Dean Wesley Smith

The Journal, Saturday, 8/12

Hey Folks, Well, I know at least part of today will include a trip to Sierra Vista. I hope part of the trip will include lunch. (grin) This morning after my routine, I designed two covers, created two promo docs, then published two short stories to D2D and Amazon, then uploaded them to BundleRabbit. Finally I added the covers and universal buy links to the Short Fiction page on my website. I took a moment to do some multiplication. Goodness. I have 181 short stories now. Went to SV around 10 and got back a little after 1. I’ll work … Read more

The Journal, Thursday, 8/10

Hey Folks, I don’t remember whether I’ve mentioned this before, but if anyone would like to read “The Fiction Factory” (being the Experience of a Writer who, for Twenty-two Years, has kept a Story-mill Grinding Successfully) by John Milton Edwards, send me an email and I’ll send you a PDF copy. Very interesting stuff. Chock full of gems. Part of my recent problem (“problem” is too harsh a word) is that my brain is trying to shut down to allow for the new knowledge I’ll absorb during the workshop I’m currently taking from Dean. Of course, that’s absurd. Nothing I’ve … Read more

The Journal, Wednesday, 8/9

Hey Folks, Well, I guess I’m taking a full-blown hiatus for a week or so. No writing today. No worries and no reason for concern. I think I’m just a little tired. Doing a lot of non-writing things right now, mixed in with a lot of reading, sitting and nothing. I think I’m gonna slack off on The Journal a bit too. It had served its purpose on this end awhile back, and I’ve heard from some of you that it’s been a boon on that end. I’ll keep it going, but maybe not every day. The “streak” aspect of … Read more

The Journal, Sunday, 8/6

Hey Folks, Not sure what the day will hold, but at least I got some writing done and finished the story. Today, and Writing I rose way early, a little before 2, so the girls could spend some time outside before the kids and grandkids get up. (My babies spend all their time under my bed when anyone’s visiting.) I started writing at 4. Did a lot of cycling back to add in small details (verisimilitude, that) and wrote a little over 1400 words to finish the story. Probably no more writing today, and that’s fine. After the visit I’ll … Read more

The Journal, Wednesday, 8/2

Hey Folks, There is a LOT of good information in “Of Interest” below. Be sure to check it out. A couple of days ago I announced here (to my friends) that I had another request for one of my books for a bundle. It happened again yesterday after I filed the Journal for the day. Too cool! And then today, I received requests to include three more of my books in bundles. WAY cool! (grin) By February, I’ll have books in Dystopia (current, A Rough New World); Guns of the West (current, No Kind’a Time and “A Turning Point for … Read more

The Journal, Tuesday, 8/1

Hey Folks, Well, five are signed up for the writing intensive now. Three slots left, and one more would-be attendee is thinking about it. Today I’ll endeavor to finish my July novel. (grin) Whenever I finish, I’ll have 8 novels or novellas at the beginning of the 8th month of the year. With my annual goal of 15 novels or novellas on the year, I’m going to plan to write two novels per month for August, September and October. Absolutely no reason I shouldn’t be able to do that. During August also I’m prepping for and teaching the intensive, and … Read more

The Journal, Sunday, 7/30

Hey Folks, Cool. I woke this morning to a request to include yet another of my books, Rise of a Warrior, in a bundle at BundleRabbit. Not only is it a good stand-alone novel, but it’s also the first book in the Wes Crowley series. Uh, yeah. I’ll do that. (grin) If you don’t have your work listed with BundleRabbit yet, why not? Check it out at http://bundlerabbit.com. The account is free, and every time your story or book is bundled, you gain access to new readers. And yes, you can upload short stories and collections as well as novellas … Read more

The Journal, Friday, 7/28

Hey Folks, I get a lot of questions that I can answer, in general, with this one sentence: “In storytelling, no single aspect is more important than the ability to pull the reader into the story and keep him there.” I’m hoping to teach an intensive on how exactly to do that in the near future. The intensive will be geared for no more than 8 attendees. Two writers are already signed up. I’ll cover Openings, Hooks, Grounding the Reader in the Story, Physical and Emotional Cliffhangers, and Pacing. Given time, I’ll talk a little about Endings as well. The … Read more

The Journal, Sunday, 7/23

Hey Folks, Well, my kitten is all right. I won’t go into details, but my wife and I considered putting off our trip (with nonrefundable hotel stays already paid for) to stay here with her. Thanks to my bride for considering doing that. (She brought the subject up.) I’m always torn when I (or we) leave. It’s better for Bit and the other two babies to stay here in familiar surroundings. But it’s always difficult on me, being away from her for any length of time. I’ve never been quite selfish enough to take her with me, but I’ve been … Read more

The Journal, Friday, 7/21

Hey Folks, Nothing much to talk about today. I should be back in a day or two with a topic or three. Oh, I do have a book in a new bundle. The Dystopia Bundle at BundleRabbit. You can get 11 great stories (so the curator says) for only $3.99. A good value no matter how you cut it. For details, please check https://bundlerabbit.com/b/alpha-one/. Here’s a picture: Today, and Writing Got out to the Hovel a little later than I did yesterday. That, combined with a strange necessity to do very little, slowed the pace of my writing and today’s … Read more