Daily Journal

In Today’s Journal * This Never Stops Being Funny * Stanbrough Writes Is Going Away * Valentine Sale * Of Interest * The Numbers This Never Stops Being Funny I recently received an email that read “Hello Hervey, “My name is Jennh Hannah. I moderate reader centered activity within Goodreads communities, including the 2026 Reading Challenge group. “I am reaching out because The Bad Country stood out during my review of titles being considered for our reader driven reward and recognition competition. There is something particularly unsettling about the way the novel places David and Mary in an isolated mountain … Read more

In Today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * Tidying Up * A Great Comment * Of Interest * The Numbers Quotes of the Day “The same boiling water that softens a potato hardens an egg. It’s what you’re made of, not your circumstances.” widely attributed to Roald Dahl “It’s easier to fool people than it is to convince them they’ve been fooled.” widely attributed to Mark Twain “If that writer had spent the last decade (or however many years she wasted) actually writing and producing new work instead of endlessly rewriting and paying for ‘manuscript assessments,’ she would have … Read more

In Today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * Attributes of Stage 4 Fiction Writers * On Stage 5 Writers * Alibi Syndicate Press * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “Life is like a ten speed bicycle. Most of us have gears we never use.” Charles Schulz Attributes of Stage 4 Fiction Writers Stage 4 Writers are free of the myths. They are fully aware and largely free of the unreasoning fears that give the myths power. They are also fully aware of Story and the nuances of the language as it applies to storytelling. Individual … Read more

In Today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * Attributes of Stage 3 Fiction Writers * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day On the topic of whether writers should be paid for their work…. “Since books are to libraries what asphalt is to highway departments, I assume that Indiana is also asking donations from suppliers of asphalt for her roads. Or has it been decided that asphalt is worth good money, and that books are not?” Kurt Vonnegut, in a letter to Charles Ewick, Indiana State Library on 10 February 1983 (as reported in Letters of Note) … Read more

In Today’s Journal * My Quote of the Day * Stage 2 Fiction Writers * Of Interest * The Numbers My Quote of the Day “We who write into the dark abstain from conscious mind revision and rewriting, not because our words and stories are precious, but because we prefer the character’s true, authentic story to our own ego-driven fabrication.” Harvey Stage 2 Fiction Writers Stage 2 is primarily a transition from Stage 1 to Stage 3. I know, duh. But the point is, Stage 3 and advancing from the “young-in-craft” stages is the goal. Not everyone makes it. Stage … Read more

In Today’s Journal * A New Short Story * I Hope You’re Getting Something * The Bradbury Challenge Report * Can You Copyright a Generative AI…? * Of Interest * The Numbers A New Short Story “How It Feels to Be Water” went live on Saturday at 10 a.m. on my Stanbrough Writes Substack. Go check it out. It’s free. This story is a psychological romp through SF horror. If you enjoy it, please click Like. Comments are welcome too. Both help with my Substack algorithms. Then tell Everyone else. Gracias. I Hope You’re Getting Something out of the Stages … Read more

In Today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * Young-in-Craft Fiction Writers: 2 * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “Moltbook is a genuinely fascinating experiment—it very much feels like speculative fiction come to life.” Matteo Wonghttps://www.theatlantic.com/author/matteo-wong/ in The Atlantic (see Of Interest) Young-in-Craft Fiction Writers: 2 Stage 1 Fiction Writers This post is going to be a little long. Here’s another brief (I promise) introduction. Nobody likes to admit to experiencing unreasoning fear, but practically all writers experience it at one time or another. Especially the fear of inadequacy. A fear of inadequacy pretty much permeates … Read more

In Today’s Journal * Young-in-Craft Fiction Writers: Part 1 * Of Interest * The Numbers Young-in-Craft Fiction Writers: Part 1 Wow, this is hard. What I want to say about Stage 1 writers alone will take up at least two posts. But I said I’d do this series, so I’m gonna do it. I hope it helps you see where you are and what you need to do to improve in your craft. A lot of this series has to do with building confidence and believing in yourself, so if you could just go ahead and wave that magic wand … Read more

In Today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * Sort of a Day Off * Stages of a Fiction Writer: Introduction * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “Doing nothing is hard. You never know when you’re done.” attributed to actor/comedian Leslie Nielsen Sort of a Day Off I’ve got nothing of real value for you today other than maybe (up to you) the links in Of Interest. However, I am putting together my thoughts on The Stages of a Fiction Writer. I decided to include the introduction below. The Stages themselves will be coming soon. I … Read more

In Today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * Years Ago * Of Interest * The Numbers Years Ago As I’ve mentioned before, probably ad nauseam, for a period of years (about two decades) I taught private in-person seminars on poetry and language and fiction. During that same time, I was flying or driving all over the place teaching the same stuff at writers’ conferences across the nation. My private seminars typically lasted either all day or a half-day. My presentations at conferences were typically two hours long. The one common aspect of most of those (thankfully, not all) was … Read more