Harvey

The Journal, Wednesday, September 11

In today’s Journal * First, a moment * Public Service Announcement of the Day * Topic: An Important Post for Writers * For yet another * I think everyone out there knows * The numbers First, a moment to remember those who lost their lives in a selfish, shameful, cowardly act perpetrated by a few “unspeakable bastards” (as one columnist put it) 18 years ago today. I will personally never forget that day Neither will I ever forget the brave men who lost their lives needlessly in Benghazi on the same date 11 years later. Nor will I personally ever … Read more

The Journal, Tuesday, September 10

In today’s Journal * Persistence pays off * Topic: I Do Rattle On * For something beautiful * The numbers Persistence pays off in blog-watching. Neil Gaiman is back with “A Long Catch Up…” at http://journal.neilgaiman.com/2019/09/a-long-catch-up-and-go-and-see-amanda.html. Also check out Dean’s site for a great opportunity. I also suggest checking out today’s PWW post at https://prowriterswriting.com/witd-a-new-question. My advice re WITD or don’t WITD? Don’t get wrapped around the wheel. Just write. Try to do so in a way that the writing is fun. Topic: I Do Rattle On Over on PWW today, I ended a comment with an implied apology for … Read more

The Journal, Monday, September 9

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * From Kristine Kathryn Rusch * Daily diary * The numbers Quote of the Day “I went for years not finishing anything. Because, of course, when you finish something you can be judged… I had poems which were re-written so many times I suspect it was just a way of avoiding sending them out.” Erica Jong So how many times do you have to hear it? From how many “names”? Get over the fear, realize there are no bad consequences for writing and finishing a story or novel, and Just Do It. … Read more

The Journal, Sunday, September 8

In today’s Journal * In this time * Topic: Some Sources Say * What has become (daily diary) * The numbers In this time of weird events and self-absorption, I thought I’d share some info about a truly great organization: Team Rubicon. This outfit provides disaster relief without regard for politics, race, gender, nationality etc. Members are dispatched to trouble areas (mostly natural disasters) to help clean up, rebuild, comfort survivors and do whatever else is necessary. Team Rubicon is composed mostly of former and retired military and first responders, but anyone who wants to help is welcome to apply. … Read more

The Journal, Saturday, September 7

In today’s Journal * Today, I thought * Topic: Switching Your Site from HTTP to HTTPS * If you haven’t * The numbers Today, I thought I’d pass along something useful I learned from the newsletter I mentioned in yesterday’s Journal. Nate Hoffelder mentioned that when you switch your URL from the unsecured http to a secured https, there’s a final step that many writers don’t realize. Topic: Switching Your Site from HTTP to HTTPS After you’ve bought a security certificate through your webhost and changed your URL (in Settings) from http to https, you still have some work to … Read more

The Journal, Friday, September 6

In today’s Journal * Today I’m investing some time * Topic: Read the Terms of Service (TOS) *If you’re an independent writer/publisher * The numbers Today I’m investing some time reading or reviewing terms of service for various platforms I use personally. It sounds boring, but if your copyright matters to you at all, I recommend you do the same. What prompted this post? In a recent newsletter, Nate Hoffelder (The Digital Reader) recommended using WordPress.com (not the same as WordPress.org). Read on…. Topic: Read the Terms of Service (TOS) First, everything you write, including blog posts, is automatically protected … Read more

The Journal, Wednesday, September 4

In today’s Journal * Topic: A Perfect Storm * A couple of recommendations * The numbers Topic: A Perfect Storm Bear with me as I work my way through this. It has a point. I’m recording it here and publishing it only because some of you might find yourselves in a similar situation. The form of this post was predicated, in part, by Alison Holt’s excellent post at Pro Writers Writing. First, it would be easy, in this moment, to say I’ve had a good run but that run is over. I could easily lapse into full retirement, puttering around … Read more

The Journal, Monday, September 2

In today’s Journal * Topic: On Reader Taste * The numbers Topic: On Reader Taste Some of you will remember, awhile back I had a problem understanding “reader taste.” One reader will be absorbed into a story whereas another won’t care for it at all. He might not even finish reading it. I’ve been on both sides of the experience as a reader, but still I didn’t quite get it. Slowly, I came to understand. I still say it’s the writer’s responsibility to do all the things necessary to pull the reader into the story. Otherwise, why bother studying and … Read more

The Journal, Saturday, August 31

In today’s Journal * Topic: Some Rambling Thoughts * I planned to be gone… Topic: Some Rambling Thoughts I’m still on vacation, which I find a little odd and frankly a little unnerving. I’ve been writing very little nonfiction (all of it here) and very little to no fiction. I want to get back to the latter. I’ll get back to the former too with some regularity, but I probably won’t post “items of interest” other than occasionally in the body of the post, as I have in this one. I think for me getting back to writing fiction regularly … Read more

The Journal, Friday, August 30

In today’s Journal * Remember in The Godfather…. * Topic: Writing Fiction * Of Interest * The numbers Remember in The Godfather when Michael Corleone was so frustrated? Just as he’s finally almost legit, “…they pull be back in.” That’s a little how I feel lately. No numbers today, no “Of Interest.” Just this and a topic. I’m corresponding with a young woman who wants to write. She’s considering becoming a mentoring student. I asked her to send me a story opening (character with a problem in a setting). She did. It was interesting. I asked whether the story wanted … Read more