Daily Journal

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * More Short Stories * Of Interest Quotes of the Day “The use of the wearable computer changes with each person. When this device is your way of seeing, or a seeing aid, it’s how you see the world. When you use it as a memory aid, it is your brain.” Steve Mann SF story ideas, anyone? “Good writing is supposed to evoke sensation in the reader – not the fact that it is raining, but the feeling of being rained upon.” E. L. Doctorow “They hear nearly every sound, notice every … Read more

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * Auditions Are Open * Slightly Slow Going * Of Interest Quote of the Day “If you always do what interests you, at least one person is pleased.” Katharine Hepburn Auditions Are Open Back when I first started the Journal in early 2014, I hadn’t written a novel. I’d successfully written a ton of poetry (previous life) and articles and essays and even a couple of nonfiction books on grammar and dialogue and the language. But I’d written only a handful of short stories. In fact, when I started the Journal, my … Read more

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * The Purpose of the Journal * Of Interest Quotes of the Day “In fiction writing, the only time you fail is if you stop writing fiction. … There is no other marker. You stop writing, you fail. It really is that simple.” Dean Wesley Smith “Smell is a potent wizard that transports you across thousands of miles and all the years you have lived.” Helen Keller “Don’t be afraid of perfection. You will never attain it!” Salvador Dalí The Purpose of the Journal Hey, sorry I’m a little late. Thanks for … Read more

In today’s Journal * A Special Free Offer * About that “W” Word * Of Interest A Special Free Offer When I first sat down here this morning, I thought I had nothing to talk about today. I was going to make a short Journal entry with a special free offer. Even that was only because I received an email in which, in part, the author reminded me of what I call “Prep Delays.” I meant to mention “Prep Delays” to him in my response, especially since (I believe) he’s read the Journal posts that became Quiet the Critical Voice … Read more

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * Welcome * What a Character! (Guest Post) * From B&N * Of Interest Quotes of the Day “Indie publishing favors prolific writers, just as the pulp era did. … Readers are the gatekeepers. Writers do not need opinionated editors two years out of Vassar to tell them what to do.” Dean Wesley Smith “Needing beta readers is one of the most damaging and funny myths that have come about in Indie publishing. Grow a spine and trust your own writing. … If you think you need a bunch of people to … Read more

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * Bradbury Challenge Writers Reporting * An Invitation * The Writing * Of Interest Quote of the Day “A pessimist is one who makes difficulties of his opportunities and an optimist is one who makes opportunities of his difficulties.” Harry Truman Bradbury Challenge Writers Reporting You can still join in the challenge at any time. There’s no cost of course, and it’s a great way to both have some fun and jumpstart your writing. To see a great testimonial of how much participating in the challenge helped one writer, visit https://hestanbrough.com/reimagining-the-hovel/. Tony … Read more

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * Reimagining the Hovel * The Writing * Note From a Bradbury Challenge Participant * Of Interest Quotes of the Day “The great fun in my life has been getting up every morning and rushing to the typewriter because some new idea has hit me. The feeling I have every day is very much the same as it was when I was 12.” Ray Bradbury “In quickness is truth. The faster you blurt, the more swiftly you write, the more honest you are. In hesitation is thought. In delay comes the effort … Read more

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * Defend Your Work * Cycling * Writers’ Resources * Of Interest Quotes of the Day “The only person with whom you have to compare yourself is you in the past.” Sigmund Freud “When I came in contracts were basically licensing contracts and you could get your IP back at a certain point. Now the contracts are all rights for the life of the copyright and you never see your book again.” Dean Wesley Smith Defend Your Work As I probably have said before, if I could teach fiction writers only one … Read more

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * Instructions for the Recommended Intensive * Bradbury Challenge Reminder * Of Interest Quotes of the Day “”You can tell more about a person by what he says about others than you can by what others say about him.” Audrey Hepburn “I think Story 7 might be a breakthrough for me on Critical Voice. It flowed very easily. I know I’ll have setbacks but feel like I’m learning to deal with it. The title popped into my head a bit after reading the Reavis Wortham link (“In the Air Around Us”) in … Read more

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * Process for (Genre) World Building * Stop Hitting Yourself * Of Interest Quotes of the Day “To be a champ, you have to believe in yourself when nobody else will.” Sugar Ray Robinson “Remember: Plot is no more than footprints left in the snow after your characters have run by on their way to incredible destinations.” [emphasis added] Ray Bradbury Process for (Genre) World Building Yesterday I linked to the post “Process for Fantasy World Building” over at The Passive Voice. The article advocated ridiculous levels of control. Naturally, I left … Read more