Daily Journal

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * If You’re Still Struggling to Write * Reminder * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “[P]utting the pressure of life and death on every word you are writing crushes the life out of the words, completely negating what you are trying to do….” Tiffanie Gray If You’re Still Struggling to Write Please read Tiffanie Gray’s comment on yesterday’s post. I almost didn’t include the link to the article on improvisation in yesterday’s post. Now I’m very glad I did. Thanks, Tiffanie. Reminder If you are participating in the … Read more

In today’s Journal * Welcome * A New Story * Raising the Bar * Of Interest * The Numbers Welcome Welcome to Remy and any other new subscribers or readers of the Journal. I hope you will find it useful. Get the Archives and other free downloads at the Journal website. Just click the links and a PDF will download in a new page. I also recommend reading “I Believe in You” and “Fear”. Can’t hurt, and it might help. Oh, and check out this half-hour video where bestselling author Vin Zandri and I are chatting about writing on The … Read more

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * A Good Day * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day My first reader commented on one doubt the conscious mind will try to push on you from yesterday’s post: “But maybe the story won’t be any good.” “True, but maybe it will be . . . unless it never gets written. Not writing it absolutely guarantees it won’t be good, but writing it absolutely guarantees that it might be good. Remember that you’re not writing for those who aren’t going to like it, you’re writing for those who … Read more

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * Fear * Of Interest * The Numbers Quotes of the Day “Fear of life closes off more opportunities for us than fear of death ever does.” Agnes Moorehead “I don’t believe any of you have ever read Paradise Lost, and you don’t want to. That’s something that you just want to take on trust. It’s a classic … something that everybody wants to have read and nobody wants to read.” Mark Twain Fear Unreasoning fear. I get questions and excuses via email all the time. I don’t mind. Many topics for … Read more

In today’s Journal * Welcome * A Few Notes on Yesterday’s Post * The Writing * Of Interest * The Numbers Welcome Welcome to Noah(?) and any other new subscribers or readers of the Journal. I hope you will find it useful. Get the Archives and other free downloads at the Journal website. Just click the links and a PDF will download in a new page. I also recommend reading “I Believe in You”. Oh, and check out this half-hour video where bestselling author Vin Zandri and I are chatting about writing on The Writer’s Life. A Few Notes on … Read more

In today’s Journal * Welcome * Offbeat Definitions * Nouns vs. Adjectives vs. Verbs: A Rant * Of Interest * The Numbers Welcome Welcome to Madhuri T, Emma(?) and any other new subscribers or readers of the Journal. I hope you will find it useful. Get the Archives and other free downloads at the Journal website. Just click the links and a PDF will download in a new page. I also recommend reading “I Believe in You”. Oh, and check out this half-hour video where bestselling author Vin Zandri and I are chatting about writing at The Writer’s Life. Offbeat … Read more

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * Bradbury Challenge Writers Reporting * A New Novel * Of Interest * The Numbers Quotes of the Day “Begin at once to live, and count each separate day as a separate life.” Seneca the Younger (Thanks to Dan Baldwin for this quote) “I like how the story unfolds before my eyes. I stopped at 10,000 words for a few hours, when I [started wondering] “what’s next….” But I managed to silence the critical voice. I focused on the character and the world around him, and it worked! A few sentences made … Read more

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * Finished the Novel * “It,” and Toward Clarity * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “[Traditional publishing] will stab you in the back the first chance they get.” Vin Zandri (see Of Interest) Finished the Novel Welp, Blackwell Ops 14: Charlie Task, subtitled A Time-Travel Thriller, is in the can. It wrapped yesterday with a little over 2100 words. I ran a spell check, saved it as a PDF file, and sent it off to my first reader. It’s off my desk, so it’s all good. (grin) Despite … Read more

In today’s Journal * Welcome * A New Story * December 2 * Isaac Asimov * Of Interest * The Numbers Welcome Welcome to Alexander S and any other new subscribers or readers of the Journal. I hope you will find it useful. Get the Archives and other free downloads at the Journal website. Just click the links and a PDF will download in a new page. I also recommend reading “I Believe in You”. Oh, and check out this half-hour video where bestselling author Vin Zandri and I are chatting about writing at The Writer’s Life. A New Story … Read more

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * The Journal is a Politics-Free Zone * Why Do Writers Seek Criticism? * December 1 * Isaac Asimov * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “I agree with Stephen King: Stories — and maybe all art — already exist, whole and complete, in some other place. It’s our job as creators not to make that art or tell those stories, but to uncover them.” Johnny B. Truant (emphasis added) YES! THIS! The Journal is a Politics-Free Zone My personal political preferences might seep out now and then or … Read more