Month: May 2023

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * Story Starters * The Writing * Of Interest Quotes of the Day “Until you’re ready to look foolish, you’ll never have the possibility of being great.” Cherilyn “Cher” Sarkisian “Successful negotiation is not about getting to ‘yes’; it’s about mastering ‘no’ and understanding what the path to an agreement is.” Christopher Voss I suspect it’s a lot easier to say No to a six-figure deal when saying Yes wouldn’t change your life dramatically. Story Starters Two days ago Garry Rodgers posted “Mindset, Motivation, and Tchotchkes” on the Kill Zone blog. In … Read more

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * A Penny Per Word * A few notes on pulp writers * Of Interest Quotes of the Day “I realize that I wrote it, but it’s hard to take credit for the writing because it came from out of the blue. It came through me,” Townes Van Zandt on writing the song “Pancho and Lefty” “I read an essay by sci-fi author Robert Silverberg discussing his pseudonymous smut writing career back in the day. He was paid handsomely per finished novel, so he wrote one 50,000 word novel per week. He … Read more

In today’s Journal * The Road to Amarillo * The Most Effective Goal * Of Interest The Road to Amarillo Well, The Road to Amarillo is published at Draft2Digital and at Amazon. To see the cover, and to read about the book and a little about the Wes Crowley Gap series itself, please visit https://stonethreadpublishing.com/the-road-to-amarillo/. Also, the Wes Crowley covers on the page at https://stonethreadpublishing.com/the-wes-crowley-series/ are actually in chronological sequence, so the correct reading order. For a limited time, I’m giving away Book 1 of the series, The Rise of a Warrior. To take advantage of this giveaway, either visit … Read more

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * Focus on Quantity, Yes * The Writing * Of Interest Quotes of the Day “In quickness is truth. The faster you blurt, the more swiftly you write, the more honest you are. In hesitation is thought. In delay comes the effort for a style, instead of leaping upon truth which is the only style worth deadfalling or tiger-trapping.” Ray Bradbury “Writing a lot (quantity) and practicing writing is extremely important. Detaching yourself from the result of the story is also important. (What’s important is THAT you write, not WHAT you write). … Read more

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * Sorry This One’s Late * Writing for the Journal * Of Interest Quotes of the Day “In quickness is truth. The faster you blurt, the more swiftly you write, the more honest you are. In hesitation is thought. In delay comes the effort for a style, instead of leaping upon truth which is the only style worth deadfalling or tiger-trapping.” Ray Bradbury “Writing a lot (quantity) and practicing writing is extremely important. Detaching yourself from the result of the story is also important. (What’s important is THAT you write, not WHAT … Read more

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * Bradbury Challenge Writers Reporting * I Get Emails * Some Thoughts on Writing Fiction (guest post) * Of Interest Quotes of the Day “A serious writer draws from the well of his own soul, his own beliefs, and his own experience. The invitation for others to enter, mix, affect, alter and modify his work poisons the well.” Dan Baldwin “I’m never really alone writing fiction. My characters take over. The push, pull, cajole, entreat, beg and bully in a cacophony reminiscent of a third-grade classroom when the teacher had to step … Read more

In today’s Journal * Welcome * Yes. The Answer is Yes. * A Milestone of Sorts * Of Interest Welcome to Sarah S, George K and any other new subscribers or readers of the Journal. I hope you will find something here that will help you. Be sure to check out the free downloads at https://hestanbrough.com/the-daily-journal-archives-gifts-dvds/ and at https://harveystanbrough.com/downloads/. Yes. The Answer is Yes. I get questions. Am I still looking for or considering guest posts? Yes, absolutely. A few have responded since I put out the first call. Trust me, I’m not being overwhelmed with offers. Am I still … Read more

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * More Short Stories * Of Interest Quotes of the Day “The use of the wearable computer changes with each person. When this device is your way of seeing, or a seeing aid, it’s how you see the world. When you use it as a memory aid, it is your brain.” Steve Mann SF story ideas, anyone? “Good writing is supposed to evoke sensation in the reader – not the fact that it is raining, but the feeling of being rained upon.” E. L. Doctorow “They hear nearly every sound, notice every … Read more

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * Auditions Are Open * Slightly Slow Going * Of Interest Quote of the Day “If you always do what interests you, at least one person is pleased.” Katharine Hepburn Auditions Are Open Back when I first started the Journal in early 2014, I hadn’t written a novel. I’d successfully written a ton of poetry (previous life) and articles and essays and even a couple of nonfiction books on grammar and dialogue and the language. But I’d written only a handful of short stories. In fact, when I started the Journal, my … Read more

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * The Purpose of the Journal * Of Interest Quotes of the Day “In fiction writing, the only time you fail is if you stop writing fiction. … There is no other marker. You stop writing, you fail. It really is that simple.” Dean Wesley Smith “Smell is a potent wizard that transports you across thousands of miles and all the years you have lived.” Helen Keller “Don’t be afraid of perfection. You will never attain it!” Salvador Dalí The Purpose of the Journal Hey, sorry I’m a little late. Thanks for … Read more