The Journal: A “Fresh New Voice” Revisited

In today’s Journal * Happy Thanksgiving * A “Fresh New Voice” Revisited * Of Interest * The Numbers Happy Thanksgiving I’m posting today mostly so I can wish you an enjoyable Thanksgiving tomorrow. I hope it’s a good one for you and that you get to share it with friends and family. A “Fresh New Voice” Revisited Not quite a week ago, I posted a topic titled “Agents Want a Fresh New Voice.” Yesterday, I received an email on the topic from another prolific fiction writer, Dawn T. Her anecdote added so much to my original post that I wanted … Read more

The Journal: All Knowledge is Pertinent

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * Welcome * All Knowledge is Pertinent to WITD * Moaning No Longer * Of Interest * The Numbers Quotes of the Day “There are four kinds of homicide: felonious, excusable, justifiable, and praiseworthy.” Ambrose Bierce “November, n. The eleventh twelfth of a weariness.” Ambrose Bierce, The Devil’s Dictionary Welcome to Lexy, and any others who subscribed recently. Good to have you all aboard. If I can do anything to help, don’t hesitate to leave a comment or email me. All Knowledge is Pertinent to WITD The Kill Zone blog has made … Read more

The Journal: What About Writing Are You Grateful For?

In today’s Journal * What About Writing Are You Grateful For? * Of Interest * The Numbers What About Writing Are You Grateful For? With Thanksgiving Day rapidly approaching, over at the Kill Zone blog Kay DiBianca posed a question: What one thing about writing are you grateful for? She then suggested, “It can be a book you’ve read, a mentor who’s inspired and helped you, a blog you love, or any other person or thing you’re grateful for.” For me, the response was immediate and definitive: I’m grateful to my characters for enabling me to experience their stories and … Read more

The Journal: “Natural” Storytellers

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * “Natural” Storytellers * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “This is how I came to begin thinking about story-first worldbuilding.” Kelsey Allagood at Writer Unboxed “Natural” Storytellers While poking around the web this morning I came across “Your Guide to a Weekly Creativity Time.” In that post, James Scott Bell says John Gilstrap is a “natural storyteller.” I couldn’t agree more. But Mr. Bell goes on to say that he himself is one of the “other writers” who “have to dig in hard ground to find, stimulate, and … Read more

The Journal: Agents Want a Fresh New Voice

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * Agents Want a Fresh New Voice * Don’t look * Of Interest * The Numbers Quotes of the Day “Great writers make their stories authentic by allowing us to experience what their characters hear, see, smell, taste, and touch—capturing the senses so we are fully involved.” Ellen Buikema at Writers in the Storm “When agents are asked what they are looking for, their typical answer is ‘a fresh new voice’.” Steve Hooley in “That Special Sauce” at the Kill Zone blog Agents Want a Fresh New Voice Agents and publishers want … Read more

The Journal: A Turning Point

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * A Lot in “Of Interest” Today * A Turning Point * Of Interest * The Numbers Quotes of the Day “For me, the witchcraft that is writing rarely rises to the front of my mind. When it does, I seem to screw up. I go to work, pound out words and pages, and somehow, when it’s all over, I’ve got a finished manuscript.” John Gilstrap “A good friend will help you move, but a true friend will help you move a body.” Steven J. Daniels, Weeds in The Garden of Love … Read more

The Journal: Fiction Writing and Pulp Speed

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * First, welcome * Second, today’s post * Let’s Talk Fiction Writing and Pulp Speed, Part 1 * Let’s Talk Fiction Writing and Pulp Speed, Part 2 * Of Interest * The Numbers Quotes of the Day “A Pulp Speed writer loves to just tell stories, one right after another.” Dean Wesley Smith “The crap rules the traditional publishers forced on writers are gone for writers smart enough to escape them. [W]riters are free to write stories again at whatever pace they want to write. … The second pulp era is upon … Read more

The Journal: The DeepL Translator

In today’s Journal * The DeepL Translator * Some Great Stuff in “Of Interest” * Of Interest * The Numbers The DeepL Translator I failed to mention last time, when Norbert W in Austria emailed me, he used a translator to translate his Austrian (German language) email into English. I tried the same thing later, and I believe DeepL is a very good translation program. I’ve added it to my Writers’ Resources over on my author site. You can find the free version of the translator at https://www.deepl.com/Translator. The development of this translation program also seems to be heading in … Read more

The Journal: On Writing Scenes Out of Sequence

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * Welcome, and on Writing Scenes Out of Sequence * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “If criticism from outside proves devastating, it is because it so readily joins forces with an infinitely more strident and more aggressive form of criticism that has long existed inside of us.” The School of Life via Farnam Street blog In other words, external criticism only serves to reinforce one’s lack of trust in one’s own abilities. Welcome to Norbert W of Innsbruck, Austria. Norbert knows the freedom of writing into the dark, … Read more

The Journal: Stomping on Chandler’s Good Advice

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * Happy Veterans’ Day * DWS * Stomping on Chandler’s Good Advice * I started writing * Of Interest * The Numbers Quotes of the Day “You can’t have guys with guns running around loose in your novel and surprises popping up like Whac-A-Mole.” Elaine Viets “Um, why not?” Me, in the back of the class, arm raised, waving frantically Happy Veterans’ Day or as we used to call it, Marine Corps Hangover Recovery Day. Yesterday, your United States Marine Corps celebrated its 246th anniversary. Semper fi to my brothers and sisters … Read more