Dean Wesley Smith

The Journal: Licensing and Everything Else

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * Topic: Licensing and Everything Else * Today * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “I’m thankful there are people out there who read what I write and who like what I make. I’m very lucky, and I know it.” Neil Gaiman Topic: Licensing and Everything Else DWS has said many times that licensing is a process, one that takes time. It has occurred to me that how long it takes from concept to actual production seems even longer when compared to the ability of today’s writers to write … Read more

The Journal: Take Two on Writing Sloppy

In today’s Journal * OMG Alert * Topic: Take Two on Writing Sloppy * Today * Of Interest * The Numbers Every now and then Dean mentions The Copyright Handbook by Stephen Fishman from NOLO. It’s an essential investment for a writer. At the moment, NOLO is having a 50% off sale on everything they offer, including The Copyright Handbook. Visit https://store.nolo.com/products/the-copyright-handbook-coha.html. Use the promo code BF50 when you order. Plus, at the moment the handbook is on sale for only $39.99. Which means if you use the code, you can get the book for only twenty bucks. Topic: Take … Read more

The Journal: Story Gestation

In today’s Journal * Dean Wesley Smith * I actually wrote * Topic: Story Gestation * Today * Of Interest * The Numbers Dean Wesley Smith has announced he’s going to shut down sign-ups for both the Licensing Transition learn-along and the Shared Worlds class on December 8. Just sayin’. I actually wrote 1700 words on the Blackwell Ops 7 novel yesterday. I keep thinking I could just set it aside and forget it, but the story’s too good to ignore. So I’m back at it again. I was going to share a comment I left on a post (see … Read more

The Journal: Getting Organized, Rights Grabs, and Learning

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * Topic: Preparation Saves Time and Prevents Typos * Topic: Another Rights Grab * Today * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “Thomas’s poetry is so narrow — just a straight conduit between birth & death, I suppose—with not much space for living along the way.” Poet Elizabeth Bishop in a letter to a friend after hearing of Dylan Thomas’s death Can you get a story or title idea from this quote? As a side note, my own favorite Dylan Thomas poem is “The Force That Through the Green … Read more

The Journal: Very Short Post Today

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * Welcome and Today * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “If you get discouraged, think of Emily Dickinson, her life, and her words. There is no frigate like a book. You can build it at and on a desk and it can take you and your audience to places that they never would have imagined but for you.” (emphasis added) Joe Hartlaub Welcome to new subscriber Nancy. I hope you get something out of these posts. Thanks to Bob B for stopping by and leaving his own favorite … Read more

The Journal: From our friend

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * From our friend * In the second item * Today * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “Oh that tricksy critical mind. My biggest challenge. The only cure is writing anyway.” Karen Riggs, novelist From our friend Bob B re the 20BooksTo50K writers’ conference in Vegas this week, They’re already starting to post videos from this year’s conference at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTrqmZBt-FWUWnxWD2x5Ucg/videos. Their Facebook Group is here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/20Booksto50k/. Take advantage of this, folks. Tidbits like this don’t come along every day. *** In the second item in “Of Interest,” the … Read more

The Journal: Sorry to have been away

In today’s Journal * Sorry to have been away * Update on the Master Business Class * Today * Of Interest * The Numbers Sorry to have been away for a couple of days. Honestly, there just wasn’t much to report, even in “Of Interest.” I’ve been working mostly on a lengthy copyedit and doing some things for my mentoring student, as well as working on the bible for the shared world I’ll reveal around the first of the year. Update on the Master Business Class Kris Rusch let slip in her most recent Patreon post (I’ll link to the … Read more

The Journal: Yesterday and Ghosting and Veterans’ Day

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * Yesterday * Ghosting * My son and grandson * Today * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “Exactly like riding a rollercoaster… That’s writing a novel into the dark. Buckle in and believe you will end back up in the station, breathing hard and laughing.” Dean Wesley Smith Exactly. And this is why I cringe when I hear a writer talk about how “hard” it is to write a short story or novel. *** Yesterday I spent a few hours rearranging my author website at HarveyStanbrough.com to make … Read more

The Journal: Catching Up, Pricing Your Book, and More

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * Yesterday * Pricing your book * Today * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “Just let the writing be a fun place to go, to escape to. Don’t make it special. If you do, it gets wrapped into all the life drama. Just leave the writing as an escape to go play.” Dean Wesley Smith Yesterday I got the three covers done and the three short stories published, so I’m caught up for now in that regard. But there was zero extra time for writing or for working … Read more

The Journal: Good Fortune Strikes

In today’s Journal * Good Fortune Strikes * Yesterday * A Very Special Project * Today * Of Interest * The Numbers Good Fortune Strikes (for you) Yesterday, Kris Rusch added a new post to her Patreon page. And this morning, I found she’d also shared it on her Busines Musings blog, which means I’m free to share it with you. I’m not exaggerating when I say this is one of the most eye-opening posts she’s shared. If you read nothing else today, please read Paradigm Shift (Rethinking The Writing Business Part 16). You might want to read it two … Read more