The Journal: Unknowingly Trying?

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * Topic: Unknowingly Trying? * Of Interest * The Numbers Quotes of the Day “That’s the beauty of copyright. It’s divisible. … Authors will be well served to think about protecting the rights in their characters when signing publishing contracts and licensing agreements.” IP Attorney Kathryn Goldman “The two books stalled and stalled and stalled. Each time I thought I had found a way to tell the story that I wanted to tell, I would hit another wall—or the same wall. And usually, that was because I was unknowingly trying to do … Read more

The Journal: One Writing Process

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * Topic: One Writing Process * Of Interest * The Numbers Quotes of the Day “I always tell people to just let a story or a book be what it wants to be. Sometimes I even forget my own lessons.” Dean Wesley Smith “Most of the ‘wisdom’ from members feels like advice we’ve all heard over the years presented as inviolable rules. Those of you who have hung around TKZ for a while know my opinion on the rules of writing: There aren’t any. Fiction writers need only to entertain their audience. … Read more

The Journal: David Farland and a Royal Model O Typewriter

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * David Farland * Royal Model O * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “[E]ventually the character’s story demands to be told in full.” David Farland If you get David Farland’s newsletter, you recently received one titled “Writing Your Series, Part 3.” But if you go to Farland’s Writing Tips blog, it doesn’t seem to be up yet. Actually, it is. So are Parts 1 through 6. But they were originally written in 2014. So to see the entire series of posts on “Writing Your Series,” visit https://mystorydoctor.com/?s=Writing+your+series. There … Read more

The Journal: Are You Like Me?

In today’s Journal * Are you like me? * Of Interest * The Numbers Are you like me? Do you wake up each morning with a child-like desire to get dressed and race past breakfast (and the surprised look on your mother’s face) and out the front door to play with your friends? It’s an exciting game, but it ran long yesterday. When the sun started to fade in the west, you had to stop and go inside, “wash up,” and eat supper. But the game was far from over at that point. Still carrying the fire of the game, … Read more

The Journal: Short Writing Day

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * Short Writing Day and a revelation * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “People want stories. That never changes. There’s nothing quite like the feeling of getting pulled into a fictive dream.” James Scott Bell Short writing day yesterday though it was also an exciting day for me. After writing several short stories and 15 novels in concert with Wes Crowley, he finally told me what happened to him before he met Mac and consequently joined the Rangers. Turns out that’s when his one rule for life was … Read more

The Journal: Some Next-Level Stuff on Pacing

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * Topic: Some Next-Level Stuff on Pacing * As predicted * Of Interest * The Numbers Quotes of the Day “I will fail to success. Two novels this month and four next month.” Dean Wesley Smith “To be an author, you have to sit your gluteus maximus in a chair, somewhere, and string words together.” Reavis Wortham Topic: Some Next-Level Stuff on Pacing Just had a chat with a mentoring student. In part of that, I told her the main thing DWS taught me about pacing: Hit the freakin’ return key (Enter … Read more

The Journal: On “Making” Good or Great Writers

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * On “Making” Good or Great Writers * An Observation on “Pressure” * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “All things are difficult before they are easy.” Thomas Fuller On “Making” Good or Great Writers In today’s “Of Interest” I’ve included a “Reader Friday” from the KillZone, primarily because it’s based on a Stephen King quote. Here’s my response (expanded): I think the key word in this passage is “make” and King’s repetition of that. This quote runs alongside his thought that writing can’t be taught, but it can … Read more

The Journal: Computers and Programs and Novels, Oh My

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * Computers and programs and novels, oh my * Don’t ever write this * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “The upsides of a few Twitter likes and a small honorarium that won’t cover rent are hard to weigh against the risk of harassment that can destroy your mental health, career, or even life.” Lincoln Michel Computers and Programs and Novels, Oh My Sometimes it seems like there are always ten more things to do. Before I moved over to the writing ‘puter yesterday, I decided on a whim … Read more

The Journal: Don’t Cut Off Your Nose…

In today’s Journal * Topic: Don’t Cut Off Your Nose… * The Novel Wrapped * First Reader? * Of Interest * The Numbers Topic: Don’t Cut Off Your Nose… Before my computer crashed, I had a good quote queued up for today. In that quote Stephen King says [paraphrasing] he doesn’t write in science fiction or westerns or horror or mystery “or any of that,” but his work contains elements of all of them. Amen. (That quote and several other good ones are in one of the vids for which I gave you the URL the other day, the one … Read more

The Journal: Whose Story Is It?

In today’s Journal * Topic: Whose Story Is It? * Quotes of the Day * Some Videos to Check Out * Of Interest * The Numbers Topic: Whose Story Is It? Well, today is mostly quotes. You’ll see those below. I didn’t write fiction yesterday. Didn’t even move over to the writing ‘puter. Though some have come close, it dawned on me yesterday that I’ve never heard any other writer repeat my own mantra: It’s not my story, it’s the characters’ story. But let me elaborate. I truly believe the characters’ life, their story, is ongoing even when I’m not … Read more