• Challenge,  On Writing

    Real Life Sensory Lesson

    But Taste is So Hard!… I get that all the time from writer after writer who always seem to be under the misunderstanding that to taste something, the character must actually be chewing on something. Nope. So when I say use all five senses every five hundred words in a story to really add in character and depth, the complaint about taste comes popping up. So here is what happened today… Kris and I had walked to a great lunch spot in the Arts District of Las Vegas. Day was warm, not too hot, sun was out, flowers blooming along the sidewalks. (Yes, flowers bloom here in the winter.) For…

  • Challenge,  On Writing,  publishing

    Writer Delusion

    There Are Numbers of Them… But only going to talk about one at the moment. However, just like myths, writers have many, many delusions that hold them back. Delusion: A fiction writer knows for a fact they can write good sales copy. Reason for the Delusion: After all, they are fiction writers and it is their story. Fact: I know of maybe a handful of fiction writers who know how to write good sales copy. And not one New York fiction editor. But most writers have the delusion that they can write sales copy, the second most important element in sales after the cover. And then wonder why their books…

  • Challenge,  workshops

    Tip of the Week Has Ended

    Tonight I Posted the Last Five Weeks… And I opened up all the tips from January 1st, 2018 all the way through to those who are signed up right now. And killed the $10 per month charging fee. After two years of weekly tips, I am done in that format. I will be announcing something new and different for 2020 later this month which will have tips as well as much, much more. So anyone who is has been taking Tip of the Week now and was signed up now has access to all 104 writing tips. However, I had two people ask me if they could get all 104…

  • Challenge,  publishing

    In A Hurry

    All Writers Early On Are In A Hurry… I know for a fact I was no exception to that fact when I started publishing. And I have talked about this here and in workshops a lot of times in a lot of different ways. But today and tonight I had a couple reminders. Two reminders from writers, one reminder as I was recording some new videos for the Licensing Transition (they are not posted yet. More to record tomorrow.) One aspect about licensing is that nothing happens fast. And it often will take years to build a good license with a partner. I will talk about that more in the…

  • Challenge,  On Writing,  publishing,  workshops

    Workshops and More Workshops

    Cyber Monday… Got a hunch everyone is shopping for all kinds of nifty things today online. But in that spirit, besides the fact that seven new Classic Workshops are now available and two Classic Workshop bundles available only for December, I wanted to remind those interested that the December workshops start Tuesday and Wednesday. Information on the Classic Workshop Bundles in yesterday’s post right below this. And all of you who got the special How to Write a Holiday Story workshop in the Kickstarter should have gotten a letter from me last week with the ability to pick which of the two sessions (December or January) you want to take…

  • Challenge,  On Writing,  publishing,  workshops

    Classic Workshops

    And Two December Specials!!! All seven of the new classic workshops are now up and available. Classic workshops are workshops that have been moved from regular workshops to make more room and are half the original price ($150). But you do not turn in the assignments, just do them for yourself at your own pace. We now have 29 Classic Workshops available. And seven of them are newly in Classic status. So, for only the month of December, we put all seven in a bundle and reduced the price. You can still buy them one-at-a-time on Teachable for $150 each. But you can also get all seven in a bundle,…

  • Challenge,  On Writing,  publishing,  workshops

    December Workshops

    Starting In One Week… First off, those of you got the special How to Write a Holiday Story workshop will be getting a letter from me later this week with the ability to pick which of the two sessions (December or January) you want to take and a code for both. So hold on for that. December session will start on Tuesday. The regular December workshops also start on Tuesday and here is the list. Class #51… Dec 3rd … Endings Class #52… Dec 3rd … Attitude Class #54… Dec 3rd … Speed Class #55… Dec 3rd … Teams in Fiction Class #56… Dec 4th … Depth in Writing Class #59… Dec 4th… Information Flow…

  • Challenge,  On Writing,  publishing,  workshops

    New Videos In Shared World Class

    Plus the First Assignment… There will be numbers of assignments and stories to write over the months of this Shared World class. Going to be great fun, so any of you in the class, make sure you find time in the next few days to take a look. The assignment isn’t due until the 15th, but it will take some time to do correctly. And for those of you thinking about taking the class, I will shut it down on the 8th of December. Held it open longer than I had planned because a few people asked. So if interested, don’t delay and miss it. I will have new videos…

  • Challenge,  On Writing,  running

    Some Misc Stuff

    I Got a Couple of Questions About Why… … I was cut off the marathon course at mile 11 instead of later on. Simple math is the answer. I had reached the 11 mile turn at 2 hours and 10 minutes. Now I had on my planned-out schedule that was about the latest I could hit that point and I was wrong by a few minutes. It was too late. Actually, I wanted to hit it under two hours. Here is the thinking… I did 11 miles, while fresh, in 2 hours and 10 minutes. That means if I was lucky, I was going to do the next 11 miles…

  • Challenge,  On Writing,  publishing

    Wow, Am I Behind

    With Just About Everything… But I am now back and focused. However, I did spend the day doing a lot of recovery from the run yesterday. Two naps, some groaning while standing up, no real walking any distance. I walked/ran 17.4 miles yesterday by my Fitbit calculations. Upped my weekly average some. (grin) So those of you who have stories in that I have not read, expect them to come pouring your way this week. And through the weekend. I can only read so much at one sitting on a computer because of my eye. And I will be also getting the December workshops up and available. And the code…