In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * Welcome * Copyright Infringement * The Writing * Of Interest * The Numbers Quotes of the Day “Concerning time … I read a bit about a new quantum mechanics theory stating that not only do we change the future with every breath we take, every move we make, every cake we bake, we also at that same instantly change our past.” Dan Baldwin in a comment on yesterday’s post “It does not get easier with time, does it? Everyone tells us that nonsense, but every joyful memory is shadowed with raw … Read more

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * Welcome * Time-Travel Notes * The Writing * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “Since I turned off the ‘I must publish’ button in my mind, I can write freely, without any reader or editor in mind. I can focus on the story and the characters and how their story really happens.” Jámbor Balázs Welcome Welcome Welcome to William, and any other new subscribers or readers of the Journal. I hope you will find it useful. Get the Archives and other free downloads at the Journal website. Just … Read more

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * Welcome * The Bradbury Challenge Writers Reporting * The Writing * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “Since I turned off the ‘I must publish’ button in my mind, I can write freely, without any reader or editor in mind. I can focus on the story and the characters and how their story really happens.” Jámbor Balázs Welcome Welcome to Amelia, Sophia, and any other new subscribers or readers of the Journal. I hope you will find it useful. Get the Archives and other free downloads at the … Read more

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * If You’re Still Struggling to Write * Reminder * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “[P]utting the pressure of life and death on every word you are writing crushes the life out of the words, completely negating what you are trying to do….” Tiffanie Gray If You’re Still Struggling to Write Please read Tiffanie Gray’s comment on yesterday’s post. I almost didn’t include the link to the article on improvisation in yesterday’s post. Now I’m very glad I did. Thanks, Tiffanie. Reminder If you are participating in the … Read more

In today’s Journal * Welcome * A New Story * Raising the Bar * Of Interest * The Numbers Welcome Welcome to Remy and any other new subscribers or readers of the Journal. I hope you will find it useful. Get the Archives and other free downloads at the Journal website. Just click the links and a PDF will download in a new page. I also recommend reading “I Believe in You” and “Fear”. Can’t hurt, and it might help. Oh, and check out this half-hour video where bestselling author Vin Zandri and I are chatting about writing on The … Read more

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * A Good Day * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day My first reader commented on one doubt the conscious mind will try to push on you from yesterday’s post: “But maybe the story won’t be any good.” “True, but maybe it will be . . . unless it never gets written. Not writing it absolutely guarantees it won’t be good, but writing it absolutely guarantees that it might be good. Remember that you’re not writing for those who aren’t going to like it, you’re writing for those who … Read more

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * Fear * Of Interest * The Numbers Quotes of the Day “Fear of life closes off more opportunities for us than fear of death ever does.” Agnes Moorehead “I don’t believe any of you have ever read Paradise Lost, and you don’t want to. That’s something that you just want to take on trust. It’s a classic … something that everybody wants to have read and nobody wants to read.” Mark Twain Fear Unreasoning fear. I get questions and excuses via email all the time. I don’t mind. Many topics for … Read more

In today’s Journal * Welcome * A Few Notes on Yesterday’s Post * The Writing * Of Interest * The Numbers Welcome Welcome to Noah(?) and any other new subscribers or readers of the Journal. I hope you will find it useful. Get the Archives and other free downloads at the Journal website. Just click the links and a PDF will download in a new page. I also recommend reading “I Believe in You”. Oh, and check out this half-hour video where bestselling author Vin Zandri and I are chatting about writing on The Writer’s Life. A Few Notes on … Read more

In today’s Journal * Welcome * Offbeat Definitions * Nouns vs. Adjectives vs. Verbs: A Rant * Of Interest * The Numbers Welcome Welcome to Madhuri T, Emma(?) and any other new subscribers or readers of the Journal. I hope you will find it useful. Get the Archives and other free downloads at the Journal website. Just click the links and a PDF will download in a new page. I also recommend reading “I Believe in You”. Oh, and check out this half-hour video where bestselling author Vin Zandri and I are chatting about writing at The Writer’s Life. Offbeat … Read more

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * Bradbury Challenge Writers Reporting * A New Novel * Of Interest * The Numbers Quotes of the Day “Begin at once to live, and count each separate day as a separate life.” Seneca the Younger (Thanks to Dan Baldwin for this quote) “I like how the story unfolds before my eyes. I stopped at 10,000 words for a few hours, when I [started wondering] “what’s next….” But I managed to silence the critical voice. I focused on the character and the world around him, and it worked! A few sentences made … Read more