Is it challenging to be a writer?

I'm often asked, "Is it challenging to be a writer?"

Knowing how many books and short items I've published, would you be surprised if I answered "No"?

Unlike many people, I would definitely answer "No." For me, NOT being a writer would be challenging.

Here’s another way to think about the “challenge” of writing:

Is it challenging to be a talker?

YES, for some people, but NO for most. You have something to say, so you open your mouth and words come out attempting to convey that “something.”

Now, the same frame for writing, at least as it is to me:

I have something to say, so I sit down by myself and words come out attempting to convey that “something.”

I suppose if I had nothing to convey, then writing would be a challenge. So far that hasn't happened.

If you're about to feel challenged, try reading Weinberg on Writing: the Fieldstone Method 

This book has given thousands of writers creative and useful “things to do” when they’re about to feel challenged.

For one thing, the book is full of exercises that can get you going. In the simplest of all the exercises, all you do is take out your writing instrument (computer, pen, pencil, typewriter, ...) and write the word, "The ". Now you've started writing, so all you need now is to continue. Try it!

The Write Stuff 2016 Bundle

Curated by Kristine Kathryn Rusch

Hundreds of writing books get published every year, and most of those books are written by people who have written…a book on writing. I kid you not. These people have a method or a scheme or they teach a writing class—even though I have no idea how they get those gigs. (Okay, I do. They get an MFA, which universities seem to think is more important than actual writing experience.)
Those writing books have nothing in common with the writing books in this bundle. Together, the authors of the books in The Write Stuff 2016 Bundle have more than two-hundred years of writing experience, and have contributed more than five hundred award-winning and bestselling books (fiction and nonfiction) to the world of literature.
We know writing, the writing life, and what makes a writing career. And we want to share it all with you.
Even though the books in this bundle discuss craft, including one of the classic writing books of all time, most of the books you'll find here explore the career killers, things like how to put butt in chair on a regular basis, how to organize your business career, and the all-important (at least to me) how to make a living as a writer.
So if you are a writer, or are simply dreaming of becoming a writer, this bundle is for you. – Kristine Kathryn Rusch
The initial titles in the Write Stuff 2016 Bundle (minimum $5 to purchase) are:

• Weinberg on Writing - The Fieldstone Method by Gerald M. Weinberg
• How to Negotiate Anything - Freelancer's Survivor Guide by Kristine Kathryn Rusch
• Stages of a Fiction Writer by Dean Wesley Smith
• Business For Breakfast Vol 2.: The Beginning Professional Publisher by Leah Cutter
• The Rational Writer: Nuts and Bolts by Mindy Klasky

If you pay more than the bonus price of just $15, you get all five of the regular titles, plus five more:

• Creating an Online Presence for Writers by Cat Rambo
• How to Make a Living With Your Writing by Joanna Penn
• Heinlein's Rules - Five Simple Business Rules For Writing by Dean Wesley Smith
• Writing the Novel from Plot to Print to Pixel by Lawrence Block
• The Writer's Business Plan: A Plain English Guidebook by Tonya D. Price, MBA

The bundle is available for a very limited time only, via http://www.storybundle.com. It allows easy reading on computers, smartphones, and tablets as well as Kindle and other ereaders via file transfer, email, and other methods. You get multiple DRM-free formats (.epub and .mobi) for all books!
Read more.

Where There’s a Will There’s a Murder

I've been slow posting on this blog for the past few weeks, and now you know why:


I've been finishing the next novel in my Residue Class Mystery Series: Where There’s a Will There’s a Murder

You can buy it now for Kindle, Nook, or at Smashwords for any other reader format. Just click the link above.


Note on PSL 
Problem Solving Leadership Workshop for May is almost full. We are considering a session for the overflow, so if you want in, get in touch with me right away. Jerry Weinberg

A Christmas Present for My Readers: A Free Story

This year I created a Christmas present for all my faithful readers. It's about one of the characters in my series of novels, The Stringers–Ember, a blind girl with extraordinary powers. The story is titled "The Blind Warrior," and it's free.

I wanted to put the story free on Amazon.com, but Amazon took a long time to make it a free story. They finally did, but now it's too late for Christmas, so I'm doing it anyway. To obtain your copy of The Blind Warrior, go to smashwords.com. You will find the story at this address:

http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/106977?ref=JerryWeinberg

Or, on Kindle, it's at

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B006CDQEYK

And it's even on Barnes and Noble, for you Nooknicks:

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-blind-warrior-gerald-m-weinberg/1107956526?ean=2940032888451

It's free of all charges, and you can download the story in any format you need  (Smashwords has 'em all, or in more than one format). You can read the story on your computer, or you can transfer it to any other device.

Of course I have an ulterior motive. I hope you will like the story so much that you will want to read more about Ember and her Stringer friends. Or maybe you'll write a one-or-two sentence review.

Find all my books through http://www.geraldmweinberg.com, including the Stringer Series, so far.

Authors You May Not Know–Yet

The writing business is one of the most difficult to break into. (into which to break?) Excellent writing and story-telling are not sufficient to publicize your name and what you can do. I do my primary publicizing through my website:

http://www.geraldmweinberg.com

and through various book retailers such as Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Smashwords.

I also belong to a number of groups of aspiring writers, including one called Backlist Books. One of the ways we spread the word about ourselves is to exchange links to our blogs and/or websites. Below, I've placed a list of some of the backlist authors I like. There's a wide variety of genres, so take a look at them and see if there's anything to your taste. You'll be glad you did.


Doranna Durgin, http://doranna.net/wordplay

Marsha Canham, http://marshacanham.wordpress.com

Jacqueline Lichtenberg, http://aliendjinnromances.blogspot.com

Jeffrey A. Carver, http://starrigger.blogspot.com/

Jill Metcalf, http://jillmetcalf.wordpress.com

Terry Odell, http://terryodell.blogspot.com

Maryann Miller, http://its-not-all-gravy.blogspot.com/

Patricia Rice, http://patriciarice.blogspot.com

Pati Nagle, http://patinagle.livejournal.com/

Lorraine Bartlett or Lorna Barrett, http://www.LornaBarrett.blogspot.com

Karen Ranney, http://karenranney.wordpress.com

No More Reviews—With Exceptions

My call for reviewers has been so successful, I'm flooded with requests for free books.

For the moment, I'd like to suspend the reviewing (until next time) with the exception of readers who are willing to review some of my novels—which are under-reviewed.

So, if you want to review one of my novels, let me know. If you're interested in one of the non-fiction, you'll have to buy it (the e-book versions are very inexpensive) or wait until the next free book offer.

For the novels, you can see them and sample them at

http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/JerryWeinberg?ref=JerryWeinberg

And thanks to everyone who has responded.

Free books! Looking for a Few More Book Reviewers

This post is about marketing. As you probably know, I'm in the business of writing books, as part of my consulting business (or vice versa). In the modern publishing world, with more and more books bought online, customer reviews really can help books reach their full potential. Although we work with professional reviewers as well, you don’t need to be a professional reviewer to review books for me. Any avid reader can do it!

Right now, I'm looking for a few more people to help spread the word about my books. If you’re interested, please email me at hardpretzel (at) earthlink.net with the words “Book Reviewer” in the subject line.

I’ll email you back with a password that will give you access to one of my titles in Kindle, PDF, and ePub format, for your computer or your reading device.

Here’s my current titles, with more on the way:

http://www.geraldmweinberg.com

All I ask is that you review whatever book you download on either Amazon or Smashwords or Barnes and Noble’s website (or all three—that’s even better). If you’re a professional reviewer, it’s great if you review it on your blog or website, and I’ll often link to it from my own site, but I still ask that you post your review to at least one of the three just mentioned.

It’s easy to do, and you don’t even need to use your real name if you like. Five or six sentences is fine, though you can certainly write more if you wish. Have fun! And if you’re not sure how to do it, just read some examples.

Please note: It would be unethical to require you to do a positive review; all I ask is that you’re fair, and that if it’s just not your kind of book (remember, everyone has different tastes), that you just pass on doing the review at all. In the modern book selling world, these reviews have become critically important to helping books reach their full potential. Keep this in mind when you’re reviewing and you’ll be just fine: I’ve staked many hours on my novels and nonfiction.

I can give away only so many free books, so I’ve limited this round of book reviewers. If interested, please email us ASAP.*

(Thanks for this idea to Scott at Flying Raven Press, http://flyingravenpress.com/. Why not give them a visit.)

Rumors of My Quitting Are Grossly Exaggerated

InfoQ's website ran an essay that said:

"Now he doesn't do that much in software anymore, he writes science fiction [and] he runs his AYE Conference, which is a human potential kind of conference."

I tried to reply, but their reply function crashed on me, so I'm putting my response here, to clear things up:

Gee fellas and gals,
Well, I was slowed down for a year while beating "incurable" cancer. bit how many of the rest of you have published even one book on software in the past two years? (I've done several.)

If that isn't "much," then how about my Problem-Solving Leadership Workshop (PSL), or my keynotes at software conferences? And AYE is principally for software folks, just like your website. Isn't your website "doing much"? (I think it is.

And, then there's consulting. Don't my clients think they're doing software?

Maybe my novels are confusing you (and others). They're entertaining stories, to be sure (at least I think so, but see for yourself). But they are full of s/w lessons--just another one of the ways I'm trying to get these lessons across. You know as well as I how hard that is. So, after 50 years, I decided to try something new--in ADDITION to my other activities--books, essays, blogs, workshops, conferences, consulting--AND responding to other people's blogs, like right now.

Thanks for listening. - Jerry Weinberg

Visit my website if you'd like to know more about what I've been doing.