Daily Journal

The Journal: Filling in a Few Blanks

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * Great comment * Filling in a Few blanks * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “I have also been far less critical of my painting (probably because I had no expectations of success!) and happier to let a painting emerge and evolve over time. This has given me the freedom to experiment and try new approaches and techniques without obsessing about the end result. … Now I see that if I adopted the kind of approach and attitude I have to my painting, the writing process could be … Read more

The Journal: Analogies and a Clarification

In today’s Journal * Yesterday’s post * Some writers and some drivers: analogies * My experience, a clarification, and more of my experience * The essential key * Of Interest * The Numbers This is long. My apologies in advance. Yesterday’s post struck a chord with a few folks. There were emails and there were comments. In one comment, Matt P called the post a “low-KT tactical nuke.” (grin) In another, Anitha K wrote “on days when WITD seems to lead me down an underground mine with no exit in sight, it’s that much harder to trust it.” I encourage … Read more

The Journal: A Pair of Real Writers

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * I am not a writer * An email and some thoughts on WITD * Don Pendeleton and Michael Newton: A Pair of Real Writers * Of Interest * The Numbers Quotes of the Day “Some editors are failed writers, but so are most writers.” T.S. Eliot via The Passive Voice “Comparison is the thief of joy.” Kristine Kathryn Rusch By my own definition, I am not currently a writer, much less a “real” writer. With all that I’ve written I suppose I could still lay claim to the title, but it … Read more

The Journal: Some Fun, and Serious Stuff

In today’s Journal * Some Fun * Serious Stuff * Of Interest * The Numbers A little fun this morning. See Nathan Bransford’s “How a book goes from acquisitions to bookstore shelves” at https://www.thepassivevoice.com/how-a-book-goes-from-acquisitions-to-bookstore-shelves/. But be sure to see PG’s comment at the end of the OP. And now, some serious stuff, including a serious look at how to get story ideas. Please go read “True Crime Thursday – A Small Town’s Loss of Innocence” at https://killzoneblog.com/2021/09/true-crime-thursday-a-small-towns-loss-of-innocence.html. There will be a quiz. Okay, did you read it? I know, it’s horrible, frightening, etc. But as a writer it’s also rich … Read more

The Journal: An Inane Quote

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * An Inane Quote * A lot to see * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day (an inanity) “Everything is a decision.” Matthew Salesses in Craft in the Real World (as noted in an article in “Of Interest”) What a stupid, inane quote. The problem is, we’re talking about two different “real worlds” here. Granted, in the real world of timid, frightened, uncertain writers—a world that is admittedly much larger than the world in which I reside—certainly everything from character “development” to setting to scenes and plot points is … Read more

The Journal: Checking In

In today’s Journal * Writing lags * Carmelita Ramos * Kill Zone blog * Of Interest * The Numbers Writing Lags I was recently reminded that only last year I had a four-month (May through August) lag in writing. Weird how the mind forgets things like that. Here I was thinking this is the longest I’ve gone without the ability to write, but that just isn’t true. I’m currently only about six weeks into my current lag, and it’s for a much better reason. So I’m going to try to not worry about it so much and just wait it … Read more

The Journal: Making a Story Important

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * Making a Story Important * A Fallacy * Prejudgment Stinks * Of Interest * The Numbers Quotes of the Day “Full of bull on every page.” Jack Kerouac in a letter to Allen Ginsberg about Truman Capote’s writing “That isn’t writing at all. It’s typing.” Truman Capote about Kerouac’s On the Road I wasn’t going to post today at all, but then I read Kelley’s comment on my previous post, “Insanity.” I assume the comment referred to my subtopic on “how to keep writing a novel.” But as I was writing … Read more

The Journal: A Day Out

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * A Day Out and a Short Progress Report * Of Interest * The Numbers Quotes of the Day “Tell the Editor and Writer to take a walk and let the Child write whatever it wants.” Clive Matson “We’re writers. We write. If something gets in the way of the writing, it does not belong in our toolbox.” Kristine Kathryn Rusch Today we’re going out of town to estate sales, etc. More to spend a day out of our normal environs than for any other reason. A kind of treasure hunt. But … Read more

The Journal: Insanity

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * Vincent Zandri * John Gilstrap, actor * Insanity: Writing Advice from a Stage Zero Writer * Of Interest * The Numbers Quotes of the Day “If the sad parts don’t make us cry when we write, and the funny parts don’t make us chuckle, then we’re just phoning-in our performance, and the reading audience will see right through it. To be believed, you need to live the moment on the page.” John Gilstrap “Writing a novel is rarely fun. Like most writers, I usually rely on love for my characters, daily … Read more

The Journal: Special Edition

In today’s Journal * Special Edition * Of Interest * The Numbers Special Edition This will be short. I’m publishing the Journal today only to urge you to read “Come Looking For Anger,” Dean Wesley Smith’s post from yesterday. Yesterday is the first time I remember being at my computer and not reading his post on the day it was published. Go figure. Anyway, it and the comments are must-read. And spread the word to your writing groups and writer friends. Then duck. You can find the post at https://www.deanwesleysmith.com/come-looking-for-anger/. And if you want to see the post that caused … Read more