Daily Journal

The Journal, Wednesday, July 11

Hey Folks, Just in case it wasn’t obvious to anyone out there, my previous Journal entry was a sarcasm-laden spoof. Upright is not a matter of degree. Neither, at least for me, is it a perpetual state. But like a goal, it’s something I strive for. There’s a fine line between encouraging false hope and preying on those who fall for it, and encouraging writers to believe in themselves and their own abilities. Anyone who promises to solve all your problems and make you a success (for a fee in real life or free in politics) is probably a scammer. … Read more

The Journal, Tuesday, July 10

Hey Folks, Seems to be The Week of Scams, all vehemently defended by the very writers who are the scammers’ targets. But that’s all right. At long last, I’ve seen the light. As a result, I’ve decided to completely revamp my main website. I’ll begin by getting rid of all those silly book covers and book descriptions and individual book pages. In all, I’ll be able to delete around 100 pages (of 104). It will be SUCH a relief, not having to keep up with all of that. I mean, think about it: ● I won’t have to design any … Read more

The Journal, Monday, July 9

Hey Folks, Well, another topic cued up by a comment on a post over at Dean’s place. The original post was about Dean’s streak of posting to his blog for over 2100 days straight. Somehow it turned to reading for pleasure vs. “looking” for errors as you read. Of course, I agree with Dean that a reader should read fiction in the chosen genre strictly for pleasure. I also agree that sometimes a bestseller is a wonderful writer whose “style” is simply not the reader’s cup of tea. But I also believe culpability for bad storytelling and bad writing should … Read more

The Journal, Sunday, July 8

Hey Folks, I’m a guy who generally doesn’t “should” on people. (Thanks to my friend Lloyd Chaves for that bit of sleight of mind.) Today I stumbled across one of the worst articles I’ve ever seen on writing. I won’t mention the name of it here (or the URL) because I don’t want to advertise it. But it was all about a number of steps to achieve efficiency as a writer. Four of the “tips” were the same old time-worn crap everybody repeats almost constantly: find a good place to write (really? thanks for that); find time to write, etc. … Read more

The Journal, Saturday, July 7

Hey Folks, Nothing much going on yesterday, so no Journal entry for July 6. This will continue the previous Journal post and topic (see http://hestanbrough.com/the-journal-thursday-july-5/). In that post, I wrote that “…professionals (including Dean) seldom say ‘Don’t worry about the money. Write for joy.’ Dean does say writing should be fun, but he also talks a lot about making money from it.” Dean’s post yesterday was about copyright. (It’s in “Of Interest” today.) In one comment, a writer said (jokingly) she would buy the Copyright Handbook “someday.” Dean roughed her up a little bit. Now in my previous Journal entry, … Read more

The Journal, Thursday, July 5

Hey Folks, Very long post today, but bear with me. I think you’ll be glad you did. I have a real treat for you today, via my friend, writer Christopher Ridge. Chris brought to my attention a presentation by Ray Bradbury to participants in a university writing program. You can find the link in “Of Interest.” The video is almost an hour long, but it’s Ray Bradbury, for goodness’ sake. Who can’t listen to Ray Bradbury for an hour? On writing? Of course, I was hooked at the name. Anyone who knows anything about me knows Ray Bradbury is one … Read more

The Journal, Wednesday, July 4

Hey Folks, Happy Independence Day, folks. And happy Mmmphth birthday to my bride, Mona. Now you know the real reason behind all the parades and fireworks. (grin) As to her age, well, we’ve been married for 33 years, so according to my considered calculations, she was six when we were married. Close enough. (grin) There was nothing of interest to report yesterday. I did do a little writing but it was an opening that didn’t work. So I kicked it to the curb and am not counting the words. I won’t do anything today but celebrate, and the celebration might … Read more

The Journal, Monday, July 2

Hey Folks, Well, that was a short-lived experiment. Embarrassment sometimes is the result (and is always the risk) of sharing one’s writing life. But that’s just the way it goes sometimes. If you’re going to be an open book, occasionally a reader will find a bug smashed between your pages. A few days ago I announced my new daily word count goal. Then I announced I was going to see how long I could hit it in a row, day after day, to create a streak. Then reality started to set in and I backed off on the streak aspect … Read more

The Journal, Sunday, July 1

Hey Folks, Long post today. Yesterday I published a list of the top six things I’d learned from Dean and Kris about writing fiction. In retrospect, it wasn’t really a countdown list. It was actually a list of things I’ve learned that all vie for number one in importance. (grin) I’m even thinking about putting them in a nonfiction book. One writer commented that she would’ve added “Have fun with your writing” to the list. I agree with that, except that having fun with writing is something I kind of take for granted. And that gave rise to this topic. … Read more

The Journal, Saturday, June 30

Hey Folks, Adios, Junio! Dean’s post on what he learned from other writers (see “Of Interest”) started me thinking about influences on my own writing and my life as a writer. I’ll post more about those influences here in other posts, but for today, the six most important life-changing lessons I’ve learned from Dean and Kris over the years (counted down): 6. Heinlein’s Rules, 5. The importance of grounding the reader, 4. Use all five of the POV character’s physical senses and his/her opinion of the setting, 3. Put time in the chair, 2. Keep Coming Back, and (drum roll, … Read more