In today’s Journal
* Welcome
* Blackwell Ops 12: Nick Soldata is LIVE! (Me writing in public)
* On Commitment
* Bradbury Challenge Writers Reporting
* Of Interest
* The Numbers
Welcome
Welcome to Sylvia A, Jason C, Bob B, Jennifer Z, Mary F, and any other new subscribers or readers of the Journal. I hope you will find it useful.
Be sure to check out the Archives and other free downloads at the Journal website. And I don’t do the ambush thing requiring an email address. Just click the links and a PDF will download in a new page.
And here’s a video where Vin Zandri and I are chatting about writing and a bunch of other stuff.
Blackwell Ops 12: Nick Soldata is LIVE!
I posted the first TEN chapters of my curent novel yesterday at my Harvey Stanbrough Writing in Public substack.
I actually slipped and posted the segment early, at around 11 a.m. From now on I’ll post at 4 p.m. Arizona time.
I also posted Chapters 11 through 20 to go live at 4 p.m. today, and finally Chapters 21 through 26 (only six chapters!) to go live at 4 p.m. on the 24th. Finally caught up with myself. (grin)
I waited too long to pull the trigger on this, hence the big batches. On my next novel, I’ll post whatever I write that day, usually three or four chapters. Unrevised and unedited. Just writing into the dark. In public.
On Commitment
I have a couple more guest posts in the queue, and I’ll get to them over the next couple weeks. But for now….
On October 18 I read an article titled “Writer’s Guilt.”
The post started with, “We talk about treating the process of writing as if it were a job….”
From there the author preaches (sorry, no more appropriate word) about commitment: We made a commitment to our family, our spouse, our friends, whomever. His point is that writing fiction always should come second or even third to all of that.
Maybe the author would still feel the same if he was just another fiction writer playing in the sandbox with the rest of us. I don’t know. But he isn’t. He’s one of the few who slipped in through the closing door of traditional publishing to land a life-changing amount of money as an advance for his first novel.
Three days after that post hit the airways, the author’s take still bothered me. But I’d also listed it in “Of Interest,” and just in case you read it, I wanted you to see this too:
For the professional fiction writer, sometimes the writing (just like the job of a plumber or cop or mechanic or carpenter or lawyer) has to take precedence. Because if you’re serious about being a writer, writing is a commitment too.
It’s all a matter of prorities in the moment. The fact that we enjoy writing doesn’t make it any less important or any less of a commitment.
Absolutes never pass my test of reality. If I would be better off writing (Scott Carpenter’s WIBBOW rule), I do my job and write fiction.
Fortunately, my family understands that, just as they understood when I was a cop or a jarhead and couldn’t leave in mid-shift or come in from a live missile shoot to tend to their needs.
Yes, my wife and I made a commitment to each other, but we also trust in each other’s judgment and, as they say, we each do what we gotta do.
I’m fortunate in that I write pretty much 7 days a week. I never received (or sought) a life-changing advance for any of my work, though I’m glad the author of the article did and I wouldn’t turn it down. Make no mistake: if anyone offered me high six figures for even my Wes Crowley series, I’d sell my rights in a hearbeat. (grin)
After all, I’ve already had the pleasure of watching the story unfold. But I write as much and as often as I do because I enjoy writing.
Just because I work from my office near my home (about 150 feet) doesn’t mean I don’t love my family or want to be around them or that my commitment to them is slipping. It only means I’m at work, albeit doing what I love.
Which I guess is a long-winded way to say Different Strokes. If you’re an adult, you set your own priorities and you juggle your commitments. And yes, comments are welcome.
Bradbury Challenge Writers Reporting
Anyone can jump in (or jump back in) and join the challenge at any time. Even if you miss a week in your personal challenge and break your streak, you can always jump back in the next week and start a new one.
This is a great way to jumpstart your writing and get more practice pushing down the critical voice.
There’s no cost.
Notice, there’s no pressure re submitting or publishing. That’s up to you. The point of the challenge is to have fun. Learning to keep track of your writing is a bonus.
During the past week, in addition to whatever other fiction they’re writing, the following writers reported their progress:
Short Fiction
- Erin Donoho “The Christmas Gift” 2100 Historical fiction
- George Kordonis “The Invited Guest” 2234 Urban Fantasy
- Chynna Pace “Rake Day Misadventures” 9210 Portal Fantasy
- Christopher Ridge “Big Ass Spider” 3300 Horror
- K.C. Riggs “Octopus Dreams” 4179 Anthropomorphic Magic Realism (grin)
- Frank Theodat “Wired for Compliance” 1940 SpecFic
Longer Fiction
- Alexander Nakul *Horses of Mayhem* 11963 Historical fantasy (58070 total to date)
My Streak Is Ongoing
Thus far on my current novel, I’ve written every day and I’ve hit my daily word-count goal of at least 3000 words per day. Man, that feels good! (grin)
And of course, the streak drives me to keep it going. Seriously, how much fun is one guy allowed to have?
That’s it for this time, but I might be announcing a new challenge (proposed by another writer) soon. Stay tuned!
Talk with you again soon.
Of Interest
Going Forward (The Pulp Fictioneer) Frank T talks a little about me and the Writing in Public thing, but he also mentions some other things you might be interested in.
Flash Sale for “The Remains” the Amazon Editors Pick, plus free Audio Codes, and New Vella
The Numbers
The Journal……………………………… 1030
Writing of Blackwell Ops 12: Nick Soldata (novel)
Day 1…… 3683 words. To date…… 3683
Day 2…… 3186 words. To date…… 6869
Day 3…… 3315 words. To date…… 10184
Day 4…… 3260 words. To date…… 13444
Day 5…… 3175 words. To date…… 16619
Day 6…… 3649 words. To date…… 20268
Day 7…… 3061 words. To date…… 23329
Day 8…… 3705 words. To date…… 27034
Day 9…… 3237 words. To date…… 30271
Day 10…. 3566 words. To date…… 33837
Day 11…. 3033 words. To date…… 36870
Fiction for October…………………… 68910
Fiction for 2023………………………… 286452
Fiction since August 1………………… 171905
Nonfiction for October……………… 21260
Nonfiction for the year……………… 219600
Annual consumable words………… 505992
2023 Novels to Date……………………… 5
2023 Novellas to Date…………………… 0
2023 Short Stories to Date……………… 6
Novels (since Oct 19, 2014)…………… 76
Novellas (since Nov 1, 2015)…………… 9
Short stories (since Apr 15, 2014)…… 234
Short story collections…………………… 31
Disclaimer: I am a prolific professional fiction writer. On this blog I teach Writing Into the Dark and adherence to Heinlein’s Rules. Unreasoning fear and the myths of writing will slow your progress as a writer or stop you cold. I will never teach the myths on this blog.
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