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The Value of a Paperback
So Many Indie Writers Don’t Understand the Value of a Single Paperback… So as a topic of the night here on a Friday night when few people will likely read this, I’m going to see if I can explain a little. And with luck, you will say, “I knew that.” But if you do understand the value, how have you acted on that knowledge? An Example: A couple days ago I walked into our north store and there on the counter was a stack of well-read books that Kris and I had written. All mass market paperback, all clearly read by more people than one. A bunch more. We had…
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A Busy Monday
Turned in Smith’s Monthly #40… That just messes with my mind when I realize, actually understand, that I have done 40 issues now of my own magazine. 60,000 to 70,000 words per month. One of the reason for the new challenge, to get four more issues out, since I have the short stories for them already. Today was busy. I ended up talking with our accountant about some needed changes going forward with corporations and structures. Then I met a guy to get an estimate on repaving our driveway. Then did some challenge reading and online assignments. Then spent the rest of the evening putting together Smith’s Monthly #40. My…
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Chasing the Market
Artistic Freedom Part Two… Yesterday I talked about the wonderful artistic freedom this new world gives writers. If, and only if, the writer takes the freedom and even knows how to recognizes the freedom. I got a number of questions, mostly in e-mails, about what I meant by not writing to market in that post. In short, writing to market means thinking that writing something you have heard is selling well only because you want to make money. In other words, you write into areas you don’t know, don’t even much like, or even like to write, just for the hope of a few more sales. Horrid writer death that…
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Automatic Confidence
Topic of the Night: Automatic Confidence Lots and lots of writers get lost in the process of publishing between the moment they finish their story or novel and the moment it gets into print in one fashion or another. Getting lost in this area often comes from a lack of confidence. And fear. Massive fear. Not sure what writers are afraid of, but sometimes releasing a work for a writer is like walking into nests of spiders. Or worse. This lack of confidence and fear leads to either not publishing or rewriting, which is a form of not publishing. So here tonight is an idea for you, something I call Automatic Confidence. A…
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Focus
Focus It has been sort of a very strange period for me with my writing over the last few weeks or so. And I got a hunch this sort of things happens to everyone at times. Not the first for me, but one of the first times since I started this blog streak three plus years ago. Let me see if I can describe this. It takes, at least for most of us, a level of focus at fiction writing. I am not talking about planning ahead or outlining or anything silly like that. And I am not talking about all the problems that stop us from getting to the…
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Running Breakthrough
Running Breakthrough As I have talked about since the first of this month, I am in training to try to finish a marathon in November. I started this over twenty pounds heavier on July 1st and have been slowly and carefully working my way toward that goal of starting that race. Very, very carefully since I was overweight and have bad knees. My goal is to run/walk the marathon. I want to say that right from the start. Actually my goal is starting. Finishing is sort of a distant dream. I respect that distance. But after today it feels a little closer. I had planned on upping my daily milage…
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Back To Regular Fun
Back to Regular Fun We hit the final hours of the Kickstarter this afternoon and it finished strong. Wow, just wow. Thank you, everyone. And through Kickstarter, when everything is done on their side, I will send out to everyone a survey for the information we need to fulfill the rewards, including the workshop and lecture stuff. That will happen in the first week of October. So now I want to get my focus back on three things. First, I am doing my best to ramp up my running. Second, I want to talk about the two fantastic bundles I have books in. And third, back to the novel and some…
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Three Days Left
Three Days Left! The only has three days left. And we are working towards our fourth stretch goal. Going to take a push to get it, but possible. What is in the subscription drive? Discounted subscriptions, of course, on Fiction River and Fiction River Presents. Both electronic and paper. And for the first time we are even offering lifetime subscriptions. We are also offering a package of writing books. And discounted lectures and discounted online workshops. And you can even get me to write you or your friends into three short stories to be in Fiction River. Since we are offering the stretch goals for anyone supporting this subscription…
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Topic of the Night: My Seven Keys of a Challenge
Topic of the Night: My Seven Keys of A Challenge A number of people have written me and made comments on the blogs about how they like the crazy challenges I come up with. Let me give you, in seven points, my reasoning about any challenge. 1st… I have learned it has to be short term. My memory and attention span is so short that if I try for long-term challenge that can’t be broken down into much shorter challenges, I will stop cold or just forget, which is more likely to happen. 2nd… It has to be something I haven’t done before, or have an element that makes it new.…
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A Fun First Day of September
First Day of September Well, we were stunned yet again today when the new Kickstarter Fiction River subscription drive went zooming past its first stretch goal. In just two days. Thank you, everyone, for supporting our wonderful project. It means a lot to us. And now everyone who gets a subscription through Kickstarter will get a free extra volume as our way of saying thanks. Even those supporters getting a subscription when you sign up for a workshop. And speaking of workshops, since we are having a number sign up for the three workshop package, before the Kickstarter is over, Kris and I will set the online workshop schedule for Jan, February,…