Month: July 2020

The Journal: Quit but Keep Teaching?

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * Topic: Quit but Keep Teaching? * Of Interest * The Numbers Quotes of the Day “You have heard the old chestnut that writers write, right? You wouldn’t say, ‘I’m a mountain climber’ without ever actually climbing a mountain, right?” Chuck Wendig “I am amazed, astounded, astonished at how often I see writers bitching about writing. I don’t mean bitching like, ‘Oh, shucks, I had a bad day,’ or, ‘Man, this story’s a lot harder to write than I anticipated.’ But… an endless stream of complaining about the very act of putting … Read more

The Journal: A Little More on Cycling

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * It Keeps on Tickin * Topic: A Little More on Cycling * About Dean Wesley Smith * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “The good parts of a book may be only something a writer is lucky enough to overhear or it may be the wreck of his whole damn life and one is as good as the other.” Ernest Hemingway (via The Passive Voice) It Keeps on Ticking I came across an old Timex watch in my desk drawer a few days ago. On a lark, I … Read more

The Journal: The Difference Between Rewriting and Cycling

In today’s Journal * How weird is that? * Topic: The Difference Between Rewriting and Cycling * Of Interest * The Numbers How weird is that? Two Journal entries in two days. I’m still not writing fiction, but I’m getting closer. I have a couple of major projects in mind. Once I settle on one, I should be off and running again. But for now, this Journal entry is necessary. Not for me or a handful of others I know, but for some of you maybe. Topic: The Difference Between Rewriting and Cycling This is a followup to the topic … Read more

The Journal: WITD Has Two Parts

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * The current crisis * Topic: WITD Has Two Parts * Of Interest * The Numbers Quotes of the Day “By really getting into your work, the nonessential stuff drops away.” Bill Murray “Bill’s whole life is in the moment,” says Ted Melfi, who directed Murray in the movie St. Vincent. “He doesn’t care about what just happened. He doesn’t think about what’s going to happen. He doesn’t even book round-trip tickets. Bill buys one-ways and then decides when he wants to go home.” Gavin Edwards in “Being Bill Murray” in Rolling … Read more

The Journal: Not Tag-Line Verbs (Update)

In today’s Journal * Welcome * Topic: Not Tag-Line Verbs (Update) * Of Interest * The Numbers Welcome Here I am, barely blogging along after having written a post almost every day for years, and a new reader subscribed yesterday. Welcome, my new friend from Melbourne. While my blogging is less frequent than before, I invite you to use the tag cloud or search box to check for posts on topics that might interest you. A few more folks have joined us over the past couple of weeks too. Welcome, all. Topic: Not Tag-Line Verbs (Update) A couple of posts … Read more

The Journal: Update and Lessons Learned

In today’s Journal * Topic: Update and Lessons Learned * Of Interest * The Numbers Topic: Update and Lessons Learned Just to let you know what’s going on and share the experiece as I pull out of the doldrums, I think I’m over most of the internal stuff. Some of the external crap remains (and it’s all crap), but I have no control over that. As Barbarosa (Willie Nelson) says in the film by the same name, “The Mexicans have a saying down here: What cannot be remedied must be endured.” A more elegant version of “It simply is what … Read more

The Journal: Body Parts and “Gave”

In today’s Journal * Topic: Body Parts and “Gave” * Of Interest * The Numbers Topic: Body Parts and “Gave” First, read the post over at the Kill Zone blog today, where Terry Odell discusses “Roaming Body Parts” at https://killzoneblog.com/2020/07/roaming-body-parts.html. Her point is that (as a reader) she doesn’t mind passages like “Her fingers flew to her cheeks.” Her reasoning is that since she doesn’t personally mind such constructions as a reader, she’s justified in using them in her writing. On the surface, that’s fine. Certainly we have the right to read what we want to read and write however … Read more

The Journal: WITD and Detractors

In today’s Journal * Thank you * Topic: WITD and Detractors * Of Interest * The Numbers Thanks to everyone for the continued support. Your emails and other contributions are much appreciated. I have a feeling I’ll be back full-strength before too long. For today, here’s a topic for you. You’ll note, too, this is being delivered at a different time of day. Sorry about that. Topic: WITD and Detractors I won’t use the word “haters” because, frankly, I’m not a four year old boy or a young teenage girl, so “detractors” will have to do. I hadn’t planned on … Read more

The Journal: Of Interest and Brief Thoughts

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * Of Interest * The Numbers [Incredibly Stupid] Quote of the Day “I would say that over 75% of literary journals do not pay their writers. I have no problem with that, but it is nice to be paid occasionally.” Emily Harstone If anyone out there knows a good IP attorney or plumber or mechanic who is so accepting of not being paid for practicing his profession, please let me know. On fear of failure… As a student of human behavior it sometimes amazes me how unreasoningly fearful people can be of … Read more