Month: December 2020

The Journal: The “Christmas Star”

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * The “Christmas Star” * Paper * A quick apology * The Numbers Quotes of the Day “A lot of what has happened this year — if it were a novel, I would say that it had a little too much plot,” Simon & Schuster CEO Jonathan Karp Anyone who says things like ‘it had a little too much plot’ doesn’t know anything about writing and should shut up and go back to selling books. Or something less important. “PG notes that the author of the OP managed to write the entire … Read more

The Journal: Quotes and “Of Interest”

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * Nothing much * For those who are interested * The Numbers Quotes of the Day “I realized that coming up with writing topics did not require anything greater than an attunement to the everyday things around me….” Christine M. Estel “My barn having burned down, I can now see the moon.” Mizuta Masahide “The Delete button on PG’s keyboard will never gather dust, but the scope of its domain will remain limited to characters, words, the odd paragraph and an occasional draft version of a finished document saved in at least … Read more

The Journal: A Quick Note on Semicolons

In today’s Journal * A new first reader * Topic: A Quick Note on Semicolons * The Numbers I’m pleased to report I’ve added one new first reader, Tim W. in Virginia. Welcome aboard, Tim. And thanks! I’m still looking to add more female first readers. If you’re interested (male or female), email me at harveystanbrough@gmail.com. I like to get feedback from both a male and a female reader when possible. As politically incorrect as it is to say so, it’s been my experience that they have different sensibilities; therefore, different things pop out at them as they read. I … Read more

The Journal: On Comma Use

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * A writer friend in South Africa * A great new information site * Topic: On Comma Use * The Numbers Quotes of the Day “B&N’s new CEO, James Daunt, is designing the company’s phoenix-like rise from its ashes on the direct involvement of on-the-ground booksellers in the decisions on what books individual stores should stock. You know, the way booksellers used to do it before the superstores ran them out of business.” John Gilstrap “[A]s the [book] business fluctuates and expands and contracts, the one constant to all of it … … Read more

The Journal: Setting a “Floor” Goal

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * Setting a “Floor” Goal * Be sure to see * After the novel sputtered * Remember that you * The Numbers Quotes of the Day “No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader. No surprise in the writer, no surprise in the reader.” Robert Frost “Despite the number of writing skills we’ve mastered, if we’re not excited about the story we’re telling, it’s going to show.” Lori Freeland Topic: Setting a “Floor” Goal After reading Dean Wesley Smith’s post on the personal goals he set for himself for 2021 … Read more

The Journal: A Light Discourse on Punctuation

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * Topic: A Light Discourse on Punctuation * A couple of fairly slow days * The Numbers Quotes of the Day This is one of the greatest quotes on creativity I’ve ever encountered. It goes to the very heart of writing: “Recognizing that people’s reactions don’t belong to you is the only sane way to create. If people enjoy what you’ve created, terrific. If people ignore what you’ve created, too bad. If people misunderstand what you’ve created, don’t sweat it. And what if people absolutely hate what you’ve created? What if people … Read more

The Journal: Adapted from Peter de Vries

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * Free lecture on inspiration * My son and his beautiful girl Cathy * The Numbers Quote of the Day “[T]he next time a traditionally-published author or agent talks about Amazon ruining the book business, some might be tempted to say that the New York book business deserves to be ruined.” The Passive Guy From AuthorsPublish.com, “You are invited to attend a free lecture and Q&A session with New York Times Bestselling Author Emily Colin. She’ll be giving a talk on “Taming the Wild Beast: Making Inspiration Work for You. “The lecture … Read more

The Journal: Setting Goals for 2021

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * Topic: Setting Goals for 2021 * The Journey Home: Part 2 is finished * The Numbers Quotes of the Day “Aim to write the best that you can every day, and write above that.” Joe Hartlaub “Thinking is the great enemy of perfection.” Constantine the Great, Roman Emperor Topic: Setting Goals for 2021 First (again) to get us all on the same page, there is difference between Goals and Dreams. Both are achievable, but Goals are within your direct control. Dreams are not. In many of the “setting goals” posts I’ve … Read more

The Journal: Coming Soon: The Long-Awaited (Yeah, Right) Goals Post

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * Topic: Coming Soon: The Long-Awaited (Yeah, Right) Goals Post * An Open Note to Loyd J. * A Strange Phenomenon * Note to my first readers * The Numbers Quote of the Day “The last nine months have felt like one long never-ending sentence without commas or periods.” Margo T Krasne Topic: Coming Soon: The Long-Awaited (Yeah, Right) Goals Post I’m not pulling any punches here. This time of year, posts on setting goals abound. But when I’ve read some of those recently, I felt as if I was transported back … Read more

The Journal: I Was Astonished: A Little More on Goals

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * I Was Astonished: A Little More on Goals * Another fairly good day * The Numbers Quotes of the Day “What’s the worst thing that could happen if it doesn’t work?” Elaine Viets I Was Astonished: A Little More on Goals As read the other comments on Terry Odell’s post from yesterday, I was astonished. I kind’a felt like I’d been dipped in a tank of piranhas in baloney underwear. Or I’d gone wading in a Louisiana bayou filled to the banks with swamp donkeys. I finally left this comment of … Read more