The Journal: Better Than Usual

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * Update on my construction woes * Better than usual * Of Interest * The Numbers Quotes of the Day “A successful runner doesn’t see the finish line in a race; he sees ten yards beyond it. That’s his goal and the visualization keeps him moving beyond the expected end. A good writer does the same thing – pushes beyond the obvious limit to ensure a successful conclusion.” Dan Baldwin in “The Long and Short of Endings” (To subscribe free email baldco@msn.com.) “Don’t think about making art, just get it done. Let … Read more

The Journal: Just Chatting

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * Just chatting * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “Written stories belong to their individual creators as individuals. Copyright laws around the world reflect this belief and value. … Stories don’t belong to cultures or people who bear some similarity to the characters in a book.” David Vandagriff (as The Passive Guy) harkening back to my previous Journal post Just chatting this morning. I haven’t talked with you in a few days. That omission was unintented. But really, I haven’t had much to talk about, at least regarding … Read more

The Journal: Cultural Appropriation

In today’s Journal * “Cultural Appropriation”… whatever * Of Interest * The Numbers I’m a little under the weather and not in a good mood besides, so I’ll keep this short. In fact, I’m publishing it at all mostly to get the “Of Interest” stuff out to you. I was going to write a whole long rant on so-called “cultural appropriation” but I changed my mind. Aren’t you glad? Suffice to say, the actual purpose of a phrase like “cultural appropriation” is to intimidate and infuriate, not to effect actual change. To make that vein on the forehead bulge in … Read more

The Journal: October Already and TMI

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * The first of… October? * The return of Blackwell Ops 8 * A little personal good news * Of Interest * The Numbers Quotes of the Day “I make no conscious effort to be tough, or hard-boiled, or grim, or any of the things I am usually called. I merely try to write as the character would write.” James M. Cain in the preface to Three of a Kind “[M]y style is rural rather than urban; my ear seems to like fields better than streets. I am glad of this, for … Read more