Month: March 2018

The Journal, Tuesday, March 20

Hey Folks, Oh, if anyone wants to visit my site to see the changes in the menu that I mentioned yesterday, visit http://HarveyStanbrough.com. Sorry I didn’t include the link yesterday. And thanks to my friend Robert (by the way, that’s pronounced ro-BEAR as he is an honorary Acadian), for the gentle reminder. (grin) I still have a little work to do in that regard. A few fixes to target pages to make them more negotiable. But no rush on that. I learned yesterday that I have a new copyedit coming in, so I’ll be splitting my time between earning money … Read more

The Journal, Monday, March 19

Hey Folks, No writing today. More on that (through gritted teeth) later. Well, I simplified my website a bit, based on recommendations in the link I shared here a couple days ago. No drop-down menus on the home page. Now when you click (for example) Mystery Novels, it takes you to a page full of mystery novel covers. Each cover links to its own page on the site. They also recommended having only one row of menu items. I decided against that. I write in (so far) four differnt genres plus short fiction and poetry. So I decided to leave … Read more

The Journal, Sunday, March 18

Hey Folks, Okay, from the time I awoke this morning, I decided today would be a nonwriting day. My wife and I are in the midst of straightening, rearranging and cleaning our house, and it’s actually kinda fun. Also I felt a day off might help separate my WIP and my probable next WIP from each other in my mind. As I’m writing in the former, it’s racing right along, no problem. But bits and dregs of my probable next project keep squeezing out from between the polyps in my brain. As I have only a few polyps left, I … Read more

The Journal, Saturday, March 17

Hey Folks, Just a touch-up on yesterday’s topic re Lee Child and his buddy, Jack Reacher…. It occurred to me last night that some of the (what I saw as) excess description and unnecessary repetition might well be the result of his publisher’s prodding. After all, the novel length guidelines we’ve heard about all our lives are the direct result of traditional publishers needing to make a price point. To hit a particular price point, they need a certain number of folios. They tell the agents, and the agents push the writers to fill a certain number of pages. Many, … Read more

The Journal, Friday, March 16

Hey Folks, Sometimes I’m in such a foul mood, my only escape is into my fiction. There I can pal around with the people I like. And I can kill the ones I don’t like. *** Topic: Ongoing Learning A couple of days ago, I started reading the second Jack Reacher book Lee Child ever wrote. And his first Jack Reacher book was also very his first novel and a New York Times bestseller. That “bestseller” label doesn’t always do it for me, but this is very good stuff. The guy’s an excellent writer. As opposed, say, to someone else … Read more

The Journal, Thursday, March 15 (The Ides of March)

Hey Folks, Well, another slow start to the day. And chances are I’ll have only a half-day today. I meant to rise early (2-3) and get straight out to the Hovel and the novel. Uh, but that ain’t what happened. I decided to skip my waking-up ritual, so as it turned out I just sat and stared at my writing ‘puter for awhile. Didn’t even read over what I’d written yesterday, which is my usually start on the writing day. So back up to the house for a bit to write this, check things around the web, etc. When I … Read more

The Journal, Wednesday, March 14

Hey Folks, Well, I got a late start this morning. Just kind of a blah day. I almost called this a day off, after which I would have spent the day doing nothing. I finally made it to the novel at around 9:30. In the first session, I got right at 1000 words. About a third of that was to finish correcting the problem held over from yesterday. So the novel’s tracking right along again now. Then up to the house for a break and to write this stuff. *** One of my short story collections is part of a … Read more

The Journal, Tuesday, March 13

Hey Folks, For the past three years, I’ve considered taking Dean’s Anthology Workshop. It’s live, on the Oregon Coast. It’s $650 plus hotel expenses, plus travel. So not cheap (at least for me). But I’m still considering it. Now, though, a recent attendee — and one who has attended the thing SIX times — has decided to blog about the experience. In a series of blog posts, best-selling dark fantasy author (and now editor) Ron Collins is going to dissect Dean’s Anthology Workshop. If you’ve ever even thought about taking that workshop (on the coast) this will be an important … Read more

The Journal, Monday, March 12

Hey Folks, Headed out to the Hovel again. Started by cycling back through the stuff I wrote yesterday, then moved into new stuff. All in all, around 800 new words in the first session. Up to the house to eat breakfast and get some laundry started. I put an announcement on Facebook, too, that StoneThread Publishing’s been busy of late. In addition to the latest Stern Talbot P.I. book, we also just published A WonderFull Life, a memoir. It’s by my wife. The Amazon link is https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BDFXJ4Q. The universal link is https://www.books2read.com/u/3nOarR. Just in case. Of course, your best bet … Read more

The Journal, Sunday, March 11

Hey Folks, Out to the Hovel a little early today, this being Sunday. I spent some waking-up time just playing Spider, then started on the novel at around 3:15. An hour later, I had my first 1000 words of the day. Took a very brief break, basically standing up and stretching a bit, then back at it. I’ll do one more session, then up to the house for a few minutes. Had a couple more good sessions and got a little over 3000 words by 10. Up to the house for a break. My wife’s working on the annual plague … Read more