Daily Journal

The Journal, Thursday, December 13

Hey Folks, Well, the would-be novel previously (and tentatively) titled Dread is now finished and titled Situation Solved. It’s a hard-nosed police procedural mystery. It came in at 58,000 words. See the numbers below. I completed the “second draft” (spell check) in about ten minutes and it’s now winging its way through the ether to my first reader, a retired Tucson police detective. She’s also a woman, which helps since my protagonist this time around is a woman. (grin) Topic: On (My) Manners A few days ago I mentioned that when you are invited to present sessions at a writers … Read more

The Journal, Wednesday, December 12

Hey Folks, I’m a little depressed. I post regularly here and over on my Pro Writers blog about writing, both Story and Mechanics. I post regular warnings, too, about the endless abyss that is traditional publishing today. But this little Journal reaches fewer than 100 readers that I know of. Even my “big” Pro Writers blog reaches only several hundred. Frankly, you who read this Journal have a much better deal. You get a lot more information. That’s why many of the posts on the Pro Writers blog are reprinted topics from the Journal. Yet every day, as I scour … Read more

The Journal, Tuesday, December 11

Hey Folks, Again, nothing much to report. I do want to welcome any new subscribers. The novel still seems to be approaching the end game, but I thought the same thing around 10,000 words back. (grin) The characters continue to throw twists and turns, none of which I can foresee. It’s entertaining as all get-out, but still a little annoying when the ending seems to move two steps farther away for every step I take. There’s a lot of cycling with this one too. Whenever the characters toss in a new twist, it seems to require foreshadowing in one place … Read more

The Journal, Monday, December 10

Hey Folks, I had an interesting question re the new Gutenberg “blocks” that WordPress shoved upon us recently. The long and short of it is this: If your website is hosted on WordPress.COM, you have to pay extra to be able to add plugins to your website. That’s one of the things I don’t like about WordPress.com. It’s “free,” and then they nickle and dime you to death. Same with a lot of the other so-called free providers. ALSO and more importantly, if your site is hosted on any of those, be absolutely certain to read the terms of service. … Read more

The Journal, Sunday, December 9

Hey Folks, YAY! (grin) Reading “Of Interest” items can be SO valuable in SO many ways! In reading The Passive Guy’s recent post about troubles with his website, I stumbled across a post that mentions a new WordPress plugin called “Classic Editor,” which apparently enables WordPress users to go back to posting without those ugly, time-consuming “blocks” (Gutenberg). I also found “Disable Gutenberg.” I installed that one. Then I clicked Add a New Post and voila! my old posting screen was restored in full. I can’t say enough what wonderful news this is. If you like “blocks” for some things … Read more

The Journal, Saturday, December 8

Hey Folks, Not a lot to report today. My son visited and left yesterday to attend a funeral in NM, and today my two sisters-in-law will arrive shortly for a visit. I wrote for awhile this morning.As has been the case throughout this very twisted mystery/police procedural novel, I did a lot of cycling and added some new words. It wasn’t a great day, but good enough considering it’s a Saturday. I also feel as if I’m approaching the end game of this one and maybe dragging my feet a little. Talk with you again soon. Of Interest See “How … Read more

The Journal, Friday, December 7

Hey Folks, An odd start to the morning. I opened my email to find one person had unsubscribed. In the very next email, the subscriber (a regular donor) wrote “Man, The last two issues are worth an extra $ or so! Thanks.” So I emailed him back to say thanks and ask him what I had done right. (grin) I wish I had the kind of attitude that would enable me to email the one who unsubscribed and ask her what I did wrong. When I look up her subscriber account later and see the reason, I hope it’s simply … Read more

The Journal, Thursday, December 6

Hey Folks, Tomorrow is Pearl Harbor Day, though I think, sadly, it’s no longer taught in schools. Here’s a quote for the day: The carrier Enterprise sailed into Pearl Harbor the day after the attack. Surveying the wreckage from the bridge, Adm. William Halsey could not hide his anger. “When this war is over the Japanese language will be spoken only in hell.” For an excellent article about that fateful day, see https://nationalinterest.org/feature/why-japan-failed-pearl-harbor-18638. *** Wow. Remember I released Book 2 of the Nick Spalding series, Transitions, back in November? One of my donors, a voracious reader, sent me an email … Read more

The Journal, Wednesday, December 5

Hey Folks, Topic: A Realization or Epiphany Dangerous as it sounds, sometimes I feel as if I’ve been through it all as a writer. “Dangerous” because such a feeling is the surest way to stop learning and reach a plateau. Which is to say it’s the surest way to death as a writer. When we reach a plateau, a flattening-out of the attempt to keep learning, little things we’ve learned but haven’t yet tried tend to sift down through the holes and cracks in our knowledge. Without having practiced them, we forget them and have to be reminded. That’s the … Read more

The Journal, Tuesday, December 4

Hey Folks, I think, having gone to bed early last night and risen early again this morning, I’m finally over whatever funk has mastered me during the past few days. Today should be a good one. *** Paraphrasing Dean Wesley Smith from “Of Interest” today, “We need to make our writing process like our reading process. When you’re reading and you reach the end of a chapter, do you put the book down and try to figure out where the story’s going next? Or do you just keep reading to entertain yourself. Do the same thing with your writing.” From … Read more