Month: May 2024

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * A New Short Story * Why I’m Charging a Fee for the Openings Critiques * Let’s Talk Genre * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “[A]ll roads lead back to just keep writing and having fun. That really is the key.” Dean Wesley Smith (see the second item in Of Interest) A New Short Story “A View to the Curious” went live yesterday on my Stanbrough Writes Substack. If you’re curious, go check it out. (grin) Why I’m Charging for the Openings Critiques Nobody brought this up. I … Read more

In today’s Journal * Short Story Contest Winners * Openings Critique Offer * An Updated Look at Free Writer Resources * Of Interest * The Numbers Short Story Contest Winners I mentioned before that I received only ten entries in the recent contest, but every one of them was a good story. And I do not blow smoke. Consider… Some were first-ever short stories by brand new writers or folks who usually write novels. In one short story by a new short-story writer, I found one of the most excellent turns of phrase I’ve ever seen. Her story was also … Read more

In today’s Journal * Short Story Contest: The Debrief * Of Interest * The Numbers Short Story Contest: The Debrief The short story contest, which ran for two weeks, was FREE to enter, offered cash prizes, and closed last night at midnight. I’m still scratching my head wondering why I wasn’t deluged with entries. [Tapping the microphone] Is this thing on? Maybe I’m delusional. I thought fiction writers would leap at the chance to enter their story in a contest that cost nothing to enter and offered (small, but still) cash prizes: $50, $40, $30, $20, and $10. But as … Read more

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * Reminder: The Short Story Contest * End Your Writing Session With A Hook * Every Story and Every Time Period Boils Down to One * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “An essential aspect of creativity is not being afraid to fail.” Edwin H. Land Reminder: The Short Story Contest submission period ends tonight at midnight. If you want to send an entry, send it before midnnight tonight Arizona time (3 a.m. in New York). You can read the submission requirements here. End Your Writing Session With A … Read more

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * Laugh of the Day * Expansion of a Novel * Cycling Isn’t Only to Check Your Work * If I Haven’t Mentioned It * Of Interest * The Numbers Quotes of the Day “The original is unfaithful to the translation.” Jorge Luis Borges Put another way, don’t translate what happens in your characters’ world. Write the authentic story. “Writing Into The Dark scares many writers, and I believe 99 times out of 100 those are the writers who haven’t tried it. … It’s natural to fear the dark at first [but] … Read more

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * The Bradbury Challenge Writers Reporting * The Value of Challenges * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “The intellect has little to do on the road to discovery. There comes a leap in consciousness, call it intuition or what you will, and the solution comes to you and you don’t know how or why. All great discoveries are made in this way.” Albert Einstein, Forbes Quotes: Thoughts on the Business of Life (Thanks to Dan Baldwin for the quote) The Bradbury Challenge Writers Reporting To take part, write … Read more

In today’s Journal * Bradbury Challenge Reminder * About “Soft as a breeze” * Of Interest * The Numbers Bradbury Challenge Reminder Today is Sunday. You who are in or want to join the challenge, please be sure to get your story info in to me before the Journal goes live on Monday. Setting a personal deadline earlier in the week is the easiest way to ensure that. Remember, the whole point of the challenge is to have fun and grow as a writer even as you expand your IP inventory. (grin) About “Soft as a Breeze” Other than when … Read more

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * A New Short Story * A Conversation About Writing Fiction * Of Interest * The Numbers Quotes of the Day “Everywhere I go I’m asked if I think the university stifles writers. My opinion is that they don’t stifle enough of them. There’s many a best-seller that could have been prevented by a good teacher.” Flannery O’Connor “You can’t learn to write in college. It’s a very bad place for writers because the teachers always think they know more than you do—and they don’t.” Ray Bradbury “To be a champ, you … Read more

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * Excellent Questions, Answered * The Writing * Of Interest * The Numbers Excellent Questions, Answered A couple of days ago, I received an email in which the writer asked a few excellent questions. My response, a little expanded, is below with thanks to HG, who is close to finishing his first novel, which he wrote into the dark. The first thing to know is that when it comes to writing, age is irrelevant. Seriously. I started writing novels in October 2014, a month before I turned 62, so not quite ten … Read more

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * On Understanding Others, and Characters * Two Excellent Posts * Just Sit Down * Music, White Noise, or Silence? * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “In the end it is important to remember you cannot become what you need to be by remaining what you are.” Max De Pree (from the signature in DT’s email) On Understanding Others, and Characters As a response to Dr. Mardy Grothe’s most recent post (see Of Interest), this thought sprang to mind: “You can never understand another human being, and you … Read more