In today’s Journal
* Quotes of the Day
* Correction
* MeWe? Other Facebook Alternatives?
* Bradbury Challenge Report
* Of Interest
Quotes of the Day
“No one is discontented at not being a king except a discrowned king … unhappiness almost invariably indicates the existence of a road not taken, a talent undeveloped, a self not recognized.” Blaise Pascal
“I always wanted to be someone better the next day than I was the day before.” Sidney Poitier
Correction
In a recent post I inadvertently omitted a link to download a free annotated copy of Heinlein’s Rules. You can get that by clicking the link preceding this sentence.
MeWe? Other Facebook Alternatives?
Has anyone out there participated in MeWe? Apparently it’s similar to Facebook but without the controlling algorithms and constant vulnerabilities. I’m thinking about opening an account. Please share any advice or input.
To see some of the alternatives, visit “12+ Facebook Alternatives in 2023 (That Value Your Privacy)” at https://smartblogger.com/facebook-alternatives/.
Bradbury Challenge Report
K.C. Riggs is currently traveling abroad. She reported these stories:
“Stranger on the Stairs” SF 3327 words (last week)
“Gargoyle Party” Children’s, 2205 words (this week)
I didn’t get my story for this week or anything else written yesterday. Maybe today.
I hope everyone else who’s participating in the challenge are still keeping their own streak alive.
Talk with you again soon.
Of Interest
See “Texas County to Consider Shutting Down Library After Book Ban Ruling” at https://www.thepassivevoice.com/texas-county-to-consider-shutting-down-library-after-book-ban-ruling/. Because they would rather shut down than be forced to carry pornographic books.
See “Publisher Logos: 7 Amazing Examples To Inspire Your Design ” at https://www.thepassivevoice.com/publisher-logos-7-amazing-examples-to-inspire-your-design/. I saw nothing “amazing” among the examples, but in case you find it useful.
See “How Long Does It Really Take To Write a Novel?” at https://writerunboxed.com/2023/04/12/how-long-does-it-really-take-to-write-a-novel/. I literally laughed out loud.
See “How Do You Move Beyond the Three-Act Structure?” at https://www.thepassivevoice.com/how-do-you-move-beyond-the-three-act-structure/. Wow. You just write. Your creative subconscious long ago absorbed the various story structures. Trust it.
The Numbers
The Journal…………………………………… 270
Writing of Wes Crowley: Deputy US Marshal 2 (WCG9SF4)
Day 11… 0323 words. Total words to date…… 19819
Day 12… 2445 words. Total words to date…… 22264
Day 13… 3184 words. Total words to date…… 25448
Total fiction words for April……… 12641
Total fiction words since April 1… 12641
Total fiction words for 2023………… 78829
Total nonfiction words for April… 8760
Total nonfiction words since April 1… 8760
Total nonfiction words for the year…… 71020
Total words (fiction and this blog) since April 1…… 21400 (to shadow Dean’s challenge)
Total words for the year (fiction and this blog)…… 149849
Calendar Year 2023 Novels to Date…………………… 1
Calendar Year 2023 Novellas to Date……………… 0
Calendar Year 2023 Short Stories to Date… 4
Novels (since Oct 19, 2014)…………………………………… 72
Novellas (since Nov 1, 2015)………………………………… 9
Short stories (since Apr 15, 2014)………………… 221
Short story collections……………………………………………… 31
Disclaimer: I am a prolific professional fiction writer. On this blog I teach Writing Into the Dark, adherence to Heinlein’s Rules, and that following the myths of fiction writing will slow your progresss as a writer or stop you cold. I will never teach the myths on this blog.
In a lot of ways, “How long does it take to write a novel?” is much like “How long should a man’s legs be?”
Writing a novel takes as long as it takes, just as a man’s legs should be long enough to reach the ground.
Yup. I had to chuckle. My first novel took 28 or 29 days, and the very first review said it was among the most tightly plotted novels the guy had ever read. 🙂 And for actual writing days, I think the longest it took me to write a novel was 32 days. That one was up around 100,000 words.