Daily Journal

In Today’s Journal * The Hierarchy of Sales * Fiction Lengths * Just a Reminder * Of Interest * The Numbers The Hierarchy of Sales Just in case anyone out there didn’t know this, there’s a hierarchy of sales in fiction. I’m talking about what individual readers buy, not what’s easier to sell (license) to publishers. That depends on the publisher. First so we’re on the same page, a couple of definitions: The Saga is a single, ongoing story about an individual that continues through several time-sequential novels, novellas, or short stories. Each installment of a saga features the same … Read more

In Today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * The TNDJ Challenges Report * Dreams vs. Goals * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “Stephen King writes on Christmas because why not? If we eat and sleep and brush our teeth how is this different?” George Kordonis Note: If you received TNDJ twice in your email inbox yesterday, my apologies. Substack said they were having a ‘network issue’ and I should ‘try again later,’ so I did. As it turned out, they sent it both times. Shrug. The TNDJ Challenges Report Participating in any challenge is a … Read more

In Today’s Journal * My Quote of the Day * A New Short Story * Setting Goals for 2026 * Of Interest * The Numbers My Quote of the Day “Plot is a device that critics look for and take note of after a story is written. So the root of ‘plotting’ lies in the deconstruction of previously written works. In other words, plot is a result of the characters running through the story, not something to be planned and laid out in advance. Plot is none of our business as fiction writers.” Harvey A New Short Story “A Special … Read more

In Today’s Journal * My Quote of the Day * The Impetus For This Post * The Novel Wrapped * The Numbers My Quote of the Day “By their very nature, you can’t ‘craft’ spontaneity and surprise. Those can occur only in an authentic story that unfolds as you’re writing it.” H “No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader. No surprise in the writer, no surprise in the reader.” Robert Frost The Impetus For This Post was an article I received in my inbox. I read the article out of curiosity, despite the lead-in, which read “Here’s … Read more

In Today’s Journal * Merry Christmas * The Numbers Merry Christmas Welp, whether the novel wrapped yesterday or will wrap this fine early Christmas morning or not, I’ll be taking today off after I post this and the sun comes up. (grin) I’ll be back in your inbox at least three more times before the new year: once to post Monday’s challenges report, once to post an article on Setting Goals, and once with an end of the year wrap up. At this point, I was gonna offer up my buddy Nick Spalding to write a holiday wish for you, … Read more

In Today’s Journal * Genre Envy * The Novel * Of Interest * The Numbers Genre Envy One fact that quickly becomes apparent to those who let go of the myths, take the leap, and begin writing into the dark is that a good story is a good story regardless of genre. In fact, unless we’re writing in a particular, genre-specific series or saga, we seldom have any clue which genre label to slap on a work until after it’s finished. Why? Because when we start with a character who has a a problem in a setting, we don’t have … Read more

In Today’s Journal * Discoverability Hacks * Last-Minute Christmas Gifts * Of Interest * The Numbers Discoverability Hacks If you actually want discoverability… 1. First, follow Heinlein’s Rules. I strongly recommend following all five: Write, Finish, Do Not Rewrite, Publish, and Leave It Published. Rules 1-2: If you don’t write and finish, there’s nothing to publish and nothing for readers to ‘discover.’ Rule 3: If you rewrite, chances are great you’ll make the work worse, not better, and move it farther from the authentic story. That said, do whatever you want. Even if you choose to omit Rule 3 and … Read more

In Today’s Journal * My Quote of the Day * The TNDJ Challenges Report * Last-Minute Christmas Gifts for Readers and Writers * Of Interest * The Numbers My Quote of the Day “There will be days when you write less fiction than you planned, or when you write nothing at all. Don’t get down on yourself. Learn to smile and say ‘So what?’ Because today is a new day.” Harvey The TNDJ Challenges Report Participating in any challenge is a great way to have fun and grow as a writer. There is no cost. Feel free to jump in … Read more

In Today’s Journal * A New Short Story * 2026 Fiction Words Per Day Challenge? * A Change Is Coming * Last-Minute Christmas Gifts for Readers * Of Interest * The Numbers A New Short Story “Fire & Ice” went live yesterday at 10 a.m. on my Stanbrough Writes Substack. Go check it out. It’s free. It’s also a good story. A little intense, and if I’d written it more recently I would have paragraphed it differently, but otherwise I wouldn’t have changed very much. If you enjoy the story, please click Like. Comments are welcome too. Both help with … Read more

In Today’s Journal * My Quote of the Day * Follow Up, and WITD * Of Interest * The Numbers My Quote of the Day “In ‘whatever works,’ be sure you define ‘works.’ Don’t do yourself the disservice of letting the word lie there limply as a vague, indefinite term that means nothing.” Harvey Follow Up, and WITD a last big push for writing into the dark In yesterday’s post, I rebutted some pretty severe misinformation. At TNDJ, I don’t only allow dissenting opinions, I actually encourage them. On the other hand, I won’t abide half-truths and misinformation. So in … Read more