In today’s Journal
* Note
* The Bradbury Challenge Writers Reporting
* Had a Great Visit
* The Writing
* Of Interest
* The Numbers
Note
Yesterday I mentioned I was rejoining the Bradbury Challenge.
The Challenge was integral in getting me started writing regularly back in 2014. In that streak, I wrote at least one story for 70 or 72 consecutive weeks before I finally, and intentionally (for some stupid reason), broke my streak.
And I admit, as I wrote my story for this week yesterday, I experienced a little “pressure” on more than one occasion. Each time I shook it off, told myself the story doesn’t matter except to whatever readers might see it, and went back to it.
I did that probably five times while writing the story. You can do the same thing. Ignore or push aside any sense of internal pressure. Just write the story. Don’t worry about it. Judging it is the reader’s job.
Getting into the Challenge yourself will give you exactly the practice you need, not only in writing into the dark, but in pushing down the critical voice and finishing. I strongly recommend you at least try it.
I’ve also opened up the challenge to report weekly numbers on longer works (novellas or novels). So you can participate in that too if you want to.
But since I already report cumulative numbers on any novels I write in the Numbers section below, I will not report them in the Challgenge as well.
The Bradbury Challenge Writers Reporting
To take part, the only requirement is to write at least one short story per week.
Then, if you want to share your success, submit the story title, word count, and genre to me each week for publication in the Journal on Monday. (Yes, you can also write a longer story and submit your progress each week.)
The whole point is to have fun and grow as a writer. You can join or rejoin the challenge at any time.
There’s no cost. You can even do it on your own, without reporting numbers to me or anyone else. But reporting your numbers to someone is a great way to help support your own discipline and hold your feet to the fire.
During the past week, in addition to whatever other fiction they’re writing, the following writers reported these new stories:
- Vanessa V. Kilmer “A Time of Monsters 3517 Romantasy
- Adam Kozak “A Dark and Stormy Night” 2610 Humor
- Harvey Stanbrough “Ant’ny Falducci” 3356 Mob
- Dave Taylor “That Old Quarter” 3529 Magical Realism
Longer Works
- Alexander Nakul “Look, how the roads darken” 10671 (21466 words total) Thriller, Noir
Had a Great Visit
on Saturday and half of Sunday with my youngest son. He lives just up in Flagstaff (five hours away), so he’s able to get down here now and then to see us.
Which is remarkable, given that he’s the only guy I know who’s even busier than I am.
The Writing
I started ramping up for September on Saturday with a little over 3000 words on the day. And I started another story yesterday.
I’m thinking this one might evolve into a novel, but we’ll see. I don’t even know the POV character’s name yet. (grin)
If it wraps as a short story or if it becomes a novel—basically if it does anything but fizzle so I have to toss it into the recycle bin—you’ll see that in Numbers below this morning.
Anyway, I won’t blather on about my writing here very often. I have everything I need, and I’m having a blast.
Here in the Journal, I want to focus on you and your writing and encourage you to let go of all the nonsense you’re always hearing and just have fun.
What we do isn’t brain surgery or solving any major crises. We only want to enjoy watching our characters’ stories unfold, record them as they do, and convey them accurately and authentically so a bunch of readers can enjoy them too.
UPDATE: Welp, only made a little over half my goal yesterday, but that’s 1500 words more than I would have written if I’d taken the day off.
See how that works? And the daily goal resets to zero tomorrow morning.
Talk with you again soon.
Of Interest
The Numbers
The Journal………………………………710
Writing of Thunder Road (tentative title)
Day 1…… 1507 words. To date…… 1507
Fiction for August…………………….….… 43510
Fiction for 2024………………………….… 555420
Fiction since October 1………………… 775560
Nonfiction for August……………………… 21540
Nonfiction for 2024……………………… 268550
2024 consumable words………………… 741053
2024 Novels to Date……………………… 12
2024 Novellas to Date…………………… 0
2024 Short Stories to Date……………… 5
Novels (since Oct 19, 2014)……………… 94
Novellas (since Nov 1, 2015)…………… 9
Short stories (since Apr 15, 2014)……… 242
Short story collections…………………… 29
Disclaimer: I am a prolific professional fiction writer, but please try this at home. You can do it.
On this blog I teach Writing Into the Dark and adherence to Heinlein’s Rules. Unreasoning fear and the myths of writing are lies. They will slow your progress as a writer or stop you cold. I will never teach the myths on this blog.
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