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Wow! It’s June!
We Made It Through May… Actually, unlike April which seemed in a time sense to take forever, May flashed right past. And I do understand that a lot of people did not live through May. I got that. But the rest of us out here, trying to do what is right, stay safe, keep working and writing and taking care of families. We made it through another month of the craziness. Another month closer to whatever point all this is going to end. Who knows what the rest of 2020 has to offer. Like Kris, I just want to flip to the end of this book. But we can’t, so…
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Why Am I So Against Traditional Publishing?
I Published 106 Novels Traditionally. But that was a different time, different companies, different contracts, different level of respect for authors. I would be a distant and faint memory in writing now if not for indie publishing. Never would have continued to work in the current traditional publishing environment. Never. So let me list a few reasons why I try to keep writers with dreams away from traditional publishers. THE SHORT VIEW… TRADITIONAL Most early-stage writers have a very, very short view of being a writer. They think that just selling a few short stories and then getting a novel sold to a major publisher will make their career. Nope.…
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Card Sharp Silver… Day 20
Normally Would Be Finished in Twenty Days… But nope. Just sort of puttering along, no fault of the book, just too many distractions and work outside of the book and writing time. I bet most of you know this feeling exactly. I am not worried or bothered or anything by the slowness of this. Just noting it, and that every book is different from every other book in the creation process. So today I made it here around 10:30 am, early for me because I needed to go out into the wilds. So a little after eleven I headed out, masked, gloves and excessive hand sanitizer. I was way, way…
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Card Sharp Silver… Day 19
No Day Is The Same… It would certainly help if I could settle into some sort of routine, where I knew I could get a set amount of exercise and a set amount of writing done. Oh, that would be heaven. And I am working toward that. But at the moment, still a lot happening, so no routine just yet. Soon. So here is how the day went. Managed to get to this computer to do some email around noon, then a little before one I left to go meet a leasing agent and get the keys to WMG Publishing’s new Vegas office. Inspections and other stuff took some time,…
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Kris’s Birthday Party Reminder
You Are All Invited… And how to attend? Send Kris a birthday card. That way in this crazy time of isolation, Kris can feel that you are all there at this wonderful party. I will supply the cake, more than enough (last year Kris and I ate on the cake for a week.) So her birthday is June 4th, exactly three weeks from today. No gifts, nothing else but a signed birthday card. Or some way to know who is attending on the card. Trust me, photos and recordings will happen, because, after all, that is this new world. So send a card to join the party. Full information two…
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Letters Out For Historical Workshop and News
Sent Letters to Everyone… So if you signed up for the Writing Historical Fiction special workshop in the Cave Creek Kickstarter and didn’t get a letter from me, after checking your spam filter, write me. In the letter you have the choice to sign up for either the May session or the June session. Totally up to each of you. But those will be the only two sessions. And all the surveys have gone out for the Writing Bundles Kickstarter which just closed, so get those surveys back quickly if you can. That way we can get out all the awards and books. Still Under Stay-At-Home Orders… Looks like most…
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Catching Up and New Workshop
A BUNCH OF DETAILS… First off, finally finishing the reading on the Messed Up stories for Pulphouse. Got just a few more. I’ve had to limit my screen time for my one eye, but getting back up to speed slowly. So those should be done in the next day or so and out to everyone. Secondly, setting up the June workshops. A couple of those are posted already. The rest to follow. Third, those of you who signed up for Writing Historical Fiction should get a letter from me this weekend with links to the May and June workshops. You can pick the one you would like to take. That…
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The Decade Ahead: Second Quarter
Finally Some Posts In April… It took clear to the end of April before I could figure out how to approach this quarter. I want this Decade Ahead class to help writers for years to come on their Teachable dashboards. Help them get through regular times, regular years for the next decade. But at the same time, it is impossible to talk about how to get through April and May and June in this second quarter of 2020 without dealing with this pandemic. So I decided to do both. I am doing a series of videos that will be valuable in general and next April/May/June. Dealing with the Time of…
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What Might Happen
I Have Been Waiting to Do Some Videos… The Decade Ahead class (second quarter) started April 1st. I have not put a video in it yet. That class was supposed to be how to help writers get through each month and each quarter to set up for the decade ahead. So I have been thinking about doing some videos in that class on what should have been some of the troubles of April for writers. And what might be again the troubles next April. You know, sort of pretend things will go back to normal next year. Very questionable. And I have also been thinking about doing videos on how…
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One of These Days
I’ll Get Back At Card Sharp Silver… I think I might have been a little unrealistic, or as Kris calls it, “ambitious” to think I could spend any real time writing while this short story workshop is going on. I do that at times. So here it is again, 2 am and I am finally done with about 3/4 of the things I needed to do today, not counting wanting to get to writing. But I do see a light at the end of this. Put it this way, I was so darned busy the last week or so, I haven’t had a chance to finish reading Kris’s new Diving…