• Challenge,  On Writing,  publishing

    #9 Pop-Up Free

    The Author Problem… Pop-Up #9 on Teachable… I recorded it about four weeks ago before things went crazy with life, and so when I went back to put it up, it dawned on me that just about all writers need to hear this one. So we decided to make it free. And there is a story prompt for you to do a story from. Just don’t send this story in. I also loaded the first five of the twelve videos from the Pop-Up on YouTube. But the only place you can see all 12 videos is on Teachable. And speaking of new stuff on Teachable, we moved four regular workshops…

  • Challenge,  On Writing,  publishing

    Last Days of a Great Bundle of Novels

    Space Opera Story Bundle… Only a few days left. Thirteen novels and a collection of space opera by some top writers. I am very proud to be a part of this one. So folks, give it a shot and if you get a chance, toss in a few bucks to the charity associated with this bundle, Able Gamers. To get the bundle, go to: https://storybundle.com/space ———– May Workshops Are Now Available… Only nine this month. A number of workshops are headed to Classic status in the next few days. I will announce them. But here are the workshops for May now available on Teachable. Class #41… May 7th … Depth #3: Research…

  • Challenge,  On Writing,  publishing

    Challenges Both Started

    And Both Still Have Some Room… You can start any time with either the novel challenge or the short story challenge. On the novel challenge, you have to tell me when to start the clock ticking for the two months. (No writing ahead, finish your current project and when you are ready to start the next book, let me know if you are in the novel challenge.) For the short story challenge, the streak starts when you turn in the first story. There are prompts on the short story challenge each week and some stuff about novel writing on the novel challenge each week. And yes, you can move from…

  • Challenge,  On Writing,  publishing

    Never Give Up

    Much Harder to Say Than Do… But this week at the Writers of the Future I heard a lot of fantastic stories about success because the writer just kept pounding the markets. I remember that when I started out. From 1974 until 1982, stories out, no sales. And then I started following Heinlein’s Rules and sales started. First year I sold six short stories. (One to Writers of the Future.) But I wrote 44 and had them all in the mail. All the time. If a manuscript was rejected, I sent it back out often within hours. So rejection was a way of life. I put all the rejections in…

  • Challenge,  On Writing,  publishing

    Some Questions About the Great Challenge

    Got Some Good Questions Today… So let me try to answer them quickly tonight. — First of all, if you are taking another workshop such as the short story workshop, those stories would count. If you are coming to the Anthology workshop, or one of Kris’s Vegas craft workshops, those stories you write for the workshop would count. Just write one story per week and turn them in to me (or Kris, if in one of her workshops.) — Yes, this challenge will go longer than 52 weeks if writers are still writing. The first week to start is April 14th, when the first prompt will appear. And first deadline…

  • Challenge,  On Writing,  publishing

    The Great Challenge

    A New Writing Challenge… For the last few years I have done quarterly challenges that many people have enjoyed. And a lot of novels or stories have come out of those challenges that I enjoyed reading. So a new challenge, with a brand new form. One a little saner and a little crazier in the same breath. And again, the fee goes toward two workshop fees. Kris and I have been talking about this one for a while. Here are the basics… Every week, on Teachable, a new story prompt will appear. That prompt will be a video prompt that will be short, maybe with a writing tip with it,…

  • Challenge,  On Writing,  publishing

    Just Finished… The Lonely Silver Rain

    By John D. MacDonald… It was the last Travis McGee novel, published a year before MacDonald’s death in 1986. I think I have read it six or seven times now over the years, always taken in by how MacDonald did Travis. I have typed in so many parts of those books, studying the style, the simpleness of it, yet how complex and clear he wrote. At some point I will try a character like Travis. Someday. In the meantime, I practice a lot of what MacDonald did on my Cold Poker Gang series. And speaking of that, the new Cold Poker Gang series book is nearing an end, I hope.…

  • Challenge,  On Writing,  workshops

    One Week To April Workshops Starting

    I just Realized It Was Only A Week Away… Someone want to go find out where March ran off to? Wow. Just wow. And we are starting the Emotions in Writing workshop in one week as well. Got to have the Depth in Writing workshop to take that one. Overall, a great list of workshops in April, that’s for sure. I think all of them can really help a person’s fiction writing. Sign up directly at Teachable.com Class #31… Apr 2nd … Endings Class #32… Apr 2nd … Point of View Class #33… Apr 2nd … Writing Mysteries Class #34… Apr 2nd … Speed Class #35… Apr 2nd … Teams in Fiction Class #36……

  • On Writing,  publishing

    Do I Do This? Or That?

    The Dilemma of Focus and Choice… I got a hunch this will be very familiar to many, if not all of you. Right now, in this new life here in Las Vegas, I have been focusing first (and with a lot of attention) on ramping up brand new habits of writing. Writing in the mornings. I have talked about that and actually it is working so far. But it is taking a focus. And I noticed today that the focus on the writing has taken away the focus on the running and exercise. Now, I am still getting over 10,000 steps per day. So that level of exercise is still…

  • Challenge,  On Writing,  publishing

    ASK KRIS ANYTHING Webinar

    Announcing Something Brand New! Ask Kris Anything webinar is now available for sign-ups on Teachable. This might be one of the best ideas Kris has come up with outside her fiction. Listening to Kris answer your questions and other writer’s questions live for an hour every month for a year will be an amazing learning experience. Here are the details… Ask Kristine Kathryn Rusch Anything For one hour every month, Kris will answer questions live on a webinar.  Any type of question, any form of question.  Kris has been doing a weekly column on the business and life of publishing and fiction writing for a decade now. She has won…