topic of the night last night made some people very angry. I’ll talk about it below. ——- THE DAY Made it to the WMG offices around 1:30 p.m., grabbed some banking things that needed to be done, then headed out to the banks and then a meeting. Got back to WMG around 4:30 p.m. after running another errand. I did some work around there for a time before heading out to the grocery store, home to take a nap, then dinner. Got in here to work on mail around 8:30 p.m. and then ended up doing some other stuff. Finally…
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Perspective
Topic of the Night: Perspective This is just a thought a friend had about why so many great writers are getting discouraged and quitting. He thinks it might have something to do with perspective, and I think he might have a point. The system when he and I came into publishing worked like this in general: You expected to spend five or so years learning your craft, getting rejections, then eight or ten years into the process you would sell a novel which would take a couple years to come out. Then, if you wrote regularly a couple books a year, in ten years you might be able to make a…
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Some More Perspective
PERSPECTIVE I have really been chewing lately on the reason why so many great writers are suddenly just stopping, quitting, walking away. Today a writer friend of mine came up with one possible cause. Above in topic of the night. ——- THE DAY Made it to the WMG offices around 2 p.m. and worked there until four p.m. and then went for a walk with two other professional writers. Yes, not back completely on energy, but enough to start exercising again. Felt good. Home to work on e-mail, then the workshop assignments, then I cooked dinner and watched some television and then took a long nap. Then more television. Finally…
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Time and Writing
TIME AND WRITING I have noticed this in the past, but just remembered it once again. When planning on returning from writing after a vacation or a sickness, or both in my case at the moment, the time you think you will return is never the actual time it takes you to manage to return. As I have always said, starting writing is far, far harder than just writing every day. ——- THE DAY Made it to the WMG offices around 1 p.m. and worked there until five p.m. I got all kinds of things moving, such as Smith’s Monthly, moved some shelves, and had great conversations on different…
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Looking Back
GAINING Gaining on more and more strength. Still taking extreme naps, and losing focus at times, but way better than yesterday and not in the same world as the day before. ——- THE DAY Made it to the WMG offices around 1 p.m. and worked there until the writer lunch, then two hours of good conversation, then I hung around and did some more stuff, including working on Smith’s Monthly. Then home for a nap and cook dinner. Then another nap. Finally managed to get in here around 11 p.m. to work on workshop assignments. Then I got the anthology assignment stuff all done and got it all off to…
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A Week of Different Posts: Last Day
Post Seven of Seven Days I’m finally back to work this evening, doing assignments and answering e-mails that got missed and things like that. So tomorrow night I’ll be back doing these regular blogs. Stay tuned. ——– February Online Workshops All of the February Online Workshops marked below have openings. Click the workshop tab above for description and sign-up or go to www.wmgpublishingworkshops.com. Each regular workshop is six weeks long and takes about 3-4 hours per week to do at your own pace and your own time. All workshops have openings. Class #11… Feb 1st … Advanced Depth Class #12… Feb 1st … Character Voice/Setting Class #13… Feb 1st … Adding Suspense to Your Writing Class #14……
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A Week of Different Posts: Day Six
Post Six of Seven Days Fun day. It’s been a fun week. Back at normal tomorrow night. Actually looking forward to normal again. ANTHOLOGY WORKSHOP WRITERS!!!! If any of you turned in a story on some screwy e-mail provider such as Verizon or Microsoft or Comcast, I got the story fine but could not tell you I got it. Sorry. I’ll try to get one of my other e-mail providers who can talk to such providers to respond tomorrow. I won’t send the stories to the editors until tomorrow night (Monday night) to make sure I got everything. Second, new assignment will be sent out tomorrow night. So please don’t…