The Journal: Going Wide vs. Exclusivity

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * StreetLib * A Slow Start * Of Interest * The Numbers Quotes of the Day “Writing is a lot easier than getting up onstage and singing and dancing, I’ll tell you that.” Mel Brooks A Long Quote on Wide Distribution vs. Exclusivity In a comment, a reader recently asked Dean Wesley Smith, “[Can you explain] why authors should go wide instead of Amazon exclusive? I always click on the links of authors who comment here and noticed so many of us are devotees of most of your methods [but] we still … Read more

The Journal: WITD and Writing Again

In today’s Journal * Holiday Sale * Writing Into the Dark * Writing Again * Of Interest * The Numbers Holiday Sale With the holidays coming up quickly, I thought I’d remind you of the half-price sale over at WMG Publishing’s Teachable account (https://wmg-publishing-workshops-and-lectures.teachable.com/). Workshops and lectures and classes make excellent gifts for writers, even if the writer is yourself. For details, see “3 Days Left in the Holiday Sale” at https://www.deanwesleysmith.com/3-days-left-in-the-holiday-sale/. Of the lectures, the knowledge you’ll glean from Heinlein’s Rules (Lecture 1 if I remember right) is absolutely priceless. That lecture is literally what started me on this … Read more

The Journal: “Fill a Stein….” Guest Post

In today’s Journal * “Fill a Stein and Grab a Bloody Haunch!” Guest Post * More on Peter Brandvold * Of Interest * The Numbers Fill a Stein and Grab a Bloody Haunch! a guest post by Peter Brandvold That, in a heraldic nutshell, is my approach to writing. Simple as a Zen painting and elemental as a pissed-off bobcat. In other words, when I pour that first cup of morning mud thick enough to float a lumber drey, wrestle onto the floor amongst my snarling curs, and pick up my Macbook Pro which I prop atop my knees while … Read more

The Journal: Peter Brandvold

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * Here’s to Boring and Uneventful * Peter Brandvold * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “Gratitude is a quality similar to electricity: It must be produced and discharged and used up in order to exist at all.” William Faulkner Here’s to Boring and Uneventful I hope everyone had an enjoyable Thanksgiving. Ours was boring and uneventful, in a good way. Meaning there was no undue, unnecessary excitement and no drama. One more thing for which to be grateful. Unfortunately, Dean’s was something less than boring, as reported at … Read more

The Journal: Thanksgiving Sale

In today’s Journal * Thanksgiving Sale * Of Interest * The Numbers Thanksgiving Sale So Dean has decided to have another lecture/workshop sale. It runs from today through Thursday, December 2nd. The code is HolidaySale (one word). To use it visit https://wmg-publishing-workshops-and-lectures.teachable.com/. There, “just find whatever class you would like, hit purchase, and then put in the code HolidaySale on the top of the next page to get 50% off the price.” You can get more than one class, lecture or workshop, but you have to repeat the process each time. Enjoy the rest of the day. Talk with you … Read more

The Journal: A “Fresh New Voice” Revisited

In today’s Journal * Happy Thanksgiving * A “Fresh New Voice” Revisited * Of Interest * The Numbers Happy Thanksgiving I’m posting today mostly so I can wish you an enjoyable Thanksgiving tomorrow. I hope it’s a good one for you and that you get to share it with friends and family. A “Fresh New Voice” Revisited Not quite a week ago, I posted a topic titled “Agents Want a Fresh New Voice.” Yesterday, I received an email on the topic from another prolific fiction writer, Dawn T. Her anecdote added so much to my original post that I wanted … Read more

The Journal: All Knowledge is Pertinent

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * Welcome * All Knowledge is Pertinent to WITD * Moaning No Longer * Of Interest * The Numbers Quotes of the Day “There are four kinds of homicide: felonious, excusable, justifiable, and praiseworthy.” Ambrose Bierce “November, n. The eleventh twelfth of a weariness.” Ambrose Bierce, The Devil’s Dictionary Welcome to Lexy, and any others who subscribed recently. Good to have you all aboard. If I can do anything to help, don’t hesitate to leave a comment or email me. All Knowledge is Pertinent to WITD The Kill Zone blog has made … Read more

The Journal: What About Writing Are You Grateful For?

In today’s Journal * What About Writing Are You Grateful For? * Of Interest * The Numbers What About Writing Are You Grateful For? With Thanksgiving Day rapidly approaching, over at the Kill Zone blog Kay DiBianca posed a question: What one thing about writing are you grateful for? She then suggested, “It can be a book you’ve read, a mentor who’s inspired and helped you, a blog you love, or any other person or thing you’re grateful for.” For me, the response was immediate and definitive: I’m grateful to my characters for enabling me to experience their stories and … Read more

The Journal: “Natural” Storytellers

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * “Natural” Storytellers * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “This is how I came to begin thinking about story-first worldbuilding.” Kelsey Allagood at Writer Unboxed “Natural” Storytellers While poking around the web this morning I came across “Your Guide to a Weekly Creativity Time.” In that post, James Scott Bell says John Gilstrap is a “natural storyteller.” I couldn’t agree more. But Mr. Bell goes on to say that he himself is one of the “other writers” who “have to dig in hard ground to find, stimulate, and … Read more

The Journal: Agents Want a Fresh New Voice

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * Agents Want a Fresh New Voice * Don’t look * Of Interest * The Numbers Quotes of the Day “Great writers make their stories authentic by allowing us to experience what their characters hear, see, smell, taste, and touch—capturing the senses so we are fully involved.” Ellen Buikema at Writers in the Storm “When agents are asked what they are looking for, their typical answer is ‘a fresh new voice’.” Steve Hooley in “That Special Sauce” at the Kill Zone blog Agents Want a Fresh New Voice Agents and publishers want … Read more