The Journal, Wednesday, February 21

Hey Folks,

Well, a day of writing today I hope. Feeling a bit better I think, and not so much domestic stuff on my plate today. Just checking the PO later. I have a book coming in (grin).

I’ll also have to spend some time with the kitten today. With the weather we’ve been having (extended rain and now ice cold) she hasn’t gotten to go outside much, and she is definitely a love-it-outside kind of a girl.

She has that nice fur coat, but I’ve yet to find any gloves that will fit her, so I worry about her little pads getting too cold. And of course, sugar melts in the rain, so….

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The KillZone Blog often has a First Page Critique, and they’re done by different professional writers.

I usually don’t mention those here even in the “Of Interest” section because they aren’t my cuppa whatever, but I can understand how they might help some folks, if you’re bent toward learning that way.

I recommend you sign up for an RSS subscription at https://killzoneblog.com/ and check it out. At “free” the price is pretty good.

***

Well, plans change. The house heater’s making a strange sound, so I’ll make myself available to the landlord when he comes over to check it. And later I have to go shopping for food.

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Also decided today to set aside The Age Exchange. I’m just not excited about it at the moment, so I’ll wait until I am.

And the short story I started yesterday really isn’t. It’s basically a scene of dark humor. Setting it aside too.

I need to get back to writing novels. So the next “Writing of” thing you see below will be a novel title. In a day or two. Today? Back to reading and learning.

Back tomorrow.

Of Interest

Wow. See “More Misc. Stuff Once Again” at https://www.deanwesleysmith.com/more-misc-stuff-once-again/. And check out my comment there. Can’t say it often enough.

To go directly to the Kickstarter for Dean’s North by Northwest bookstore, click https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/403649867/north-by-northwest-bookstore.

See “A long time ago” at http://www.thepassivevoice.com/2018/02/a-long-time-ago/. Raymond Chandler’s words. This will almost certainly give you an aha moment.

See “From Watchmen to Catch-22: can TV tackle ‘unfilmable’ books?” at http://www.thepassivevoice.com/2018/02/from-watchmen-to-catch-22-can-tv-tackle-unfilmable-books/. I love TPG’s extensive take on Milton.

Fiction Words: XXXX
Nonfiction Words: 390 (Journal) 920 (main blog)
So total words for the day: 1310

Writing of
Day 1…… XXXX words. Total words to date…… XXXXX

Total fiction words for the month……… 8193
Total fiction words for the year………… 46349
Total nonfiction words for the month… 8220
Total nonfiction words for the year…… 16240
Total words for the year (fiction and this blog)…… 62589

Calendar Year 2018 Novels to Date………………………… 1
Calenday Year 2018 Novellas to Date…………………… 0
Calendar Year 2018 Short Stories to Date……… 0
Novels (since Oct 19, 2014)………………………………………… 28
Novellas (since Nov 1, 2015)……………………………………… 4
Short stories (since Apr 15, 2014)……………………………… 182