Dean Wesley Smith

The Journal: Challenges on the MidWinter Sale

In today’s Journal * Challenges on the MidWinter Sale * Speaking of good deals * Of Interest Challenges on the MidWinter Sale I wasn’t going to post today, but I was interested in getting Dean’s post out to you. It’s about the MidWinter sale again, but this time he talks about the challenges he’s offering on Teachable. His challenges usually cost $600, but during the sale they’re only $300. Best of all, they’re completely win-win. They cost you $300 right now, but if you complete any entire challenge, you get your choice of a lifetime subscription. If you FAIL to … Read more

The Journal: Know What Stuff Is

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * Topic: Know What Stuff Is * Of Interest Quotes of the Day “Remembrance of things past is not necessarily the remembrance of things as they were.” Marcel Proust I like that quote. I’ve often told others that memoir is closer to fiction than to nonfiction because it’s a writer remembering what happened at a point in time. Fiction is a writer remembering something that could have happened at a point in time. “If you’re a good writer and want to write literary magazine material, start a blog, tell all your friends … Read more

The Journal: Very Short Post

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * Very Short Post * MidWinter Workshop Sale * Of Interest Quotes of the Day “Lovers of print are simply confusing the plate for the food.” Douglas Adams “Books are no more threatened by Kindle than stairs by elevators.” Stephen Fry Very Short Post Today I like the first quote of the day. I especially like that if you replace “print” with “ebooks” the quote means exactly the same thing. Either way it brings cool, calm reasoning to the pbook vs. ebook argument. It also points out the category mistake most people … Read more

The Journal: Discipline, Study, Keep Coming Back

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * Topic: Discipline, Study, Keep Coming Back * Of Interest Quotes of the Day “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” Winston Churchill “Not everything warrants description—only details that matter to the character.” Joe Ponepinto “There are no shortcuts to success on the field or in life.” Tom Brady, in his retirement message Topic: Discipline, Study, Keep Coming Back Some writing lessons today from James Scott Bell over at the Kill Zone blog, taken from how the now-retired quarterback Tom Brady lived … Read more

The Journal: Rushing This Out

In today’s Journal * The Indie Author Mindset * Something to Bear in Mind * Of Interest Rushing This Out I came to the Journal late this morning. I have a lot about writing to talk about, but that will be for later. For now, for those of you who are interested in marketing, I suggest Adam L Croft’s The Indie Author Mindset and maybe more specifically to marketing, David Gaughran’s book, Amazon Decoded: A Marketing Guide to the Kindle Store. In full disclosure, I have not read either of these books, but both come highly recommended from a trusted … Read more

The Journal: Spreading Yourself Thin?

In today’s Journal * Not Much * Spreading Yourself Thin? * Of Interest Not much of anything today. Mostly I just wanted to touch base and recommend the items listed in “Of Interest.” Dean’s post is time-sensitive if you want to back his current Kickstarter campaign. Spreading Yourself Thin? I also thought I’d share a bit of advice I sent another writer via email this morning. He emailed me to ask whether I thought it was possible for writers to “stretch themselves too thin,” for example writing plays and novels and short stories (not his specific example). No, I don’t. … Read more

The Journal: A Little Fun Today

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * A Little Fun Today * Of Interest Quotes of the Day “The advocacy of the three-million-member organization for censorship is a chilling position for any group representing educators.” Jonathan Turley “I’ve put in so many enigmas and puzzles that it will keep the professors busy for centuries arguing over what I meant, and that’s the only way of insuring one’s immortality.” James Joyce A Little Fun Today Again, the Kill Zone rises up to hand me a topic, but this time it isn’t something to argue against. This time, Garry Rodgers’ … Read more

The Journal: Believe in Yourself

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * Topic: Believe in Yourself * Of Interest Quotes of the Day [I]f you are really writing from your creative voice, it just ain’t possible to control it or steer it.” Dean Wesley Smith “[S]ince I never go into the writing with any idea what I am doing, I have been surprised every day what has appeared. And not questioning anything, just going for the ride and having fun.” Dean Wesley Smith “A year from now you will wish you had started today.” Karen Lamb Topic: Believe in Yourself In “Of Interest” … Read more

The Journal: Dave Farland (David Wolverton)

In today’s Journal * David Wolverton * Of Interest David Wolverton I’m still here, and there are some good things in “Of Interest.” But my main reason for posting today is to pass along some sad news. John David Wolverton, better known as Dave Farland or David Wolverton, suffered a massive heart attack yesterday and passed away last night. Our heartfelt condolences to his family, friends, and fans the world over. Dave’s departure is a huge loss to fiction and to the world in general. He, Dean Wesley Smith and Kris Rusch were longtime friends. Dean posted a great pic … Read more

A Slightly Belated Happy New Year

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * Happy New Year * If any of you enjoy history * I Hoped to Post Links * My Only Real Escape * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “My subconscious mind always knows how to get from A to Z.” Novelist Robert J. Sadler Happy New Year More than one person has reminded me that even though I posted a Journal entry on New Year’s Day, I failed to say happy new year. I’d like to say I thought maybe that was implied, but maybe that isn’t true. … Read more