In coming to Falkon, I had stuffed my suitcase with hardcover books, which I signed for some of my special English-speaking companions, and for those whose English wasn’t so good (but still better than my non-existent Polish), I brought copies of my Tales from the Trail 2014 calendar, featuring photos from my hikes with brother-in-law Tim around the west.  I gave a copy of the calendar to Krysz, the head of Falkon who had invited me as guest-of-honor, and he was amazed at the photos. Another person who looked at all the pictures of the mountains and the trails insisted...
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I was asked to be author guest of honor for Falkon, one of the largest SF conventions in Poland, held in the city of Lublin, and I gratefully accepted. I've never been to Poland (never even been to Eastern Europe before), and a writer needs to experience new places, cultures, people, traditions, all as ingredients for creating worlds. The Falkon people made the arrangements and sent me money to buy my plane tickets (much cheaper if booked in the US); my Polish publisher Rebis also contributed, and I looked forward to the trip. Everything was arranged, but I had little...
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Productivity Tip #9: Think Outside the Keyboard After the previous tip, now that you’ve set up the perfect established writing spot, keep in mind that this is not the only way you can write. Your word processor isn’t the only tool you have. This technique is one of the most obvious and effective, though least-often attempted, means of increasing writing productivity. Think outside the keyboard. If you can learn different ways to write, with different tools—like a talented musician learning to play several instruments—you can take advantage of nearly any situation in which you find yourself … and get pages...
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Productivity Tip #7—KNOW THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WRITING & EDITING Write during the writing stage. Edit during the editing stage. Even though both activities involve a writer sitting at the keyboard staring at the screen, Writing and Editing are two very different processes. Each one requires a separate set of skills and talents; each uses a different part of your brain—the creative part and the analytical part. Learn to recognize the difference, and teach yourself to focus on only one process at a time. Writing is the creative part of the process. When you’re writing—creating—let yourself be caught up in your...
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