Month: July 2021

The Journal: Sigh. Mentorships

In today’s Journal * Mentorships * Of Interest * The Numbers Mentorships First, nothing I write below will affect my current mentoring relationship with my one student. I’ve updated my Mentorships again, and for the final time. Now I’ll just leave them up unless I decide to stop offering them at all. The changes are extensive. I kept the topic descriptions, but cancelled the option to “buy” specific topics. I typically give much more than I’m asked, so offering them as individual topics was self-defeating where my time is concerned. Now I share my knowledge, suited to the student’s own … Read more

The Journal: Rain

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * Rain * I had a great deal of fun * Of Interest * The Numbers Quotes of the Day “Story is more important than style.” David Farland Another group of words that should be attached via sticky note to the edge of every writing computer everywhere. Right alongside “Story is more important than words.” To use a builder analogy, if words are nails and the writing computer is the hammer, Story is the Taj Mahal. “[L]ong before we dreamed of cities, I imagine we should probably have had a premonition, dreamed … Read more

The Journal: Yesterday, a Topic, and Today

In today’s Journal * Yesterday * Topic: You’ve Finished Your Novel. Now What? * Today * Of Interest * The Numbers Yesterday, I worked on creating covers and promo docs for four novels. I’m rusty. I started creating covers around 7, then wrote the promo docs, and finally got them all uploaded to D2D and Amazon a little before noon. Then I decided to take the rest of the day off. Finally back to the novel today. Yay! Topic: You’ve Finished Your Novel. Now What? I actually saw the second item in “Of Interest” yesterday, but I waited until today … Read more

The Journal: Well, Fooey

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * Well, Fooey * Smashing Smashwords * Daniel Fellows * Today * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “Governments always claim noble purposes as the basis for limiting speech or other rights.” Jonathan Turley I started a new novel yesterday morning. As usual, a fairly slow start. And then around noon I realized, well, fooey. In talking with a friend, I came to know that I have five unpublished novels: Terra 2, the last novel in the FOH SF series (so far); Wes Crowley: The Final Chapter, the 12th … Read more

The Journal: Some Cover Design Fundamentals

In today’s Journal * Yesterday * Topic: Some Cover Design Fundamentals * Of Interest * The Numbers Yesterday, which should have been a relaxing day off, was mostly a bust. We went to a couple of estate sales over in Sierra Vista. Neither had much that we were interested in, and the other attendees at one acted as if they’d never been around other humans before. Sheesh. We shopped in the commissary too, and found some of what we needed but not all. And then I chose and ate the wrong thing for lunch, making myself ill. It was just … Read more

The Journal: SpaceRons, and Author Angst

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * The Novel Wrapped * Author Angst * SpaceRons * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “We have have been discussing how writers, editors, commentators, and academics have embraced rising calls for censorship and speech controls…” Jonathan Turley Well, my short novel wrapped yesterday at a little over 28,000 words. I was fine with that. Honestly, this one felt more like a really long short story than a novella or novel. (grin) That makes an even dozen novels this year so far, including novels 5-10 of the SF FOH … Read more

The Journal: Unknowingly Trying?

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * Topic: Unknowingly Trying? * Of Interest * The Numbers Quotes of the Day “That’s the beauty of copyright. It’s divisible. … Authors will be well served to think about protecting the rights in their characters when signing publishing contracts and licensing agreements.” IP Attorney Kathryn Goldman “The two books stalled and stalled and stalled. Each time I thought I had found a way to tell the story that I wanted to tell, I would hit another wall—or the same wall. And usually, that was because I was unknowingly trying to do … Read more

The Journal: One Writing Process

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * Topic: One Writing Process * Of Interest * The Numbers Quotes of the Day “I always tell people to just let a story or a book be what it wants to be. Sometimes I even forget my own lessons.” Dean Wesley Smith “Most of the ‘wisdom’ from members feels like advice we’ve all heard over the years presented as inviolable rules. Those of you who have hung around TKZ for a while know my opinion on the rules of writing: There aren’t any. Fiction writers need only to entertain their audience. … Read more

The Journal: David Farland and a Royal Model O Typewriter

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * David Farland * Royal Model O * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “[E]ventually the character’s story demands to be told in full.” David Farland If you get David Farland’s newsletter, you recently received one titled “Writing Your Series, Part 3.” But if you go to Farland’s Writing Tips blog, it doesn’t seem to be up yet. Actually, it is. So are Parts 1 through 6. But they were originally written in 2014. So to see the entire series of posts on “Writing Your Series,” visit https://mystorydoctor.com/?s=Writing+your+series. There … Read more

The Journal: Are You Like Me?

In today’s Journal * Are you like me? * Of Interest * The Numbers Are you like me? Do you wake up each morning with a child-like desire to get dressed and race past breakfast (and the surprised look on your mother’s face) and out the front door to play with your friends? It’s an exciting game, but it ran long yesterday. When the sun started to fade in the west, you had to stop and go inside, “wash up,” and eat supper. But the game was far from over at that point. Still carrying the fire of the game, … Read more