the writing life

The Journal: Flip-Flop?

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * A good article * Topic: Flip-Flop? * How About You? * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “The first thing that I seek in a great story is originality.” David Farland (I had to laugh, given that Farland is one who advocates outlining, revising, editing and rewriting, all of which quickly obliterate any chance of originality. Here’s my recent post on originality.) There’s a good article today at The Passive Voice about who owns the copyright of derivative works in what amounts to shared worlds. Take a look … Read more

The Journal: Back to the Future

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * First, a quick welcome * Topic: Back to the Future (sigh) * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “Some of the biggest cases of mistaken identity are among intellectuals who have trouble remembering that they are not God.” Thomas Sowell (via The Passive Voice) First, a quick welcome to Leanna L, Philip, and anyone else who’s joined us recently. Very glad to have you aboard. (grin) Now on to the topic. Topic: Back to the Future (sigh) Sorry for the seemingly hokey title (grin), but as you will … Read more

The Journal: Going Wide vs. Exclusivity

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * StreetLib * A Slow Start * Of Interest * The Numbers Quotes of the Day “Writing is a lot easier than getting up onstage and singing and dancing, I’ll tell you that.” Mel Brooks A Long Quote on Wide Distribution vs. Exclusivity In a comment, a reader recently asked Dean Wesley Smith, “[Can you explain] why authors should go wide instead of Amazon exclusive? I always click on the links of authors who comment here and noticed so many of us are devotees of most of your methods [but] we still … Read more

The Journal: WITD and Writing Again

In today’s Journal * Holiday Sale * Writing Into the Dark * Writing Again * Of Interest * The Numbers Holiday Sale With the holidays coming up quickly, I thought I’d remind you of the half-price sale over at WMG Publishing’s Teachable account (https://wmg-publishing-workshops-and-lectures.teachable.com/). Workshops and lectures and classes make excellent gifts for writers, even if the writer is yourself. For details, see “3 Days Left in the Holiday Sale” at https://www.deanwesleysmith.com/3-days-left-in-the-holiday-sale/. Of the lectures, the knowledge you’ll glean from Heinlein’s Rules (Lecture 1 if I remember right) is absolutely priceless. That lecture is literally what started me on this … Read more

The Journal: “Fill a Stein….” Guest Post

In today’s Journal * “Fill a Stein and Grab a Bloody Haunch!” Guest Post * More on Peter Brandvold * Of Interest * The Numbers Fill a Stein and Grab a Bloody Haunch! a guest post by Peter Brandvold That, in a heraldic nutshell, is my approach to writing. Simple as a Zen painting and elemental as a pissed-off bobcat. In other words, when I pour that first cup of morning mud thick enough to float a lumber drey, wrestle onto the floor amongst my snarling curs, and pick up my Macbook Pro which I prop atop my knees while … Read more

The Journal: All Knowledge is Pertinent

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * Welcome * All Knowledge is Pertinent to WITD * Moaning No Longer * Of Interest * The Numbers Quotes of the Day “There are four kinds of homicide: felonious, excusable, justifiable, and praiseworthy.” Ambrose Bierce “November, n. The eleventh twelfth of a weariness.” Ambrose Bierce, The Devil’s Dictionary Welcome to Lexy, and any others who subscribed recently. Good to have you all aboard. If I can do anything to help, don’t hesitate to leave a comment or email me. All Knowledge is Pertinent to WITD The Kill Zone blog has made … Read more

The Journal: What About Writing Are You Grateful For?

In today’s Journal * What About Writing Are You Grateful For? * Of Interest * The Numbers What About Writing Are You Grateful For? With Thanksgiving Day rapidly approaching, over at the Kill Zone blog Kay DiBianca posed a question: What one thing about writing are you grateful for? She then suggested, “It can be a book you’ve read, a mentor who’s inspired and helped you, a blog you love, or any other person or thing you’re grateful for.” For me, the response was immediate and definitive: I’m grateful to my characters for enabling me to experience their stories and … Read more

The Journal: “Natural” Storytellers

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * “Natural” Storytellers * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “This is how I came to begin thinking about story-first worldbuilding.” Kelsey Allagood at Writer Unboxed “Natural” Storytellers While poking around the web this morning I came across “Your Guide to a Weekly Creativity Time.” In that post, James Scott Bell says John Gilstrap is a “natural storyteller.” I couldn’t agree more. But Mr. Bell goes on to say that he himself is one of the “other writers” who “have to dig in hard ground to find, stimulate, and … Read more

The Journal: Agents Want a Fresh New Voice

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * Agents Want a Fresh New Voice * Don’t look * Of Interest * The Numbers Quotes of the Day “Great writers make their stories authentic by allowing us to experience what their characters hear, see, smell, taste, and touch—capturing the senses so we are fully involved.” Ellen Buikema at Writers in the Storm “When agents are asked what they are looking for, their typical answer is ‘a fresh new voice’.” Steve Hooley in “That Special Sauce” at the Kill Zone blog Agents Want a Fresh New Voice Agents and publishers want … Read more

The Journal: Stomping on Chandler’s Good Advice

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * Happy Veterans’ Day * DWS * Stomping on Chandler’s Good Advice * I started writing * Of Interest * The Numbers Quotes of the Day “You can’t have guys with guns running around loose in your novel and surprises popping up like Whac-A-Mole.” Elaine Viets “Um, why not?” Me, in the back of the class, arm raised, waving frantically Happy Veterans’ Day or as we used to call it, Marine Corps Hangover Recovery Day. Yesterday, your United States Marine Corps celebrated its 246th anniversary. Semper fi to my brothers and sisters … Read more