In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * Bradbury Challenge Writers Reporting * A New Novel * Of Interest * The Numbers Quotes of the Day “Begin at once to live, and count each separate day as a separate life.” Seneca the Younger (Thanks to Dan Baldwin for this quote) “I like how the story unfolds before my eyes. I stopped at 10,000 words for a few hours, when I [started wondering] “what’s next….” But I managed to silence the critical voice. I focused on the character and the world around him, and it worked! A few sentences made … Read more

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * Finished the Novel * “It,” and Toward Clarity * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “[Traditional publishing] will stab you in the back the first chance they get.” Vin Zandri (see Of Interest) Finished the Novel Welp, Blackwell Ops 14: Charlie Task, subtitled A Time-Travel Thriller, is in the can. It wrapped yesterday with a little over 2100 words. I ran a spell check, saved it as a PDF file, and sent it off to my first reader. It’s off my desk, so it’s all good. (grin) Despite … Read more

In today’s Journal * Welcome * A New Story * December 2 * Isaac Asimov * Of Interest * The Numbers Welcome Welcome to Alexander S and any other new subscribers or readers of the Journal. I hope you will find it useful. Get the Archives and other free downloads at the Journal website. Just click the links and a PDF will download in a new page. I also recommend reading “I Believe in You”. Oh, and check out this half-hour video where bestselling author Vin Zandri and I are chatting about writing at The Writer’s Life. A New Story … Read more

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * The Journal is a Politics-Free Zone * Why Do Writers Seek Criticism? * December 1 * Isaac Asimov * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “I agree with Stephen King: Stories — and maybe all art — already exist, whole and complete, in some other place. It’s our job as creators not to make that art or tell those stories, but to uncover them.” Johnny B. Truant (emphasis added) YES! THIS! The Journal is a Politics-Free Zone My personal political preferences might seep out now and then or … Read more

In today’s Journal * Generate Press * Using Science in Fantasy * The Fabric of Reality * The Writing * Of Interest * The Numbers Generate Press This is too important to hide away down in the Of Interest section. A few days ago I mentioned Generate Press. It is hands-down the best, most pliable, and most responsive WordPress theme I’ve ever found. If you run a WordPress.org site hosted by your own web hosting company (so not WordPress.com) I strongly recommend it. And Tom Usborne, the founder and developer of Generate Press, is having a cyber sale. But according … Read more

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * Time Travel in Fiction, Part Two * Of Interest * The Numbers Quotes of the Day “I made a chicken salad last night. Apparently they prefer grain.” Vince the Sign Guy (grin) “Life is all about perspective. The sinking of the Titanic was a miracle to the lobsters in the ship’s kitchen.” a meme from Facebook “The world has to change to fit you. And if you stick to your principles, values, and morals long enough, it will.” Berry Gordy Nice thought, but not necessarily true. “I can honestly say this … Read more

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * In Memoriam * Time Travel in Fiction, Part One: Getting Into the Weeds * Of Interest * The Numbers Quotes of the Day “Everything is theoretically impossible until it is done.” Robert A. Heinlein “Even if it turns out that time travel is impossible, it is important that we understand why it is impossible.” Professor Stephen Hawking In Memoriam This edition of the Journal is dedicated to my writer friend Sam Turner, whose loving, lifelong partner and wife Phyllis passed away on Thanksgiving day. Time Travel in Fiction, Part One: Getting … Read more

In today’s Journal * Bradbury Challenge Writers Reporting * The Writing * Of Interest * The Numbers Bradbury Challenge Writers Reporting For notes on the Bradbury Challenge, please see yesterday’s post. The challenge is a great way to jumpstart your writing and get more practice pushing down the critical voice. Writing fiction is all about conveying the story. It isn’t about words. There’s no cost. There’s also no pressure re submitting or publishing. That’s up to you. During the past week, in addition to whatever other fiction they’re writing, the following writers reported their progress: Short Fiction Balázs Jámbor “Manuscript” … Read more

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * Reminder, and About the Bradbury Challenge * The Writing * Kristine Kathryn Rusch * Of Interest * The Numbers Quotes of the Day “The key word is ‘create.’ The conscious, critical mind can create nothing. It can only construct.” Me “Traditional publishers don’t help writers get an audience. Traditional publishers buy up copyright for the term of the copyright so that they can have assets on their accounting books.” Kristine Kathryn Rusch “Thirty dollars per hour writing a blog post that has little resale value or $1000 per hour writing stories … Read more

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * Missing Links * An Addendum * A Timely Irony * Of Interest * The Numbers Quotes of the Day “[W]e need to be careful that we don’t send the message to beginning writers (who have families to care for, day jobs to keep bread on the table, and some days they just can’t squeeze in a couple hours to write) that they are not ‘real’ writers if they don’t write every day. I know of no other profession that works in their profession every single day.” Steve Hooley “Finally, maybe you’re … Read more