Daily Journal

Dr. Jerry Pournelle on Writing and Heinlein

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * Welcome * Topic: Dr. Jerry Pournelle on Writing and Heinlein * The Magnetic Drive * Of Interest Quotes of the Day “The man who views the world at 50 the same as he did at 20 has wasted 30 years of his life.” Muhammad Ali “Unless you wrote your book exclusively for your own satisfaction, once your creative vision is on the page, it’s time to zoom in on how the book works for readers.” Lisa Poisso, Resident Writing Coach at Writers in the Storm (Um, I suggest asking how the … Read more

The Short Story as Adjunct to the Novel

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * A quick note * Topic: The Short Story as Adjunct to the Novel * Of Interest Quotes of the Day “When you start a new trail equipped with courage, strength, and conviction, the only thing that can stop you is you.” Ruby Bridges “People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf.” George Orwell (Story ideas, anyone? Other than A Few Good Men, I mean?) A quick note—Please be sure to read Dawn T’s comment on yesterday’s post. She briefly … Read more

When a Story Stalls

In today’s Journal * Topic: When a Story Stalls * Of Interest Topic: When a Story Stalls This is another topic I’ve touched on before, but it bears repeating. One of my mentoring students mentioned that sometimes his writing bogs down. When that happens, I promise, the best thing you can do is trust your characters and just write the next sentence that occurs to you. Then write the next sentence, then the next and the next and the next, and soon the story will be flowing again. Simple as it sounds, this works almost every time. If it doesn’t … Read more

Why I Talk About WITD So Often in the Journal

In today’s Journal * Why I Talk About WITD So Often in the Journal * Abandoning the Experiment * Of Interest Why I Teach WITD So Often in the Journal Bob Calverley, a long-time reader and writing friend, commented on yesterday’s post. You may read his comment before you continue below to read my response, but the response also stands alone. My apology in advance for this lengthy post: First, overall, I can guarantee this Journal will never exceed in value the price of a subscription. But that’s all right. It’s my thoughts on writing, nothing more. I have been … Read more

A Looking-Back Fairy Tale

In today’s Journal * A Looking-Back Fairy Tale * Threatened? Really? * Topic: Expect to Sweat * Of Interest A Looking-Back Fairy Tale Once upon a time I hosted a site called Pro Writers Writing (PWW). The idea was to do something similar to what they’re doing over at KillZone blog. At PWW, a bevy of professional writers, in rotation, would hold forth on writing, publishing, and marketing topics that interested them. To skip over the details, PWW ran successfully for about a year. Then, out of the blue, one of my weekly contributors quit. She cited her own weekly … Read more

Grasping the Most Difficult Basic Technique

In today’s Journal * Slow Start * A New Routine * Topic: Grasping the Most Difficult Basic Technique * Of Interest Slow Start With the daily news updates and the succession of events that will take place between now and Monday, September 19, I’ll make a slower start than I anticipated in getting back to writing fiction. No matter. It will come. I’d rather my progress is slow than not at all. A New Routine As part of my attempt to reboot myself as a fiction writer, I’m also starting something new with my own daily routine. Instead of researching, … Read more

It’s Been a Week

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * Welcome * It’s Been a Week * Succumbing to Unreasoning Fear * Of Interest Quotes of the Day “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. “And how do we discern character?” A question posed by an anonymous AP writer in an article about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. My response: Easy. Compare the words a person says and … Read more

Queen Elizabeth II

In today’s Journal Queen Elizabeth II — a minor homage My heartfelt condolences to everyone who loved and held in high esteem Queen Elizabeth II, the gracious mother and grandmother to the world. The queen died yesterday at Balmoral in Scotland. This special edition of the Journal is dedicated to her memory. This morning at 4 a.m. was my first time back in my writing office (the Hovel) since my wife called from the house yesterday to tell me the queen had died. Suddenly, writing seem an unimportant, trivial matter, especially while the rest of the world is taking a … Read more

Working with Serious Writers

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * Topic: Working with Serious Writers * Of Interest Quotes of the Day “The scariest moment is always just before you start. After that, things can only get better.” Stephen King “You can, you should, and if you’re brave enough to start, you will.” Stephen King “You go to work. You don’t wait for inspiration to strike. You sit down and write. If you don’t feel like writing, you write anyway. Writers’ block is an affectation.” Elaine Viets on writing fiction Topic: Working with Serious Writers A mentorship slot just came open. … Read more

A Look at Inara

In today’s Journal * Welcome * A Look at Inara * Of Interest Welcome to Lisa B and any other new subscribers we’ve picked up recently. I hope you find some helpful things in the Journal. A Look at Inara On yesterday’s post, Journal reader Lakshmi commented “I’d love to hear your take on https://inara.world/.” Okay, first and foremost, don’t depend on me. Always read the privacy notice and any terms and conditions before directly engaging with any new online endeavor. And don’t judge them based on what you think they must mean by the words they put on the … Read more