Numbers Do Not Lie (It’s Called Practice)

In today’s Journal

* Quotes of the Day
* Oh Well
* Numbers Do Not Lie (It’s Called Practice)
* Of Interest

Quotes of the Day

“Do something you really like, and hopefully it pays the rent. As far as I’m concerned, that’s success.” Tom Petty

“I’m moving ahead making every day matter.” Garry Rodgers

Oh Well

Again, I planned not to post and did anyway. No worries. Soon enough I’ll have a day away from posting and that will serve as the test to see whether MailerLite will resends a post.

I don’t think they will. I’ve checked all the right boxes. But if they do, you won’t have to point it out to me. I get the Journal too. And we all know where the Delete key is. (grin)

Numbers Do Not Lie (It’s Called Practice)

This morning I inadvertently set a new long-range goal. But I’m kind’a glad because it’s a good one. Given life rolls etc. it will make me stretch a little, but it’s far from impossible to reach. Read on.

In response to Garry Rodgers’ question (“Have you given any thought to your runway of life? Care to share an urgency?”) at the end of his post at the Kill Zone blog, I wrote this:

“Yes sir. That’s exactly why I write fiction the way I do, and why I will have written at least my 70th novel before my 70th birthday in a month or so. I don’t have a cash-out age, but I hope to surpass 82 (that genealogy thing at work). I would like very much to have written 200 novels (total) before that.”

I can almost see and hear some of you shaking your heads and saying “That’s impossible,” but don’t toss out the notion yet. Instead,

“Check the math: 130 novels in 12 years = 11 novels per year = 60,000 words per month (with one month off, ahem, as if) = 2000 words per day (2 hours of ‘work’). Not a bad way to make a living. (grin)”

Of course, some are mumbling, “But are the stories any good?” or stating, “But the stories can’t possibly be any good.”

Why? Because I didn’t depend on a lot of strangers to tell me how to write my characters’ story? That’s just silly. (grin) But my standard response to such insulting questions or statements is (ahem) read one and find out. (grin)

I’ll even send you one free. Of course, I’m somewhat limited in scope: I can offer only Western (and Western Romance), Magic Realism, Science Fiction, Action-Adventure-Thriller, Crime and Detective/PI novels.

But yes, according to comments I get from readers, the stories and novels I write are good despite the fact that I (my characters) generate a lot of them. But then, I don’t hover in that seemingly endless cycle: plan, write, revise, critique, rewrite, polish, submit. I don’t have to.

Instead I write, submit or publish, and then write something new. I put new words on the page. It’s called Practice.

Talk with you again soon.

Of Interest

See “The black market for blue checks” at https://www.theverge.com/23379133/twitter-instagram-verified-account-for-sale-scam-criminal.

See “What Is A Brand?” at https://deanwesleysmith.com/what-is-a-brand/.

See “Your Runway of Life” at https://killzoneblog.com/2022/10/your-runway-of-life.html.

See “Sayings of Latvian origin” at https://www.thepassivevoice.com/sayings-of-latvian-origin/. Story ideas abound.

See “How To Add More Amazon Categories To Your Book Or Ebook” at https://www.thepassivevoice.com/how-to-add-more-amazon-categories-to-your-book-or-ebook/. I saved this one to my Writers Resources page.

The Numbers

The Journal…………………………………… 540 words

Writing of The Stirchians (novel, tentative title)

Day 1…… 4106 words. Total words to date…… 4106
Day 2…… 3505 words. Total words to date…… 7611
Day 3…… 2392 words. Total words to date…… 10366
Day 4…… 3336 words. Total words to date…… 13339
Day 5…… 3227 words. Total words to date…… 16566
Day 6…… 2821 words. Total words to date…… 19387
Day 7…… 2900 words. Total words to date…… 22287
Day 8…… 1288 words. Total words to date…… 23575

Total fiction words for October……… 31777
Total fiction words for the year………… 152159
Total nonfiction words for October… 14130
Total nonfiction words for the year…… 167350
Total words for the year (fiction and this blog)…… 319509

Calendar Year 2022 Novels to Date…………………… 2
Calendar Year 2022 Novellas to Date……………… 0
Calendar Year 2022 Short Stories to Date… 0
Novels (since Oct 19, 2014)…………………………………… 68
Novellas (since Nov 1, 2015)………………………………… 8
Short stories (since Apr 15, 2014)………………… 217
Short story collections……………………………………………… 31

Disclaimer: In this Journal, among many other things, I illustrate a Zen-like non-process called Writing Into the Dark and what is possible when you trust the characters to tell the story that they, not you, are living. WITD also leads to greatly increase productivity and a rapid ascension along the learning curve because you get a great deal more Practice. This is not opinion. It is all numbers and facts.