A Second Really Fun Day…
I worked in the stores (treasure hunting in my own store), did a bunch of work on workshops moving to Teachable, and got my 10,000 steps done, plus a short story.
Can’t beat that. Details below.
First, I wanted to remind you about the special workshop offer we have going on for the next four days. It ends on the 16th.
Here are the basic details of the offer….
For exactly one week, until November 16th, you can get two regular workshops and two classic workshops for the price of $500.
That is exactly the same as it was offered in the Kickstarter.
A fun thing this year… If you would like, you can have us print up a nice-looking gift certificate and put it into a nice envelope, with someone’s name on the certificate, and send it to you to give as a gift for another writer for the holiday.
Or you can just buy it and use it for yourself. We honestly don’t care. (If you use it for yourself, we don’t have to print up the certificates unless you really want us to. (grin))
You can also get more than one.
Just as with the Pulphouse Kickstarter workshop credits, these workshop credits can be used at any point into the future starting with the December workshops. For any workshop, even the new ones. No limit.
So here is the offer broken down, the same as it was in the Pulphouse Kickstarter.
Two Regular 6-week workshops. Value of $300 each or $600 total.
Two Classic workshops. Value of $150 each or $300 total.
You get the $900 in workshops for $500.
To sign up, contact me at dean.wmgworkshops@gmail.com.
If you want to see a complete list of the workshops, go to:
Remember, this offer ends November 16th.
Short Story Challenge…
Here is how my day went…
Rolled out of the house at 2 p.m. and headed for the north store first to pick up some stuff, then to the south stores. I worked for about two hours in the back room of the bookstore. There is stuff back there unknown to any human living, I kid you not.
Amazing treasures that we bought when we bought the store. I spent an entire hour just getting lights into the dusty large space. It reminds me a lot of my friend Bill’s house and apartment. Only a trail and mostly dark.
So I made some progress and will make more tomorrow. That back room and the remodeling of the store will be a regular task for me.
I got back to the WMG offices around 5:30 and stayed there until 7:30 loading videos and getting my steps while the video loads.
Home by 8 after going to the grocery story. First I took a nap, then I cooked dinner, then headed back up to the office to finish my steps and do more video loading. I got the 10,000 steps by 11:30 p.m.
Headed home, did email for a time, then watched some television until one. Then I took another nap.
So I finally got to my writing computer at 1:30 a.m.
I grabbed my half-title sheets and the first half-title I saw was “Half a Clue” and I went with that. I knew that title was another Cold Poker Gang story, so I did a prolog on the story and by 2:30 a.m. had done right at 1,000 words. A really fast start for me.
I took a short break, got another 1,200 words by 3:30 a.m.
Another short break and I finished the story at 3,700 words at 4:30. Printed it up and got it on Kris’s spot to read. (She liked last night’s story.)
So far, here is the November Short Story Challenge. (10th through 30th.. I will have covers in a few days as well.)
1… Under the Skin of Death… 4,400 words…. Total words so far… 4,400 words.
2… Half a Clue… 3,700 words… Total words so far… 8,100 words
So total writing time… 3 hours.
Total work time… 7 hours.
Now I am going to go read some challenge stories from others. Great fun.
Will you be going back to those stories at some point to re-do the titles with a poker-related theme? Or have you given up the poker-themed titles for the Cold Poker Gang at this point? Or do you just use poker titles for the novels but the short stories can be anything?
(Just trying to figure out how your mind works when titling things.)
Poker themes I have only been doing with the novels. Not enough poker titles for all the short stories as well, even though I have a list of about twenty great novel poker titles. Saving them because I got a hunch I will write that many novels in this series. In fact, the story last night might end up being the first few chapters of a new novel by a different title, with just a few slight changes in the story. I didn’t realize that was possible until I was printing it off. (grin)
I know you don’t go back and revisit a story after you write it. You said many times you write one draft and that’s it. So does that mean you edit as you go?
Yes, I cycle back about 400 words and stay in creative voice touching things as I get up speed toward the new words. I don’t call it editing, though because that is a critical voice thought meaning I am fixing something that is not right. Nope, just adding and and touching in creative voice.
I such at rewriting and always make things worse, as do most writers, even though the believe they are making it “better” or more polished. So I just don’t write sloppy, touching everything as I go along, telling the story I want to tell, and then just release to a copyeditor and past that readers who buy the story.
Very simple and fun process. Keeps the writing fun, I can tell you.
I have been doing this since 1982 when I first read Heinlein’s Rules. I follow them religiously, which is why I am a long-term pro. They seem like five simple rules, but are impossible for most writers to follow.
I really, really should not spend more money on workshops, but I am LOVING the ones I am working through right now and with this amazing deal, I’m not sure how good my self restraint is… 😀 hehe. A good problem to have.