What I did when you weren't looking - Week of 02/28/16
Leap year! What a way to start a week—with a day that only exists every four years. And did it have to be a Monday?
I'll be honest, this has been a rough week. I kept up with the blogging every day, but had some slips on the book writing front, as life intruded a couple of times and derailed my usual plans. So see? Even a Wordslinger can get off his game every now and then.
But fear not—my book in progress, "Coelho Medallion," is still on track for completion this month, and my target is to have it on shelves in April. I'll do a cover reveal once the manuscript itself is complete!
Now let's get to the roundup of everything that went down in Wordslinger Town for the week of 28 February 2016—
Citadel: Omnibus Giveaway - Enter to win a SIGNED copy plus a $50 Amazon Gift Card!
I'm giving away three free signed copies of Citadel: Omnibus—the complete Citadel Trilogy in one volume—PLUS a $50 gift card! Three winners will be chosen, and you have until May 19 to enter, but don't wait! Get in early and you'll get several ebooks FREE just for entering! Including Citadel: First Colony!
Blog posts
Podcasts
WPC-070 - SPORTS FICTION WITH J.D. DUDYCHA
There's nothing that lends itself to metaphor more than sports, especially in America. We pepper our language with sports terminology—from referring to an easy success as a "slam dunk" to telling a repeat offender they're on their "third strike." Sports are a complex part of the language we use to describe our lives. Which may be why author J.D. Dudycha gravitated towards sports as a common theme in his work. In this episode of the Wordslinger Podcast, J.D. talks about his current books and his upcoming plans.
SPA 55: Improvisation and Revising for Writers
Today the guys discuss the rules of improve, as they apply to writers. Comedy improvisation rules are things like, "never say 'no,'" "yes/and," etc. But while these "rules" are helpful and can lead to really funny improvised comedy, it can also be a detriment to your story arcs.
Which rules are meant to be broken? Which are the rules that are necessary? When should you break them?
CWC Ep21: Screenwriting Advice from Edward Ricourt (Now You See Me, Jessica Jones)
Edward Ricourt got his spec read out of college, when he met Boaz Yakin. This led to Edward writing a horror script and going to film school at NYU.
It was when Edward wrote “Year 12” that he really got his big break, and got into the Marvel Writer’s Program (with Nicole Perlman, who wrote Guardians of the Galaxy).
Listen to the podcast to hear the rest of the story, and what Edward recommends for getting established, approaching film festivals such as the Austin Film Festival, and how he got on Jessica Jones and now Wayward Pines.
Where I showed up this week
Can Narrowing Your Focus Help Your Author Business? — Interview with Kevin Tumlinson on Stephen Campbell's The Author Biz Podcast - 2/29/16
In this 52 minute episode, Kevin and Stephen discuss Kevin's latest book, 30-DAY AUTHOR, as well as the journey he and his wife are are on that’s allowing them shed possessions and narrow their focus so they can spend time doing what’s important to them.
Upcoming appearances
- Meet with me and a few hundred other indie author professionals at the Smarter Artist Summit in Austin, TX, March 30-31! Get more details about the event. And I'll be in Austin from Tuesday (3/29) through Friday (4/1)
- I'll be speaking at 2016 NETWO Writers Conference April 22-23!Join the conference to hear me talk about Elements of an Indie Author Career.
You don't have to blog every day to really create something amazing, but the odds certainly go up if you do.