the writing life

The Journal: I love a good argument

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * I love a good argument * Of Interest * The Numbers I love a good argument, and I have two to report today. Re a point made in the first item in “Of Interest” today, I am an indie publisher, and I don’t believe traditional publishers make the lion’s share of book sales. The author of the article points out (correctly) that “The majority of the cover price of a book goes to the retailer—the book store—and the distributor.” I agree. The assertion is indisputable. So I would never say the … Read more

The Journal: Appreciate and Be Loyal to Your Creative Subconscious

In today’s Journal * Topic: Appreciate and Be Loyal to Your Creative Subconscious * Of Interest * The Numbers Topic: Appreciate and Be Loyal to Your Creative Subconscious Maybe one of the worst things about the myths of writing is that they cause otherwise perfectly good storytellers to make tons of mistakes. Chief among those mistakes is placing too much importance on any one reader’s opinion. Especially when the writer then changes the content of a story because of that opinion. I’m not talking about wrong-word usages or other typos here. I’m not talking about missing periods at the end … Read more

The Journal: Sigh. Regarding “Deep” POV

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * Topic: Sigh. Regarding “Deep” POV * Of Interest * The Numbers Quotes of the Day “It’s easier to fool people than to convince them they’ve been fooled.” Mark Twain “It’s far easier to talk about doing something than to actually do it.” Harvey Stanbrough Topic: Sigh. Regarding So-Called (for now) “Deep” POV In today’s “Of Interest” there’s a link to a long article about writing in “deep POV.” If I’ve ever heard an academic term, it’s that one. (However, I listed the link and left it there. If you get something … Read more

The Journal: No

In today’s Journal * No Topic * No Blog * Welcome * Of Interest * The Numbers No Topic Browsed the internet this morning for items of interest. I added those links to my Journal notepad document, then scrolled up to see what I’d written for a topic. I’ve written so many topics lately, I just assumed I’d written one for today and had it ready to go. I didn’t. So no topic for today. I usually write those the day before, then add the “Of Interest” items and “go to press.” No Blog I haven’t solved the problem of … Read more

The Journal: Writing Your Story Description

In today’s Journal * A Favor to Ask * Topic: Writing Your Story Description * Of Interest * The Numbers A Favor to Ask Apparently my posts from HarveyStanbrough.com (author site) no longer go out, which means nobody on that large mailing list received my special promo announcement about the ebook giveaway. It will take me some time to figure out what happened and why and how to fix it. I’m also no longer on Facebook. So if you don’t mind, please share this link with your friends and on social media. It would be a big help. Thank you: … Read more

The Journal: Readers Like to Fill-in the Blanks (Uh, No)

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * PQ Topic: Readers Like to Fill-in the Blanks * This morning I left a comment * Of Interest * The Numbers PQ Topic: Readers Like to Fill-in the Blanks Actually this isn’t a Persistent Question so much as a Persistent Misbelief. A myth. Something even writers sometimes pass along to other writers. And it’s male bovine excrement. My immediate response to “Readers like to fill in the blanks” is a pair of arched eyebrows, a head shaking slightly side to side, and “So?” As a writer, do you really care what … Read more

The Journal: Yesterday and Bundlerabbit

In today’s Journal * Yesterday, I wore out a mouse * Yesterday, also * Yesterday, III * By the way * Bundlerabbit * A very short PQ Topic: Less Can Be More * Of Interest * The Numbers Yesterday, I wore out a mouse. (Microsoft Mobile Wireless Mouse 3500 in Lock Ness grey) Over the past several years of writing fiction, I’ve always had the same mouse with my writing ‘puter. Over the past six-plus years I’ve gone through probably three or four writing ‘puters, but whenever I changed from one to the other, that mouse went with me. I … Read more

The Journal: If I May Share

In today’s Journal * If I may share * A Special Treat * Of Interest * The Numbers If I may share something near and dear to my heart and on the edge of personal, this will pertain especially to those of you who enjoy reading or writing (or both) westerns. It will also be suitable for dreamers, like my friends Russ J, Robert S and Dan B. In the original Wes Crowley novels, Wes rode on horseback from Amarillo Texas to Agua Perlado, a fictional fishing village in the state of Guerrero, Mexico. Although I have a detailed map … Read more

The Journal: Again I got a question

In today’s Journal * Traditional Publishing Sometimes? * Again I got a question * The novel * Of Interest * The Numbers Traditional Publishing Sometimes? A few days ago, Dan Baldwin mentioned in his weekly blog that sometimes traditional publication is preferable. You can find his Tips of the Week on his website at https://fourknightspress.com/. If I’d written a children’s book, I might want to go the traditional route. If that’s you, if you write children’s books, you might want to check out “57 Children’s Book Publishers that Accept Direct Submissions” at https://authorspublish.com/57-childrens-book-publishers-seeking-submissions/. As always, of course, read the fine … Read more

The Journal: Analysis Paralysis

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * Wes Crowley Rides Again * Topic: Analysis Paralysis * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day When you doubt your importance as a writer compared with editors and publishers, remember this brief one-sided conversation I had with a major NY acquisitions editor who seemed a little full of himself a few years ago at the Tucson, AZ writers’ conference: I said, “Know what writers would do if there were no editors or publishers?” He shook his head. I said, “We’d write. But do you know what editors and publishers … Read more