Month: December 2020

The Journal: On Goals vs. Dreams, a Preface

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * On Goals vs. Dreams, a Preface * A good-enough day * The Numbers Quotes of the Day “I’ve never quite understood why, when someone doesn’t like you for whatever reason, they don’t just leave you the hell alone.” Wes Crowley, laughing and shaking his head On Goals vs. Dreams, a Preface Soon I’ll be writing a post on setting goals for 2021. I’ll address my own goals and hope the post will help as you set yours. In the meantime, Terry Odell’s post (linked to in todays “Of Interest”) has a … Read more

The Journal: Keep Coming Back

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * Chatting on the phone * Keep Coming Back * The Numbers Quotes of the Day “Is PG the only person who is tired of the phrase, raise awareness? At the moment, PG’s awareness seems to be sheltering in place.” The Passive Guy Yup. Mine too. I’ve never been a big phone person. I’ve always considered the telephone a necessary evil. It’s something I carry around (usually) “just in case”) but it’s also an intrusive nuisance. However, there are a few people whose phone calls I happily anticipate and welcome when they … Read more

The Journal: On Blatant Censorship

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * I’m posting today mostly * That there was a glitch * The Numbers Quote of the Day “PG suggests that a more widely recognized term for deplatforming is political censorship. What punched PG’s deplatforming button was not the criticism of Mr. Peterson’s ideas and writings, but rather the verbal lobbying directed to [Penguin Random House] to pressure the company to cease publication of Mr. Jordan’s writings.” The Passive Guy I’m posting today mostly to get “Of Interest” out to you, and mostly the first item in that section. I hope you … Read more

The Journal: Finding a Writing Guru/Mentor

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * A comment I added * An addendum * Not as good a day * The Numbers Quotes of the Day “We create fear or make fear go away depending on what story we tell ourselves…” Roger Martin Here’s a comment I added to Dean Wesley Smith’s post in “Of Interest” today. It just felt like something I should share with you: “At some point, a would-be writer who’s looking to actually learn anything has to stop, consider the experience of the source, and assume the source probably knows what he’s talking … Read more

The Journal: The Writing, and Me Griping About the Language

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * The Writing * Here I continue to gripe about the decline * The Numbers Quotes of the Day “There are plagues, and there are victims, and it’s the duty of good men not to join forces with the plagues.” Albert Camus “Some people contend that the English language is a living, breathing organism wherein the definitions of words and rules should change to reflect their mass misuse. … English should not stoop to embrace the lowest common denominator. Rather, society should step up and grant the language the respect it deserves.” … Read more

The Journal: A Dreary Cautionary Tale

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * A Dreary Cautionary Tale: Save Your Work * I also looked on the bright side * The Numbers Quote of the Day “We have described our use of artificial intelligence (AI) to provide you with valuable personalized advice.” from the Terms of Service of a corporation with which I’m acquainted A Dreary Cautionary Tale: Save Your Work As you know, I always try to share the bad as well as the good, the setbacks as well as the accomplishments. Not to put too fine a point on it, but if you’re … Read more

The Journal: On the Split Infinitive…

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * Topic: On the Split Infinitive and Other Inane Rules * I’d spend more time * What It Takes to Have a Really Good Day * Another personal record-setting day * Of Interest * The Numbers Quotes of the Day “And all dared to brave unknown terrors, to do mighty deeds, to boldly split infinitives that no man had split before–and thus was the Empire forged.” Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy “When I split an infinitive, God damn it, I split it so it stays split.” Raymond Chandler “Making … Read more

The Journal: BookExpo Is No More

In today’s Journal * BookExpo is no more (!) * Mentorships and first readers * Call for topics * Another really good day * Of Interest * The Numbers Back in the late 1990s or early 2000s, my Writing Realistic Dialogue & Flash Fiction won fifth place (1st Honorable Mention) for the Book of the Year Award in the Education Category at BookExpo New York. Not too shabby, given that there were well over 25,000 entries in that category, including dozens from the “Big Five” publishers. Today, BookExpo is no more. See the first item in “Of Interest.” I haven’t … Read more

The Journal: A Really Good Day

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * A really good day yesterday * Of Interest * The Numbers Quotes of the Day “We know the human brain is a device to keep the ears from grating on one another.” Peter De Vries “I write when I’m inspired, and I see to it that I’m inspired at nine o’clock every morning.” Peter De Vries “We all learn by experience, but some of us have to go to summer school.” Peter De Vries Oof. December 1 already. I had a really good day yesterday to close out November with over … Read more