Critical Voice Book

Tension, Suspense, and Craft-of-Writing Books

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * A Bit More on Tension and Suspense * On Craft-of-Writing Books * Of Interest * The Numbers Quotes of the Day “creativity is always a surprise. Nobody can just learn it and stop like nobody can learn fun and stop having fun.” Rikki Mongoose (pseudonym) “Spielberg had trouble with the mechanical shark, and it forced him to limit its time onscreen. Rather than being a detriment to the film, the absence of the shark made everything more ominous and terrifying. What you don’t see can sometimes influence the story more than … Read more

The Journal: Turn the Fear Around

In today’s Journal * February’s Gone Already * Topic: Turn the Fear Around * Of Interest February’s Gone Already Wow. February was like a streaker at an old folks’ home. It flashed by, I hardly noticed it, and I didn’t really care. Also it dawned on me that I’m keeping my hand in writing (fingers and keyboard limber, etc.) with this little Journal. Of course, that doesn’t add to my fiction output, but with every passing day, that day is drawing closer. Anyway, with today’s Journal, I’ve written 42143 publishable words on the year, though most of that is nonfiction. … Read more

The Daily Journal, Sunday, June 2

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * Today you’ll see * Thanks to those who * Yesterday I asked * Topic: Quieting the Critical Mind (Chapter 13) * Daily diary * Of Interest * The numbers Quote of the Day In response to my request for feedback on the Journal, one writer wrote, “I have not given much feedback because some of my impressions are not universal, just personal.” My response: “The longer I’ve lived, the more I’ve noticed that what I or others believe to be personal is also personal to some 80% of other people (so … Read more

The Daily Journal, Saturday, June 1

In today’s Journal * Thanks for the comments * By the way, Blackwell Ops 6 * By the way (again) * By the way, Part 3 * It’s already June 1 * Topic: Quieting the Critical Mind (Chapter 11) * Daily diary * Of Interest * The numbers Thanks for the comments, Diane and Karen. They not only encouraged me (see what you did?), but they also help the Journal’s visibility on search engines. Interesting to me that Diane Darcy is a USA Today bestselling author and that Karen Riggs is a relative beginner. Yet neither is willing to accept … Read more

The Daily Journal, Friday, May 31

In today’s Journal * Lazy day today * Topic: Quieting the Critical Mind (Chapter 11) * Daily diary * Of Interest * The numbers Lazy day today for some reason. Well, I know the reason, really. I’m writing, but I’m piddling, taking my time, allowing distractions. This has never happened to me before, and I’m certain the WIP is behind it. Well, I’m certain my feelings for the WIP are behind it. I’m both anxious to write this story and wary of writing it too fast. I want to write it but I don’t want to approach the end. So … Read more

The Daily Journal, Thursday, May 30

In today’s Journal * A much better description * Well, I did it * Topic: Quieting the Critical Mind (Chapter 3 Extension) * Daily diary * Of Interest * The numbers In today’s “Of Interest,” Kris Rusch offers a much better description of the Licensing Expo (what it is, why it exists, why it matters) than I ever could. One more note on the whole learning-about-licensing thing: If you don’t want to (or can’t) part with the money for Dean’s learn-along, you can get at least some of the same stuff for less by signing up with Kris Rusch’s Patreon … Read more

The Daily Journal, Monday, May 27

In today’s Journal * Does anyone ever * According to Dean * Once again, I wasn’t going to write * Topic: How to Quiet the Critical Voice (Chapter 10) * Daily diary * Of Interest * The numbers Does anyone ever come up to you and open a conversation with “Still writing?” If so, how do you respond? I finally decided to have fun with it. A year or so ago when I went to see my “primary care” doctor, he smiled. “So, are you still writing?” I smiled back. “Yes. But how about you? Still patching people up?” We … Read more

The Daily Journal, Sunday, May 26

In today’s Journal * If you haven’t yet taken part * I wasn’t going to write * Topic: How to Quiet the Critical Voice (new Intro) * Topic: How to Quiet the Critical Voice (Chapter 9) * Daily diary * Of Interest * The numbers If you haven’t yet taken part in Kris Rusch’s Kickstarter, why not? Anyway, now is the time to jump in. For as little as $5.00 (five dollars) you will get around $500.00 (five hundred dollars) worth of books, lectures, workshops, etc. Just sayin’. Today, Kris’ Kickstarter campaign hit the 4th stretch goal. So everybody who … Read more

The Daily Journal, Saturday, May 25

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * Dude, where’s my royalties * Topic: How to Quiet the Critical Voice (Chapter 8) * Daily diary * Of Interest * The numbers Quote of the Day: “There’s many a bestseller that could have been prevented by a good teacher.” Flannery O’Connor *** In “Of Interest” you’ll see “Dude, Where’s My Royalties?” When I’d read the article, a quick scene popped into my head: Me tapping him on the shoulder. “Um, pardon me.” He turns around, smiling, his eyebrows arched. “Yes?” I try to maintain a polite smile and fail. “Why … Read more

The Daily Journal, Friday, May 24

In today’s Journal * Dean’s offer to learn * Very long topic today * Topic: How to Quiet the Critical Voice (Chapter 7) * Daily diary * Of Interest * The numbers Dean’s offer to learn along with him as he and Kris attend the licensing expo in Las Vegas is nothing short of an astounding and exceptional opportunity. If you’re on the fence about his offer to learn what he learns as he attends, at least watch the free introductory video (see “Of Interest”). And just so you know, he’s also including his The Magic Bakery (licensing) classic workshop … Read more