Daily Journal

In today’s Journal * Tips on Writing from Yer Uncle Harv * Welcome * Useful Comments * Caution on Kindle Vella * Of Interest * The Numbers Tips on Writing from Yer Uncle Harv If you want to follow the age-old (and wrong) advice to start in the middle of the action, do that. But then back up a little. What happened just before the action started? What is the setting? Who are the characters in the immediate vicinity? Write that through the POV character’s (not your) physical and emotional senses before the action. Then skip ahead to the white … Read more

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * Thoughts on Writing Fiction From Yer Uncle Harv * Welcome * Writing Through Pain * Of Interest * The Numbers Quotes of the Day “Don’t compromise yourself. You are all you’ve got.” Janis Joplin “The free-lance writer is one who is paid per piece or per word or perhaps.” Robert Benchley “I saw an interview with Sir Patrick Stewart who said he finally learned that the character to be played was already inside him. He noted that when he stepped out on the stage he hadn’t a clue as to what … Read more

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * Thoughts on Writing Fiction From Yer Uncle Harv * Welcome * If You’re a Writer, Write * Of Interest * The Numbers Quotes of the Day “[T]rust your own writing and voice. Act like an artist instead of a doormat for heaven’s sake.” Dean Wesley Smith “Leap off a cliff and build your wings on the way down.” Ray Bradbury “It took me fifteen years to discover I had no talent for writing, but I couldn’t give it up because by that time I was too famous.” Robert Benchley (grin) Thoughts … Read more

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * Shameless Self-Promotion * Update on Spot Research * How to Study Particular Skills in Novels * Of Interest * The Numbers Shameless Self-Promotion If you haven’t tried Blackwell Ops yet, you can find the first three episodes (chapters) free on Vella. That one will be finished on Vella on October 12 when the Epilogue goes live. This morning, I uploaded the first eight episodes of the book I’m currently writing, Blackwell Ops 11: More Jeremy Stiles. Great fun! I’ll publish the URL as soon as Amazon lets me know what it … Read more

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * Writing Into (not in) the Dark * Bradbury Challenge Writers Reporting * Idea for an Article * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “I did the same [kind of spot research] ghostwriting a novel about events in Argentina, which neither I nor the author have ever visited. His agent sent back a note that the prospects of sales to a publisher were significantly enhanced by his personal and in-depth knowledge of that country. The author and the writer had a good laugh over that.” Dan Baldwin, in a … Read more

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * Once Upon a Time There Was a Typo * The Fun Continues * Researching Fiction * Reminder * You Can Subscribe on the Website Now * Of Interest * The Numbers Quotes of the Day “When PG goes into a physical bookstore, the last thing he wants to be confronted with is politics. If a bookstore couldn’t avoid politics, PG would head out the door and order a book from Amazon.” The Passive Guy (see “Of Interest”) I feel exactly the same way about blogs on writing. If the blogger can’t … Read more

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * Welcome * New Short Story * About Yesterday * You Can Subscribe on the Website Now * Of Interest * The Numbers Quotes of the Day “At a formal dinner party, the person nearest death should always be seated closest to the bathroom.” George Carlin “At a dinner party one should eat wisely but not too well, and talk well but not too wisely.” W. Somerset Maugham “I went to a garden party to reminisce with my old friends….” Ricky Nelson in “Garden Party” Enjoy a blast from the past. (grin) … Read more

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * Welcome * No Questions * Writing Again * Recommended Nonfiction * Of Interest * The Numbers Quotes of the Day “If you want to succeed, you should strike out on new paths, rather than travel the worn paths of accepted success.” John D. Rockefeller “He is short-sighted who looks only on the path he treads and the wall on which he leans.” Khalil Gibran Welcome Welcome to Ryan (are you part of the famous racing family? [grin]) and any other new subscribers or reader of the Journal. I hope you will … Read more

In today’s Journal * Welcome * Pacing * Of Interest * The Numbers * If You Want to Donate Welcome Welcome to Lee and any other new subscribers or reader of the Journal. I hope you will find it useful. Be sure to check out these Archives and other free downloads. Some Notes on Pacing Pacing is a topic many writing instructors won’t touch. I suspect that’s because there really isn’t a lot to know. After a few facts, it’s all practice. And by practice, I mean writing a story, finishing it, spell-checking and publishing or submitting it, then writing … Read more

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * Editing and Writing * A Brief History of Publishing * Story Lengths * Of Interest * The Numbers Quotes of the Day “Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.” Albert Einstein “An artist discovers his genius the day he dares not to please.” French novelist Andre Malraux “The secret of fiction writing is to have fun with it, do the best job you can, write only what you want to write, and then release and do it again.” Dean Wesley Smith Editing and Writing For … Read more