• Challenge,  On Writing,  publishing

    Keeping Track of Books Published

    Keeping Track of Books Published… Now most writers don’t have an issue with this. Seems I am not one of the most writers. I have a horrid issue keeping track of what I have published and always have. Why? Because once I have finished writing a story or novel, it’s done and I am moving on to the next one. I never look back. And thus this minor problem. Just yesterday I was dinging along looking for a short story file on my old writing computer and ran across a novel I had written and that was published and that I had forgotten about and hadn’t counted. So in traditional,…

  • Challenge,  On Writing,  publishing,  Smiths Monthly

    Decisions on Smith’s Monthly Issues

    Decisions: Smith’s Monthly… As I said yesterday, I will update the decisions and writing being done for putting together the next three issues of Smith’s Monthly. I will usually do this every other week on Friday, when very few people drop by here. The widget on the right will be updated as I finish stuff, even though I don’t talk about it in a blog post until a weekend. I talked with Allyson at WMG Publishing today about the serial in Smith’s Monthly and we came up with it being fun to put the non-fiction writing book Killing the Sacred Cows of Publishing in three installments. Granted, the book is available…

  • Challenge,  On Writing,  publishing,  Smiths Monthly

    Putting Together Smith’s Monthly Issues

    Putting Together Smith’s Monthly… As I keep making changes to this site and get going on year four of my magazine, I thought it would be fun to sort of let you all follow along with putting these issues together. You have been watching me write stuff here for three years, so why not the next step for the next year? So over on the right side I have listed the next three issues of Smith’s Monthly and what I have ready for them now. The assigned stories are there at the moment, but might change out if I write some new ones. I like to lead off each issue…

  • Challenge,  On Writing,  publishing,  workshops

    Ten December Online Workshops

    Ten December Online Workshops… Instead of constantly having the workshop schedule listed in every post and on the side of this blog, I’m just going to do instead an occasional post about the upcoming online workshops. Feel free to forward these workshop posts to anyone you think might be interested. Online workshops are geared to any writer working on the craft and business of their writing. As the next three months go on, we will be moving the workshops to a more friendly and less “clunky” place. Teachable.com. So I will announce that as they get moved, starting with the lectures first. And even though not yet listed, we will be…

  • Challenge,  On Writing,  publishing,  Smiths Monthly

    Three Years of Smith’s Monthly

    Three Years of Smith’s Monthly That’s right. In three years I have filled a 60,000 to 80,000 word magazine with novels and short stories every month. All my own writing. I wrote every word. For 36 issues. (Issue #36 is going out to subscribers electronically and will be posted to Patreon tomorrow.) 36 novels. Over 170 short stories. And you have all watched me do it right here, right out in public, every day for the last three years. Through the ups and downs.  I also wrote a bunch of nonfiction books at the same time, but they were mostly not around Smith’s Monthly. I want to thank the subscribers…

  • Challenge,  On Writing,  publishing,  Recommended Reading

    Some History About a Thriller

    Some History! The Pulse Pounder Thriller bundle only has two days left before it vanishes. The book I have in the thriller bundle is called An Easy Shot: A Golf Thriller. Yes, it is possible to write a golf thriller. This book has an interesting history. This book, as many of my books do, started suddenly when I got a call from an editor who needed a book quickly to help start a new line of books. He had the first twelve books purchased, but the company sales force seemed to be having issues selling the idea of the line, so he needed a first book to help them. He needed…

  • Challenge,  publishing,  Recommended Reading,  Topic of the Night

    Massive Numbers of Writing Things To Do

    Way Too Much To Do An amazing thing has happened to writers in this new world of publishing. We are all busy. Extremely busy, with to-do lists that stretch beyond any reality at times. I love this new aspect of writing and publishing. Completely love it. Why? Because it means I am in control. I have the control over all aspects of my writing and publishing. And I have accepted that control. (Amazing how many writers don’t accept the control.) Have you ever noticed in the real world that the person in control of something is usually the busiest person? I personally would rather be the person in control of…

  • Challenge,  On Writing,  publishing,  workshops

    November Workshops Update

    November Workshop Update All letters have been sent out to those signed up for the November Online workshops. So if you think you are signed up for a November workshop, or would like to be, fire me a letter. Lots of room in all of them. And also at the moment the Coast Anthology workshop group list is starting up. The workshop starts February 25th and because the list has started, we have had a few drop out, so there are some spots open. If interested, write me. The coast workshops are for those writers really powering toward making a living with their fiction in one fashion or another. It…

  • Fun Stuff,  On Writing,  publishing,  Recommended Reading

    Joanna Penn Blog

    Joanna Penn Blog About the Master Business Class Joanna Penn was here at the coast last week along with forty or so other professional writers. It was wonderful meeting her for the first time. So if you want to know a few things Joanna took away from the Master Business Class last week (and see a picture of her and Kris and me), she did a great blog about a few of the things. Worth the read for writing thinking. http://www.thecreativepenn.com/2016/10/28/coast-masterclass-2016/ ——– You can support this ongoing blog at Patreon on a monthly basis. Not per post. Just click on the Patreon image. Thanks for your support.

  • Challenge,  On Writing,  publishing

    Not Much Sleep

    Not Much Sleep So this post will be a placeholder mostly here on this crazy Friday. There are lots and lots of good things with living on the west coast and having a normal schedule that doesn’t have me going to bed until 5 or 6 a.m. Very quiet at night and as I get back to solidly writing in the next day or so, that really quite time from midnight to 6 a.m. is very nice. But occasionally, I have to work, on deadline (not a publishing project) with someone in New York who goes to work at 8:30 a.m. So today I was up to my normal time, then…