Daily Journal

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * Only Three Days Left * My Name Ain’t Nobody (guest post) * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “Thus far I’ve doubled my royalties since last year. And it’s all because I made a plan and stuck with it. ” Vin Zandri (see Of Interest) Only Three Days Left before I switch over to The New Daily Journal. Those who choose to remain free subscribers after May 31st will still receive the Journal, but only occasionally. To make the switch with me and receive every post after May … Read more

In today’s Journal * But What About Fun? * Post 5: The Wrap-Up on Heinlein’s Rules * Of Interest * The Numbers But What About Fun? A friend brought a truism home to me in an email when he wrote that he’s enjoying the Heinlein’s Rules posts but that he’s also still trying to convince himself that writing is more fun than his favorite distractions. That’s something I tend to forget sometimes about other writers. See, for me, writing fiction IS my favorite distraction. I can’t imagine doing anything that’s more fun than discovering my characters’ stories as they live … Read more

In today’s Journal * Bradbury Challenge Writers’ Report * Two-Fer Sale Extended * What About Rewriting? Post 4 on Heinlein’s Rules * Of Interest * The Numbers No fiction writing on Memorial Day (yesterday). I enjoyed the Indy 500 (go fast, turn left) and other things. Bradbury Challenge Writers’ Report During the past week, in addition to whatever other fiction they’re writing, the following writers reported their progress: Short Fiction George Kordonis “Modern Dating Scene” 2788 Drama Adam Kozak “Moon Phoenix” 1464 Science Fiction Two-Fer Sale Extended If you buy a copy of any book in the Blackwell Ops (thriller), … Read more

In today’s Journal * Two-Fer Sale Extended * What If My Story Stinks? (Post 3 on Heinlein’s Rules) * Of Interest * The Numbers Two-Fer Sale Extended If you buy a copy of any book in the Blackwell Ops (thriller), Wes Crowley (western), or Journey Home (SF) series through StoneThread Publishing, I’ll send a second novel in that series free of charge. Simply visit the link above, click on the series you want to explore, then click on any book cover on that page to visit the store. I’ve also decided to add Jonah Peach and the sequel, When the … Read more

In today’s Journal * New Story * Bradbury Challenge Reminder * Post 2 on Heinlein’s Rules * Of Interest * The Numbers A New Short Story “but babies are just so cute!” went live yesterday on my Stanbrough Writes Substack. Go check it out. If you enjoy it, tell Everyone. If you don’t, shhh! (grin) Bradbury Challenge Reminder Today is Saturday. You who are in or want to join the challenge, please be sure to get your story info in to me before the Journal goes live on Monday. Post 2 on Heinlein’s Rules More introductory stuff today, with some … Read more

In today’s Journal * Playing It By Ear * Only a Week Left * Heinlein’s Rules: A Series * Of Interest * The Numbers Playing It By Ear I’m playing it by ear here, folks, and I’m a one-man operation. If there’s anything you’d like to see me talk about in the Journal, remember that your ideas are always welcome. And as I said earlier, I’m not a moving target. You can leave a comment, or you can email me directly at harveystanbrough[at]gmail.com. Only a Week Left before I switch over to The New Daily Journal. Those who choose to … Read more

In today’s Journal * A Weird Thing * A(nother) New Novel * Of Interest * The Numbers A Weird Thing I received a TalkWalker Alert for my name awhile back. It revealed my books are for sale through Saxo, advertised as the largest Danish book distributor. I never knew. Did any of you know about Saxo? To see the shop, click here. Interesting. You can set up your own alerts via TalkWalker.com. I have alerts set for my name as well as for StoneThread Publishing and a couple of others. Sometimes they come in handy. A(nother) New Novel Yesterday morning … Read more

In today’s Journal * About My Openings Critiques * Writing Better Fiction * Of Interest * The Numbers About My Openings Critiques As a few brave writers have learned, I respect serious writers far too much to pull a punch that needs to be thrown. That said, I do try to wrap the critique in kid gloves as much as I can. I’m always appreciative when a writer takes my sometimes seemingly harsh critique as I intended. The lessons I provide on openings—which are only enhanced by the fact that they’re delivered on your own work—will probably cut months or … Read more

In today’s Journal * Time Is Running Out * Outlines and Writing Nonfiction * Of Interest * The Numbers Time Is Running Out Just a reminder— The Daily Journal Is the Only Place Online where you can get myth-free, down-in-the-weeds, nuts-and-bolts writing advice on a regular basis. On May 31 after this Journal goes live, I’ll move all paid subscribers over to a new subscriber list. On June 1, I’ll launch a completely new Substack titled The New Daily Journal. From that date forward, only paid subscribers will receive every post. Those who choose to remain free subscribers after May … Read more

In today’s Journal * The Bradbury Challenge Writers * The Paragraph Formatting Tool * Of Interest * The Numbers The Bradbury Challenge Writers During the past week, in addition to whatever other fiction they’re writing, the following writers reported their progress: George Kordonis “The hitman and the painter,” 3000 drama Adam Kozak “Summer’s Discontent” 2900 Humor The Paragraph Formatting Tool First, let’s get this Tab and spacebar stuff out of the way right up front: the writer should never use the Tab key to indent the first line of a paragraph. Instead, he should use the Paragraph Formatting tool. You … Read more