Month: January 2019

The Daily Journal, Thursday, January 31

Hey Folks, Probably my best day of writing fiction ever. (grin) Today we have an absolute must-read as the first item in “Of Interest.” Read it a few times, even. Be sure you understand it. Especially you younger writers who have the potential for a long-term (20+ years). Plus there’s a lot more in “Of Interest” and a short topic today. Today is a built-in short day for me (ends around noon) so I’m in the Hovel early today. Topic: Writing in Challenges and What’s Truly “Special” Be sure to see Dean’s new challenge (the second item in “Of Interest”). … Read more

The Daily Journal, Wednesday, January 30

Hey Folks, Another pretty good “Of Interest” section and a topic on one way to lose readers. Be careful out there. Topic: One Way to Lose Readers I wasted a lot of time today writing a lengthy topic (around 1500 words) that, in the end, seemed inane to me. So I trashed it. The words weren’t “wasted” though because they brought me to this. So I’ll just say a few quick things, because my main job is to tell stories, to entertain, and I want to get back to it. My secondary job is to pass along what I know … Read more

The Daily Journal, Tuesday, January 29

Hey Folks, A rather troubling topic today, one of those things for which, before you pick it up, you should pull on a pair of latex gloves. And so much in “Of Interest” that I almost want to apologize. A thought struck me last night. Things are looking good so far for the challenge. I’m almost certain to finish this one before February 4, putting me ahead of schedule once again and keeping spare days in the safe. *** Topic: Crap, This Is All About Racism and (Other Forms of) Prejudice Racism, bias and prejudice, whether intentional or subconscious, run … Read more

The Daily Journal, Monday, January 28

Hey Folks, Some amazing stuff in “Of Interest” today, and maybe a topic on a new writing exercise you can try. But first to the novel. I rolled out a little late this morning, and I’m anxious to get to it. (grin) Though I did take a brief side-trip to share an excerpt from it on Facebook this morning. Topic A New Excercise to Try A few years ago, when I first became convinced one of the most important components of a story is the opening, I designed an exercise for myself. I wasn’t in the middle of a novel … Read more

The Daily Journal, Sunday, January 27

Hey Folks, Be sure to click through and read the whole post. Some great “Of Interest” items, not to mention a topic and the other stuff. Yesterday, Scott Thrall commented that he hopes Dean keeps drinking the water in Vegas that’s making him go nuts with prizes for his KickStarter campaign. Apparently he drank another tall glass. Read about it in “Of Interest.” A great deal, not to be missed. *** Topic: Are You a Self-Saboteur? Have you ever sabotaged yourself? I don’t mean with the usual conscious mind stuff: doubting your abilities, feeling you’re a pretender, worrying about where … Read more

The Daily Journal, Saturday, January 26

Hey Folks, I think maybe the water in Vegas is affecting Dean’s brain. For as little as a $20 pledge to his KickStarter, you can now get a credit for a $150 classic workshop as well as two books. And at least one of those books is chock full of blog entries that can’t help but be informative. Check it out in “Of Interest.” I recommend making a $20 investment in your writing. *** Well, I bought a computer, an HP ProBook 11. It’s basically the same machine as my writing ‘puter but with a tiny, 11.6″ screen that I’ll … Read more

The Daily Journal, Friday, January 25

Hey Folks, Well, I’m in the hunt for another laptop. I like the 14″ size and I like HPs. I’ll use the new one up at the house. I’ve noticed more and more I’m not liking the one I have up there and doing most everything on this one, which is supposed to be my writing ‘puter. That can be a little distracting, to say the least. Calling the writing early today to do other things. Talk with you again tomorrow. Of Interest See “What is Adipocere?” at https://www.suecoletta.com/what-is-adipocere-or-corpse-wax/. Via Linda Maye Adams, see (video) “10 Scientifically Impossible Places That … Read more

The Daily Journal, Thursday, January 24

Hey Folks, I think a lot of you didn’t receive the Journal yesterday. My apologies. A glitch in the system. I hope now it’s been corrected. There’s a topic in yesterday’s post (“Speaking of Challenges and Goals”) as well as some great stuff in “Of Interest.” If you want to see it, please visit https://hestanbrough.com/the-daily-journal-wednesday-january-23/. At least for Phillip McCollum’s post in “Of Interest.” Since I was involved in cleaning up that mess, I also added a new RSS feed from from Pro Writer Blog to the left sidebar of the Journal. If you aren’t subscribed to Pro Writer Blog … Read more

The Daily Journal, Wednesday, January 23

Hey Folks, NOTE: You’ll get this one late by a couple of hours. Tomorrow it will be back at its normal time. Rolled out at 3 this morning after a good night’s sleep. To the Hovel shortly afterward where I visited some sites that are new to me and did the “Of Interest” thing. One of those new sites is of former traditionally published, now indie-published, romance writer Terry Odell. I didn’t find anything there today for “Of Interest” but that doesn’t mean you won’t find something there that rings your personal bell. Check it out at https://terryodell.com/. Or go … Read more

The Daily Journal, Tuesday, January 22

Hey Folks, First, thanks to my new donor and the first person to take advantage of my Patronage program. Thanks, Scott T! This morning during my wake-up period, I remembered a friend wrote me recently to request a “Search this site” feature on my website. She wanted to see whether I’d talked about Digital Rights Management, but didn’t find it in the tag cloud at the bottom of the site or anywhere else. That request served initially as a catalyst for my brief topic on DRM a couple of days ago. This morning, I added a search feature to both … Read more