Daily Journal

In Today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * A Good Question * Writing Fiction Is A Journey * The Writing * The Numbers Quote of the Day “Good advice is always certain to be ignored, but that’s no reason not to give it.” Agatha Christie I agree. Give what you have to give as often and as long as you can and let others decide whether to use it. A Good Question I had a good question from a subscriber and writer. Excerpted and partially paraphrased, the question was, “So I have stories, and probably a book or two. … Read more

In Today’s Journal * The Bradbury Challenge Writers Reporting * A Pair of Great Testimonials * The Writing * Of Interest * The Numbers Today’s issue of TNDJ is a little late, but I have a lot of great news to report. Please read on. (grin) The Bradbury Challenge Writers Reporting The whole point of ANY Challenge is to have fun and grow as a writer. There is no cost for any challenge I offer. The only requirement for Bradbury is to write at least one short story per week. The only requirement for the others is to write a … Read more

In Today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * This Should Be a Guest Post, Part 2 * An Apt Analogy * The Writing * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “[Of writing, publishing, reading, and learning,] Writing is the most important. Regular writing, putting new words to a page and creating stories and finishing stories that you start. Without that, you are just an author who talks a good game. Writers are people who write. Authors are people who have written.” Dean Wesley Smith This Should Be a Guest Post, Part 2 First, if you haven’t, … Read more

In Today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * A New Short Story * Reminder * This Should Be a Guest Post * The Writing * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “Whenever I am asked what kind of writing is the most lucrative, I have to say, a ransom note.” H.N. Swanson (literary agent) Note that this quote is also often attributed to character Harry Zimm in the film adaptation of Elmore Leonard’s 1990 novel, Get Shorty. A New Short Story “A Curious Warmth” went live yesterday at 10 a.m. on my Stanbrough Writes Substack. Go … Read more

In Today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * Hitting a Million? * Two Interesting Comments on Publishing to Paper * The Numbers Quote of the Day “A champion is afraid of losing. Everyone else is afraid of winning.” Billie Jean King Hitting a Million? You all know I’m trying to hit 1,000,000 words of published fiction for the year on or before December 31. After yesterday’s writing session, I didn’t like my chances, so I did some quick math. 1,000,000 (goal) – 898447 (yesterday’s annual total) = 101,553. Initially, I thought there was no way. I’d basically have to … Read more

In Today’s Journal * It’s Time to Publish to Paper * The Writing * Of Interest * The Numbers It’s Time to Publish to Paper Of the 98 novels, 10 novellas, 29 short story collections, and 10 major nonfiction books I’ve published, all are available as ebooks. But only several of my novels (maybe 20), maybe 3 novellas, and several of my short story collections are available in paper editions. Of my nonfiction books, I believe only Writing Realistic Dialogue and Punctuation for Writers, 2nd edition, are available in paper. Yet readers I meet increasingly ask me what I have … Read more

In Today’s Journal * About Hybrid Publishing * Hybrid Publishing Is a Viable Option * Of Interest * The Numbers About Hybrid Publishing: A Foreword In Of Interest today, you’ll find a link to Vin Zandri’s latest video from his YouTube channel, Writer’s Life. It that video, beginning at about 4:37, he talks about having found his ‘sweet spot’ in hybrid publishing, vs. going all-tradpub or all-indie. I found his comments in the video interesting, so I emailed him: “Hey Vin, I’m not understanding how tradpub, especially with their lack of promoting authors who aren’t established yet, can get your … Read more

In Today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * Writing Is Just Writing * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “I have to admit I’m having a blast writing The Sailor [a novel]. I haven’t the faintest idea where it is going but it’s sure fun going along for the ride while I get to record it.” Dave Taylor, a fiction writer who gets it Writing Is Just Writing Glue, staple, or otherwise attach this to the inside of your eyelids: Writing Is Just Writing. Funny, I didn’t plan to post an issue of TNDJ today. Then … Read more

In Today’s Journal * The Bradbury Challenge Writers Reporting * The November Challenge * Provocative? * Unabashed Promotion * Of Interest * The Numbers Note: I hope after yesterday’s post, more writers will take the opportunity to jump into the Bradbury Challenge. Of course, only time will tell. The challenge is free, and the whole point is to have fun and grow as a writer. This is what I did, albeit alone, back in 2014. It’s a lot more fun being able to report your progress. The Bradbury Challenge Writers Reporting There is no cost. The only requirement is to … Read more

In Today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * This! * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “How easy it is to make people believe a lie, and how hard it is to undo that work again!” Mark Twain, in a December 1906 remark dictated for his autobiography, which was being published in installments in The North American Review. This! Please buckle up and keep your hands inside the conveyance. This is a long post. The above is among my favorite Mark Twain quotes, though it has often been misquoted (yes, even by me) and presented as, … Read more