In Today’s Journal * Your Characters Do It All * Free Archives Still Available * Of Interest Your Characters Do It All I had an interesting comment or two from a writer the other day. I thought I’d share part of that with you because the writer struck a universal truth. The first comment that struck me was that the writer had a question but that “you might not be able to answer it because it’s about something far from your genres.” This doesn’t matter. All the concepts I teach are the same through all the genres. Your creative subconscious … Read more

In Today’s Journal * On Cormac McCarthy… On Cormac McCarthy, the Creative Subconscious, and Believing in Yourself I hadn’t expected to write another issue of TNDJ so soon, but here I am. My friend Gary V. sent a me a link to a short video at Christian Chacon’s Substack. I read the transcript and listened to the 4+ minute video (both were essentially the same). But it seemed to me the video was an excerpt of a longer interview. I didn’t go looking for the longer version, but I keyed into a search engine Cormac McCarthy on writing fiction with … Read more

In Today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * The Bradbury Challenge Report * A Few Updates on Chopped Livah * Of Interest Quotes of the Day “Even if you’re doing detours, they have to somehow matter to … what’s going on. If you don’t have heart, if you don’t have characters you care about, if you don’t have the larger themes, if you don’t have the cool descriptions, it’s not a novel and people won’t want to read it.” Harlan Coben on writing fiction “Practice, which some regard as a chore, should be approached as just about the most … Read more

In Today’s Journal * Chopped Livah 1 * About Commas * I Get Scam Emails Chopped Livah 1 Chopped Livah 1, a deep dive on “Six Senses, the POV Character, and Setting Description” is ready to go, and I’m tickled pink. It’ll post at 8 a.m. (Arizona time) on Sunday, September 27. That issue came in at a little over 4000 words, and I think I gave free subscribers almost half of it as an excerpt. (I tried to, at least, and I believe I did.) They should be able to read from the top all the way down through … Read more

In Today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * A Book Recommendation * Musings About Writing * Of Interest Quote of the Day “We all have our time machines, don’t we. Those that take us back are memories … And those that carry us forward are dreams.” HG Wells A Book Recommendation I strongly recommend The Symbols We Carry: Finding Strength and Steadiness in the Lessons Life Leaves Behind. This book is “a deeply personal exploration of resilience, connection, and the unexpected reminders that help us keep moving forward when life becomes difficult.” See the cover and read the description. … Read more

In Today’s Journal * Oops! Correction! * The Bradbury Challenge Report * Q&A Re Chopped Livah * Of Interest Oops! Correction! In yesterday’s post, due to a stupid oversight on my part, the link for “the lengthy example I provided in TNDJ” under both The Major Transition Scene and The Rest Scene was broken. My apologies. Here’s the correct link for the example on the Journal website, and here’s the correct link for the example on the Substack version. The Bradbury Challenge Report Participating in any challenge is a great way to have fun and grow as a writer. The … Read more

In Today’s Journal * Chopped Livah 0: Format & Introduction A Note on Format & Introduction In each issue after this one, every topic I publish in Chopped Livah will pertain to and enhance your ability to write in one or more of the major scene types that are prevalent in every novel or short story I’ve read or written. A glance at the title will show you what the issue will be about. I’ll follow “Chopped Livah” with the issue number: then the topic I’ll discuss in the issue (as you see above). Because many topics pertain to more … Read more

In Today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * Chopped Livah * Of Interest Quote of the Day “What’m I, chopped livah?” Overheard from a disgruntled boss in Brooklyn Chopped Livah The new newsletter—Chopped Livah—has moved right along. In fact, I’ve finished writing the first issue. I only have to cycle back over it. Chopped Livah replaces the Craft of Writing mentorships I was going to offer so I can get the information out to more writers. Each week, subscribers to Chopped Livah will receive specific, in-depth, how-to fiction writing instruction for every type of scene in any short story … Read more

In Today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * News Flash * Of Interest Quote of the Day “Use the time of a total stranger in such a way that he or she will not feel the time was wasted.” Kurt Vonnegut News Flash on the Craft of Writing Mentorships or “I’ve Had a ‘Well, Duh’ Moment” In an effort to pay forward what I’ve learned about fiction writing, over the past several days I’ve been busting my hump putting together a few really intense, down-in-the-weeds Craft of Writing mentorships complete with writing assignments. My goal was to pass along … Read more

In Today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * An Exercise in Applying the Six-Senses * The Exercise Quote of the Day “Because electrons in the outer shells of atoms repel one another, you’ve never touched anything in your entire life.” 1440 Science & Technology (Now THAT’S focusing down!) An Exercise in Applying the Six-Senses The six senses are what the POV character Sees (Sight). Hears (Hearing), Smells (Smell), Tastes (Taste), Feels physically (Texture), or Feels emotionally (Feels) in a given situation at a particular point in time while approaching, entering, inside, or leaving a setting. It’s a good idea to … Read more