THREE MORE STORIES TODAY
So That Makes Eight Short Stories in Three Days!
28 stories done in April, two more to go with one day left. In sight.
And that was with doing two webinars this morning and early afternoon here, and going for a nice dinner with Kris at the Golden Nugget and looking at the rooms where the workshops will be.
Can you say stunning? Up a beautiful staircase directly across the street from a parking garage. On the other side of a glass wall on one side of the staircase is the pool. There are four restaurants within fifty feet of that staircase and a Starbucks.
No where near a casino or smoking. Beautiful rooms in the convention center. This is going to be amazing. And great fun to hold the big workshops.
The Day And the Stories
Started off by getting up at 9:30 a.m. and was actuall ready early for the first webinar on Selling Short Fiction. I was finished with the second webinar around 2 p.m. and had lunch with Kris before starting a story at 3:15 p.m.
With a nap somewhere along the way and a couple short breaks, I finished the first story called “Penny Dead” at 3,700 words by 6 p.m.
Walking to dinner and exploring the convention center with Kris until 9 p.m.
I started the next story that was titled “Lost Louise” and with one short break finished it at 1,750 words a little before 11 p.m.
Watched some television and then at 12 p.m.I decided to start the third story. It ended up being called “Pleasing Pearl” and I finished it at 1:30 a.m. at 1,900 words.
A three-story day. And I still did a bunch of other stuff. Go figure.
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Day One… Scared Money… 2,700 words…. Total April words… 2,700 words.
Day Two… Rainbow Peak… 4,900 words…. Total April words… 7,600 words.
Day Three… A Beautiful History… 2,300 words…. Total April words… 9,900 words.
Day Four… A Song For The Old Memory… 2,050 words…. Total April words… 11,950 words.
Day Five… A Brush with Intent… 1,000 words…. Total April words… 12,950 words.
Day Six… Ghost Diet… 2,700 words…. Total April words… 15,650 words.
Day Seven… Rescue Two… 3,300 words…. Total April words… 18,950 words.
Day Eight… The Woman Who Knew The Time… 3,200 words…. Total April words… 22,150 words.
Day Nine… Long Hair Henry… 4,400 words…. Total April words… 26,550 words.
Day Ten… I’ll See You… 1,500 words…. Total April words… 28,050 words.
Day Eleven… Girl on the Bed… 2,000 words…. Total April words… 30,050 words.
Day Twelve… Everything Got Colder… 2,050 words…. Total April words… 32,100 words.
Day Thirteen… (did not write)… 00 words…. Total April words… 32,100 words.
Day Fourteen… (did not write)… 00 words…. Total April words… 32,100 words.
Day Fifteen… Old Memories… 2,700 words…. Total April words… 34,800 words.
Day Sixteen… Models’ Four.. 1,900 words…. Total April words… 36,700 words.
Day Seventeen… (did not write).. 00 words…. Total April words… 36,700 words.
Day Eighteen… Green Canyon.. 2,500 words…. Total April words… 39,200 words.
Day Nineteen… (did not write).. 00 words…. Total April words… 39,200 words.
Day Twenty… Something In My Darling.. 1,600 words…. Total April words… 40,800 words.
Day Twenty-one… (did not write).. 00 words…. Total April words… 40,800 words.
Day Twenty-two… Reluctant With Intent.. 2,000 words…. Total April words… 42,800 words.
Day Twenty-three… (did not write).. 00 words…. Total April words… 42,800 words.
Day Twenty-four… Two-Handeed Stand.. 2,150words…. Total April words… 44,950 words.
Day Twenty-five… Dead Woman Walking.. 2,100 words…. Total April words… 47,050 words.
Day Twenty-six… Cherry Jones.. 2,700 words…. Total April words… 49,750 words.
Day Twenty-seven… The Story of Jean.. 2,550 words…. Total April words… 52,300 words.
…………………. Debbie Does the Desert… 3,400 words…. Total April words… 55,700 words.
…………… A Time and A Place for April…. 1,600 words…. Total April words… 57,300 words.
Day Twenty-eight…. Come Around Cindy.. 2,600 words…. Total April words… 59,900 words.
…………………… Patty Bluff… 2,450 words…. Total April words… 62,350 words.
Day Twenty-nine…. Penny Dead…. 3,700 words…. Total April words… 66,050 words.
…………………… Lost Louise…. 1,750 words…. Total April words… 67,800 words.
…………………… Pleasing Pearl…… 1,900 words…. Total April words… 69,700 words.
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MAY INSIDER’S GUIDE Workshops
— Insider’s Guide to Writing Serial Fiction (2,000 word parts of a novel) (Starts May 6th)
— Insider’s Guide to Writing Detective Fiction. (Starts May 6th)
$300 each, limited to ten writers plus lifetime subscribers. One time workshops. They will not be regular. Sorry. But Lifetime Subscribers have access to them of course going forward.
THESE ARE NOW ON TEACHABLE TO SIGN UP.
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MAY REGULAR WORKSHOPS
Sign up directly through Teachable or if you have a credit, write me directly to sign up.
https://wmg-publishing-workshops-and-lectures.teachable.com
Class #49… May 1st … Depth #3: Research
Class #50… May 1st … Author Voice
Class #51… May 1st … Dialog
Class #52… May 1st … Writing into the Dark
Class #53… May 1st … Writing Fiction Sales Copy
Class #54… May 1st … Writing and Selling Short Stories
Class #55… May 2nd … Depth in Writing
Class #56… May 2nd … Business
Class #57… May 2nd … (open)
Class #58… May 2nd … (open)
Class #59… May 2nd … Novel Structure
Class #60… May 2nd … Writing Fantasy
11 Comments
Kenny
Wow, I’m really looking forward to meeting Sky.
John D. Payne
How many people call themselves writers and have not in their lives produced as many stories as you have so far this month?
dwsmith
Most. But the difference is that I am a professional writer and most writers are not. The reason? They have stuff stopping them from doing exactly what I am doing. Note the hours. I have yet to even spend eight hours writing in one day.
I just don’t have all the baggage and myths that early writers get and most can’t get past. But anyone can do what I am doing. Just takes cleaning out the myths and the critical voice and having fun.
Anon
Do you have any tips for developing the discipline to sit down and write and stop getting distracted by TV/internet/etc.? (My problem is I don’t even know *why* I let myself get distracted.)
dwsmith
Stop making writing important or work. Make it fun. When it becomes fun, when you don’t worry about it, just go play, you would rather create your own stories than play or watch other people’s stories. Frighteningly enough, it really is that simple.
Harvey
As a start, I recommend Dean’s Heinlein’s Rules lecture and book. Strongly. After that, his Ideas to Story workshop.
John D. Payne
I love this formulation here. “I am a professional writer,” does not mean I’m special, I can do this because I don’t have anything else to do all day, kids don’t try this at home, etc.
It means, I get to call myself a professional writer because I write even when I have other things I need to do also. And you can do this too. All you have to do is choose to write.
John D. Payne
This is the kind of thing where I start the month shaking my head and wondering, “Is he really crazy enough to try this?” And then at the end of the month, I am shaking my head and wondering, “Am I crazy NOT to be trying this?”
stu
Eight stories in three days? You cheeky bugger! I managed thirty last year but then allowed myself to get stopped with plenty of “good” excuses not to start again. Guess i better learn to gave fun, flush some myths and get back on the horse. Thanks Dean, you’re an lighthouse in the dark.
Scott Gordon
Awesome achievement!
MY UPDATE: 4,211 more words added to Secret Agent Disco Dancer: Frosted Flake. I’m near the climax, so one more day of writing should finish it off. Right now, it’s up to 6,550 total words.
In all, I’ve written 58,000 words since starting this personal challenge (of at least 4,200 words/day), dating back to April 18th. I will probably write a few words in the story’s Production Journal before going to bed, pushing the total closer to 60,000. But 58,000 is good. No complaints from me after a couple productive weeks.
Harvey
Do you blog about this journey on your website, Scott? I’d be interested to see how long your 4200 words per day streak lasts. Keep going!