The Journal: The Main Impurity

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * The Main Impurity * Dean, another half-price sale * Of Interest * The Numbers ​​​ Quotes of the Day “Asking for feedback creates a critic. Asking for advice creates a partner.” Farnam Street blog (I love this. h) “The main impurity is your ‘inner editor.’ That is the judgmental voice that assesses every creative move the moment you try to make it. It loves to reject things. It tells you what not to write. … The way you turn off that voice is by writing through it.” James Scott Bell The … Read more

The Journal: Responses and the Journal

In today’s Journal * Responses * Copy of the Journal? * Of Interest * The Numbers ​​​ Sorry for any confusion created by yesterday’s post. Some folks apparently thought I was wondering what caused my brain fog. Nope. I knew what caused it. I even knew in advance that it was going to happen and roughly what it would entail. I just don’t know how long it will last (but I’m not asking about that either). I only wanted to report on my experience and make you aware of why I am personally unable to write fiction at the moment, … Read more

The Journal: Nothing Really

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * Dean’s Kickstarter * Of Interest * The Numbers ​​​ Quote of the Day “[T]he CEO of The American Booksellers Association described the shipment of a book to a large numbers of bookstores as a ‘serious, violent incident.’ Quite an accomplishment for a small stack of dried pulp from a dead tree.” The Passive Guy Nothing really to talk about today. Just some good items in “Of Interest.” If you didn’t get in on Dean’s Kickstarter yesterday, you might want to stop by today and donate $5. Though really it isn’t a … Read more

The Journal: An Opportunity for Writers

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * An Opportunity for Writers * Of Interest * The Numbers ​​​ Quote of the Day “Hemingway … developed a technique that let him transfer from one point of view to another. He would simply start outside a character, describing the world and the character, and then move into dialog, which colors the world with emotion. Eventually, in a third paragraph, he would then move fully into the character’s thought processes. … To move out, he’d simply reverse the strategy.” David Farland For the record, this works, although I would argue that … Read more

The Journal: More on Ideas, and Introducing Tidbits

In today’s Journal * More on Ideas * Topic: Introducing Tidbits * Of Interest * The Numbers ​​​More on Ideas Excerpted from an email to a potential new mentoring student. In his email he told me he was deluged with story ideas: I’m glad you’re deluged with ideas. I get so tired of would-be writers asking “Where do you get ideas?” My typical response is “Where do you NOT get ideas?” Just this morning during my walk, I passed through several swarms of flying ants. My imagination immediately went to an alien invasion. A little later, as I was eating … Read more

The Journal: Sigh. Mentorships

In today’s Journal * Mentorships * Of Interest * The Numbers Mentorships First, nothing I write below will affect my current mentoring relationship with my one student. I’ve updated my Mentorships again, and for the final time. Now I’ll just leave them up unless I decide to stop offering them at all. The changes are extensive. I kept the topic descriptions, but cancelled the option to “buy” specific topics. I typically give much more than I’m asked, so offering them as individual topics was self-defeating where my time is concerned. Now I share my knowledge, suited to the student’s own … Read more

The Journal: Rain

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * Rain * I had a great deal of fun * Of Interest * The Numbers Quotes of the Day “Story is more important than style.” David Farland Another group of words that should be attached via sticky note to the edge of every writing computer everywhere. Right alongside “Story is more important than words.” To use a builder analogy, if words are nails and the writing computer is the hammer, Story is the Taj Mahal. “[L]ong before we dreamed of cities, I imagine we should probably have had a premonition, dreamed … Read more

The Journal: Well, Fooey

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * Well, Fooey * Smashing Smashwords * Daniel Fellows * Today * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “Governments always claim noble purposes as the basis for limiting speech or other rights.” Jonathan Turley I started a new novel yesterday morning. As usual, a fairly slow start. And then around noon I realized, well, fooey. In talking with a friend, I came to know that I have five unpublished novels: Terra 2, the last novel in the FOH SF series (so far); Wes Crowley: The Final Chapter, the 12th … Read more

The Journal: Some Cover Design Fundamentals

In today’s Journal * Yesterday * Topic: Some Cover Design Fundamentals * Of Interest * The Numbers Yesterday, which should have been a relaxing day off, was mostly a bust. We went to a couple of estate sales over in Sierra Vista. Neither had much that we were interested in, and the other attendees at one acted as if they’d never been around other humans before. Sheesh. We shopped in the commissary too, and found some of what we needed but not all. And then I chose and ate the wrong thing for lunch, making myself ill. It was just … Read more

The Journal: SpaceRons, and Author Angst

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * The Novel Wrapped * Author Angst * SpaceRons * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “We have have been discussing how writers, editors, commentators, and academics have embraced rising calls for censorship and speech controls…” Jonathan Turley Well, my short novel wrapped yesterday at a little over 28,000 words. I was fine with that. Honestly, this one felt more like a really long short story than a novella or novel. (grin) That makes an even dozen novels this year so far, including novels 5-10 of the SF FOH … Read more