In Today’s Journal * When a Plan Comes Together (Sort of) * From My Hungarian Writer Friend * I Did a Count * Of Interest * The Numbers When a Plan Comes Together (Sort of) It’s sweet when a plan comes together. (grin) I posted yesterday’s issue of TNDJ right at 3 a.m., then checked my email again. An email from my excellent first reader, Russ, popped up. He’d already read BO-50, annotated the PDF file to point out a few errors, and got it back to me. (I only sent it to him around noon the day before.) I’d … Read more

In Today’s Journal * My Quote of the Day * On This Particular Morning * The Novel Wrapped * Of Interest * The Numbers My Quote of the Day “If you fail [at WITD,] what’s the worst that will happen? Nothing.” Harvey On This Particular Morning (April 5, 2015) a guest post from my past self And on this particular morning, I awoke realizing I had a short story due. In April 2014, I challenged myself to write at least one new short story each week. To help keep myself motivated, I created a website (HEStanbrough.com) and posted those stories … Read more

In Today’s Journal * My Quote of the Day * Correction * If You Missed the World Series * Subscription Drive * The Novel * Of Interest * The Numbers My Quote of the Day “Don’t get too full of yourself. On a National Geographic Map of the Known Universe, our nearest neighbor—Proxima Centauri, part of the Alpha Centauri star system—is only 1/4 inch away. “Yet if Earth suddenly exploded and disappeared into mist, not only would anyone at Proxima Centauri not care, they wouldn’t even know. That’s how important we are with all our silly problems.” Harvey Or as … Read more

In Today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * The TNDJ Challenges Report * “Is This Good Enough?” * Pet Peeves Redux * I Retired a Mouse * A Challenge from Mardy Grothe * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.” George Bernard Shaw The TNDJ Challenges Report The whole point of these challenges is to have fun and grow as a writer. There is no cost. Feel free to jump in at any time. Participating in any challenge is a way to … Read more

In Today’s Journal * This Novel Is Kicking My Butt * A Free Ten-Point Guide to Writing Fiction * Of Interest * The Numbers This Novel Is Kicking My Butt But it isn’t what you probably suspect. Everyone knows I most often cycle back over what I wrote during the previous session as soon as I return from a break. Then when I get back to the white space, I’m in the flow again and I write the next session. The following morning, I also usually cycle back over everything I wrote the previous day (usually around 3000 words). And … Read more

In Today’s Journal * My Quote of the Day * A New Short Story * A Short Excerpt * A Few Pet Peeves * An Explanation of Passive Voice and… * The True Pulp Anthology * Of Interest * The Numbers My Quote of the Day “I never know (or care) what’s going to happen next in a story, and I never know or care what the characters are going to do or say next. I’m only the recorder. I just write it all down as it happens.” Harvey A New Short Story “A Shiny Life” went live yesterday at … Read more

In Today’s Journal * My Quote of the Day * Grouse, a Character * Of Interest * The Numbers My Quote of the Day “You’re a writer, not a character. Never stand between the reader and the story.” Harvey Grouse, a Character After the two previous excerpts (which occur in the novel back to back), over supper Sam asks about Dot’s Delta Force team. She reveals that one of them will stop by the suite the following morning. So this excerpt occurs a couple of chapters later when that character introduced herself to me. Both Sam and I expected the … Read more

In Today’s Journal * My Quote of the Day * Even More Nitty Gritty on Description * Of Interest * The Numbers My Quote of the Day “Why do I focus on character and setting? Because maybe 10% of a fiction is comprised of events and those take place in a setting. The other 90% is the characters’ reactions to that event, which also take place in a setting.” Harvey Even More Nitty Gritty on Description This is another long post. This scene is set in the suite in the hotel. The time runs from 3 to 6 a.m. They’ve … Read more

In Today’s Journal * My Quote of the Day * More on Description * Of Interest * The Numbers My Quote of the Day “Let the characters direct the reader. They, not you, are living the story. Never correct the maestro in how to wield the wand.” Harvey More on Description I keep saying “Take Your Time” when describing setting. Give the reader a chance to come into the scene with the characters. Much also depends on what the setting is and the situation. In this scene, Sam Granger and his contact, Major Dorothy Kincaid, are in a small private jet … Read more

In Today’s Journal * My Quote of the Day * The TNDJ Challenges Report * Of Interest * The Numbers My Quote of the Day “Fish are expert swimmers, but they can’t teach you how to tread water. The medium is the same, but the focus is different. An English teacher telling you how to write fiction is a like a fish telling you how to tread water.” Harvey The TNDJ Challenges Report The whole point of these challenges is to have fun and grow as a writer. There is no cost. Feel free to jump in at any time. … Read more