jw-johnson.com

Wow. I can tell the economy must really be slow by how many spam hits I’m getting. My site is not even that active. I can just imagine what the big boys get in way of spam count.  Funny thing is most sites have automatic spam blockers that catch most of them.  Mine does. I guess there must be money to be made by spamming.Maybe it’s something I should check into. Not.  Can’t be much I’m thinking. Seems like they would be better off getting a real job. I guess in some of those countries jobs are hard to come by. But then again they can afford computers so it must not be too bad.

I do know I’ve been seeing and hearing about all kinds of scams right now before Christmas. Just remember never give out your information unless you are totally sure about who you are talking to. I.E. You called them. Also don’t take checks or even credit cards from someone who wants you to use part of the proceeds from it to pay for something else. More than likely the check has had the funds removed and the credit card stolen and the next thing you know you are out the funds from your private account.

1.You wont get much support.

2.Your friends will think you are crazy.

3.You are crazy.

4.A five thousand word short story will pay you about $300 dollars IF you sell it, but with the time it takes you to write it and Rewrite it, you could have made better money at McDonalds, times six.

5.It probably will take me a million words before I stop writing crap.

6.It is a good feeling when your rewriting something and one of those little things you have read/learned goes click and everything falls into place.

7.I do know what people are talking about when they say”the story/song wrote itself”.

8.It seems like the only time all is right with the world is when I am writing.

9.I’m afraid I’m getting that “I write because I must” feeling I’ve heard people talk about.

10.I have noticed that hard work takes you farther than mere talent will anyday.

11.Writing is work.

12.Writing has to be more than sitting down and doing it only when I feel like it.

13.This is not a race.

14.I’m OK if I don’t make it.

15.God I would love to make it.

16.I’m going to make it.

17.Write for yourself.

18.Rewrite for the reader.

19.God I like to dream. I pray that someday it’s more than just a dream.

20.I’ve got to learn to not be so temperamental. Learn to write in a storm in other words.

21. This is the closest thing to school-work that I actually enjoy doing.

22. My heart actually gets to racing when I write an action  scene and I have scared myself writing. I wont say what happens when I write a love scene.

I have noticed a growing trend in my reading habits the older I get. I am really starting to like reading short stories and with a collection like Wolfsongs , it is easy to understand why. Editor and writer Margaret Bonham has assembled a collection of stories that captures the spirit, the mystique, and the love of these mysterious animals. Delivered from  professional and up and coming writers, it runs the gamut from fantasy and mythology, to sword and sorcery with a little sci-fi and horror mixed in, with plenty of werewolf stories for those who like that sort of thing. I know I do.

The 196 page anthology is full of bright spots with different stories appealing to different people. Several in fact, I expect to see in some of the years best’s collections later on. Some of the stories will leave you begging for more and wanting to track down the author and read the rest of their stories. If I have any problems with this anthology it is the fact that some of the stories leave so much unfinished. That so much of the story is left untold. I guess that’s what you are supposed to do as an entertainer– leave them wanting more. Needless to say, I can’t wait until the next Wolfsongs Anthology comes out.

Yes I come off as a total fanboy, but the bottom line is, it’s well worth the price of admission. Honestly I had barely started reading and was glad I had  spent the money. In this day and age of economic troubles isn’t that what its all about? To get full value for your entertainment dollars?

Here is the Lulu link     http://www.lulu.com/browse/preview.php?fCID=4734106

The book on Amazon is here            http://www.amazon.com/WolfSongs-1-M-H-Bonham/dp/0615262341/ref=dp_rti_0

In case no one noticed late on Election Day, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management announced a Dec. 19 auction of more than 50,000 acres of oil and gas parcels alongside or within view of Arches National Park and two other redrock national parks in Utah: Dinosaur and Canyonlands. Here is the link for the story from CBS News : http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/11/16/national/main4608048.shtml

Their calling it Bush’s last gift to the oil and gas industry. Like he hasn’t given enough to big business. How’s that working for you, Mr. President? Maybe you should have put a little more energy into  keeping a few jobs here in the states. What? All those tax breaks and they still shipped jobs over seas? No way! Sad to see everything we buy is made in China. Anybody else noticing this? Gonna catch up to us sooner or later. Oops. Too late.

Seriously, if he/they think defacing our parks and sea shores is going to make a hill of beans difference they have to be stupid. We are going to run out of gas, period. Take some of this time and effort and do a little forward thinking and develop other sources of fuel. Alternative  energy  is still in it’s infancy. Give it a chance.

Thank God this administrations time is almost over. It’s been awhile since I’ve wanted a president and his cabinent out so bad. I wonder if Obama can come in and stop some of the stupidity. We can only hope.

Holly Lisle is helping her good friend Lazette Gifford earn some much needed money to help her fix her house before winter. Here is the link=   http://shop.hollylisle.com/pssst-help-zette.php

She is the person who runs (for free) Forward Motion For Writers that is linked on my sidebar. Please help her if you can

on updating this site. Laura J. Underwood’s publisher of Wondering Lark has gone under before they could publish it, but she has found a new publisher if she can get 100 people to prepay half of the cover price up front and the other half when it is finished.  All she needs is a list of names she can forward to her publisher. If you would like to help her out just e/mail her at keltora(@)ssf(.)net or keltora(@)yahoo(.)com. Here is the original post. http://laurajunderwood.livejournal.com/30958.html

M.H. Bonham has signed several books and has them on sell just in time for the holidays. Here is the original post on this one; http://shadowhelm.livejournal.com/480804.html

Personally I am working on the rewrite of Spirit Of The Ucanians. It’s probably the best story I’ve created but feedback so far shows I need to work on the writing. More to it than just having a good story. I’ve already picked the market that I am sending it to and they have a pretty high standard. I’m taking Jay Lakes advice and sending it straight to the top. We’re talking a Hugo Award winning magazine and editor. Wish me luck.

Isn’t the internet great? Personally I spend too much time on here surfing when I should be writing. Of course I do come across some great reading while I’m surfing and I know thats a good thing for a writer. I found a new (to me) community on livejournal called sword and sorcery which is right up my ally. It just so happens right on the front page there is an article about the magazine Black Gate which I have been reading for quite a while now. In case you have never had the pleasure of getting to read them they are giving away issue #12 in a free downloadable high-resolution pdf. Here is the link http://www.blackgate.com/

has put up a HUGE online book about writing taken from posts on his blog from the past few years. Here is the link = http://jakonrath.blogspot.com/2008/07/newbies-guide-to-publishing-book.html . With this coming from a guy who has gone from wanabee to making it full time I can only hope you check it out. I know I am.

Has put up a collection of the first three chapters from several of her stories for free on Lulu . com for people to sample.  Here is the link =  http://www.lulu.com/content/2968552 .  She is one of those interesting people I love to read on livejournal and often times puts out pearls of wisdom about writing. Hell of an artist as well.

The deadline to the writers workshop at ArmadilloCon that is. But it’s ok. Looks like my short story is gonna go past their 5000 word count limit anyway. The last scene has been kicking my butt. I have the characters and the situation but getting to where I want them to go has been tough. Plus then I have to revise and polish it. No way I can make that deadline with my schedule. Money is gonna be tight for a while as well. The only thing I’m really gonna miss is getting to see Joe Haldeman and John Scalzi, plus getting to party in Austin which is a hell of a cool city. Maybe next year. I’m just gonna have to settle to limiting myself to Connestoga here in Tulsa again this year.

I just finished reading Stephen King’s On Writing, which I enjoyed very much btw, and he said sometimes those writers workshops aren’t always what they are cut out to be. What he likes to do is have what he calls “first readers” look at it and then come back and tell him what he did wrong. Thats what I want to do here. If you are interested in being one of my “first readers” send me an e/mail and I will send you a copy(through e/mail) of my story. I thought about posting it on here for free, but this is one I want to try to see if I can sell. ‘Cause really, thats why you do it. Right? I know King said he never did it for the money, but come on…You think he gave it back?

So if your interested in reading a sci-fi/horror story for free just e/mail me. I’ve tried to keep it to an R rating but it does contain graphic violence and an alien/human love scene so anyone under 17 is a no-no. All I ask is that you try to give me some good feedback, don’t try to make money off of me and honor my copyright, and if you do share it with someone, tell them where it came from.

I’m going to post this on my livejournal as well. Which I have finally joined. Not that I am the kind that keeps a journal (as you can tell,) but I do like reading the journals of some really cool people who are quite good at it. Check out my friends page sometime and see what I mean. http://jwjohnson.livejournal.com/friends/