Harvey

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * Writing (Practicing) Is What Matters * Musings * The Numbers Quote of the Day “Tomorrow is the most important thing in life. Comes into us at midnight very clean. It’s perfect when it arrives and it puts itself in our hands. It hopes we’ve learned something from yesterday.” John Wayne, quoted from his 1971 Playboy interview Writing (Practicing) Is What Matters Over ten years of practicing writing into the dark, I’ve pondered that overall topic countless times. WITD has become part of me. It and the first three Heinlein’s Rules are … Read more

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * Admin Note * You Can’t Teach Writing * Heinlein’s Five Rules and The Critical vs. the Subconscious Mind * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “Talent without effort is wasted talent. And while effort is the one thing you can control in your life, applying that effort intelligently is next on the list.” Mark Cuban, quoted in 1440 Daily Digest Admin Note Yesterday, due to a problem at my webhost server, I didn’t post TNDJ on the actual Journal website. I couldn’t access any of my sites. I … Read more

In today’s Journal * Yesterday * The Bradbury Challenge… * On Being Prolific * The Absolute Essentials of Cover Design * The Numbers Yesterday Yesterday my previous novel, Blackwell Ops 25: Rafe Andersen, went live at all vendors. Also yesterday, I scheduled my latest novel, Blackwell Ops 26: Tailor Morse, for release on August 10. Then I uploaded it to my Payhip store, where it’s available early if you want it. An Editorial Review from My First Reader Russ Jones wrote of Blackwell Ops 26, “This one has to be the tightest, best-written Blackwell Ops novel of all; reading it … Read more

In today’s Journal * Introduction * A Moustache Hair Delivered This Post * Of Interest * The Numbers Introduction I have no way of knowing whether you’ve noticed, but sometimes events conspire and line up just right. Turns out I finished a novel on Friday, and then my bride (she prefers to remain anonymous, so we’ll call her “Mona”) returned home on yesterday after a week or so away visiting with her sisters in California. Hence this post on Sunday. One sister flew out here from Indiana. We’ll call her “Dory.” She visited with us for a few days before … Read more

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * Genre Schmanre * Limited Time Book Giveaway * Writing Better Fiction * The Mentorships * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “The country’s first utility-scale quantum computer is slated to be built on the site of a former steel mill in Chicago’s South Side.” Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, according to “Quantum Leap in Chicago,” an article in the July 26 edition of the 1440 Daily Digest, a newsletter. For some reason, that first sentence sent a chilling sense of forboding up along my spine. Several story ideas sprang … Read more

In today’s Journal * BettyPam vs. the Individual Person * An Early Reminder * Of Interest * The Numbers BettyPam vs. the Individual Person a guest post by Dan Baldwin I am fortunate enough to write articles and features on interesting and often fascinating people and organizations. In some cases I am required to work with an executive-level person who must fact check the piece. Executives are busy people and many have a female executive secretary who works closely with her boss. She is sometimes the infamous gate keeper in terms of getting a meeting with the boss. In many … Read more

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * A Note on Openings * A Quick Note on Pacing * A Writer Shares * A Note on Mentorships and Scheduling * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “For fiction to work–for it to feel right–countless tiny elements have to come together in a manner so seamless that readers are unaware that they are being manipulated.” John Gilstrap (see Of Interest) Part 3: A Note on Openings A good while back I mentioned taking your time as it pertains to writing openings, especially the “big” one at the … Read more