In Today’s Journal
* Quote of the Day
* The Most Intriguing Review I’ve Ever Received
* An Hour with Gordon Lightfoot
* Of Interest
Quote of the Day
“Have you [as a reader] ever paid close attention to dialogue tags? If not, that’s awesome.” Ellen Buikema for Writers in the Storm (see Of Interest)
The Most Intriguing Review I’ve Ever Received
In a recent post, I talked about not paying much attention to good or bad reviews.
I stand firm on that advice for the reasons stated. Usually the reader is only stating an opinion about whether a story is good or bad, and that can adversely affect my writing in the future.
However, occasionally a reader remarks on technique, albeit probably without realizing it.
Hemingway himself once said his goal as a writer was to present a fiction in such a way that the reader can’t differentiate between the facts and the fiction. In other words, he wanted every story to feel real and true to life.
That’s one reason I add layers of realistic detail to my stories. I want the reader to feel as if s/he’s actually in the setting and in the scene as s/he’s reading.
Occasionally I’ve shared excerpts from my writing in TNDJ posts to enhance the instruction and let you see what I actually put on the page and why. (You can still receive the searchable 2021–2024 TNDJ .pdf archives free by emailing me at harveystanbrough@gmail.com.)
In late October 2025 in response to one of the posts in which I shared an excerpt (I was unable to pinpoint a particular post), a reader sent me an email:
“I really enjoyed the set-piece in your recent post. The focus and the hit scenes were tight and instructive, srsly. I don’t mean a cameo riff, more like a dedicated piece that unpacks technique from someone who actually does this stuff. Would you ever profile a relevant expert in a future post?”
Okay, one, that’s high praise. I’m not an assassin and have never been involved in a ‘hit’ other than through my fiction. But as a writer I was thrilled to be (falsely) recognized as “someone who actually does this stuff.” Ah, the power of good fiction.
But I was also intrigued by his question. So in case you’re wondering, I replied in the affirmative, that yes, I would be interested in profiling ‘a relevant expert’ or provide space for a guest post from that expert.
I never heard back. Still, it was very good to know the guy took the scene ‘srsly’. (grin)
An Hour with Gordon Lightfoot (1938–2023)
I’ve often said writing is writing, regardless of genre or whether you’re writing a short story, a poem, a novel, or a song. A concise, excellent story may be told in many ways.
Recently I searched for a particular song online because I just wanted to hear it (“Come Sundown” by Bobby Bare).
After I found that song and listened to it, I came across a video titled “Gordon Lightfoot: If You Could Read my Mind.”
I assumed it was only him singing the title song, but it wasn’t. It was Lightfoot himself along with several other ‘names’ you’ll recognize talking about his life, his songwriting process, etc.
I’m offering it here in case you’d like to watch and listen to it. Yes, you can learn more about writing short stories or novels by listening to a masterful songwriter talking about writing songs. I hope you’ll enjoy it.
Despite the title of this section, the video is actually a little over an hour and a half long: Gordon Lightfoot: If You Could Read my Mind. As a bonus, you’ll get to hear a lot of good music.
Talk with you again soon.
Of Interest
How to Use Dialogue Tags and Keep the Flow The advice is flawed in places. Be sure to check out my comment on the article.
Slow Puncture Clever wordplay.
How Find Me Lost Me: Chapter 8 Yep, Chapter 8 of Dan Baldwin’s book is available free at the link. In fact, the earlier chapters are available free too. Just follow the links.