The 1,000 Words a Day Project – The 1000/2000 Pledge

martin crosbie writing machineOne hundred and eleven days ago I undertook a personal challenge. I made a pledge to write one thousand new words a day. Every day. No matter what. I described how I was going to try to accomplish this in an article for Indies Unlimited right here. I’m pleased to tell you that as of today I have over one hundred and eleven thousand new words written. Since it’s gone so well I decided to expand on the challenge, which I have now renamed the 1000/2000 pledge.

In the past one hundred and eleven days I’ve written twenty blogs. Because of this accumulation of articles I’ve been able to blog for the BC Editor’s Association, Whistler Writers group (soon to be published), Book Reader’s Medallion (twice) and several others. I’ve offered my opinions on pricing, social networking, paying it forward (my favorite topic), the glut of eBooks on the market, and I put together a list of places where authors can access hundreds of thousands of images and photos for free. I referenced Rob Ford, the ex (I hope) mayor of Toronto. I wrote about how it felt to turn fifty last month. And, I even wrote a blog when the manager of my favorite football team, Manchester United, was fired. It’s been fun and it’s given me a break from the other stories I’ve been working on. Continue reading “The 1,000 Words a Day Project – The 1000/2000 Pledge”

The Definition of Winning

The Secret Scribe proofreads his flash fiction entry.
The Secret Scribe proofreads his flash fiction entry.

The flash fiction challenge is probably my favorite feature here at Indies Unlimited. Each Saturday morning, we post an invitation – open to anyone – to write a story in 250 words or less based on a photograph and written prompt . Entrants have four days to get their story submitted.The contest is free, and voting gets good exposure for all the qualified entrants. The story voted reader favorite receives its own spotlight post and inclusion in the anthology at year-end. But you probably already know this.

The Indies Unlimited 2012 Flash Fiction Anthology is a big hit. We gave away lots of free copies, and it’s priced at only 99 cents in hopes of gaining new readers for the winning authors. So why don’t more people enter?

“I only want to enter if I think I can win. I’ll wait to see who else submits a story and then maybe I’ll give it a shot.”

I’ve got two words for that: SAY WHAT?!

I’m going to tell you a secret. Continue reading “The Definition of Winning”