The Journal: A Stuffed-Sausage of a Chihuahua

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * Yesterday * Today * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “Jesus, where the hell is everybody when they first deliver the typing paper? Where are all the ‘helpers’ when those boxes full of silence come in? Blank. Both sides. No clue, no instructions enclosed on how to take just twenty-six letters and endlessly rearrange them so that they can turn them into a mirror of a part of our lives. Try it sometime.” Larry Gelbart Yesterday I fell short of my new word-count goal by around 900 words … Read more

The Journal: Half-Price WMG Workshop Sale

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * Dean Is Doing It One More Time * Yesterday * Clarification * Today * Of Interest * The Numbers Quotes of the Day “One of the widest gaps in human experience is the gap between what we say we want to be and our willingness to discipline ourselves to get there.” Harry Emerson Fosdick “Never attempt to teach a pig to sing; it wastes your time and annoys the pig.” Robert A. Heinlein (via his character, Lazarus Long) “Always listen to experts. They’ll tell you what can’t be done and why. … Read more

The Journal: Frustration in the Time of Cholera

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * Yesterday * Topic: Frustration in the Time of Cholera * Today * Of Interest * The Numbers Quotes of the Day (Still bingeing on Bradbury) “You must write every single day of your life… You must lurk in libraries and climb the stacks like ladders to sniff books like perfumes and wear books like hats upon your crazy heads… may you be in love every day for the next 20,000 days. And out of that love, remake a world.” Ray Bradbury Yesterday the writing started slow, but it picked up (see … Read more

The Journal: Why Helping Writers is Important

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * Yesterday (and the Day Before) * Topic: Why Helping Writers is Important (and So Frustrating) * Today * Of Interest * The Numbers Quotes of the Day (Still bingeing on Bradbury) “Love. Fall in love and stay in love. Write only what you love, and love what you write. The word is love. You have to get up in the morning and write something you love, something to live for.” Ray Bradbury “The first thing a writer should be is — excited.” Ray Bradbury On the day before yesterday, I was … Read more

The Journal: Bradbury, Halifax, and More Food for Thought

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * Yesterday * Food for Thought * Today * Of Interest * The Numbers Quotes of the Day (Still gorging on Bradbury) “Don’t think. Thinking is the enemy of creativity. It’s self-conscious and anything self-conscious is lousy. You can’t “try” to do things. You simply “must” do things.” Ray Bradbury “Your intuition knows what to write, so get out of the way.” Ray Bradbury Yesterday, as it turned out, I wrote very little. Not really enough to even count, so I don’t consider it a writing day. I think I was too … Read more

The Journal: Food for Thought

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * Food for Thought * Yesterday * Today * Of Interest * The Numbers Quotes of the Day (I’m gorging on Bradbury) “The faster you blurt, the more swiftly you write, the more honest you are. In hesitation is thought. In delay comes the effort for a style, instead of leaping upon truth which is the only style worth deadfalling and tiger-trapping.” Ray Bradbury “Dandelion Wine, like most of my books, was a surprise… I simply got out of bed each morning, walked to my desk, and put down any word or … Read more

The Journal: A Very Short Topic

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * Yesterday * Today * Topic: A Very Short Topic * Of Interest * The Numbers Quotes of the Day “Learning to let go should be learned before learning to get. Life should be touched, not strangled. You’ve got to relax, let it happen at times, and at others move forward with it.” Ray Bradbury “Eventually, everyone will be quarantined to their houses with no sports to watch… and in nine months a boom of babies will be born… and we will call them Coronials.” Creative Talent Agency (via The Passive Voice) … Read more

The Journal: A Bit of Silliness

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * The Writing Bundles Kickstarter * A Bit of Silliness * Yesterday * Today * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “Plot is no more than footprints left in the snow after your characters have run by on their way to incredible destinations.” Ray Bradbury According to Dean Wesley Smith, the Writing Bundles Kickstarter has hit the third stretch goal and is closing in on the fourth. As a result, everyone who backs the Kickstarter with at least a $5 donation will get * the First Quarter of Tips … Read more

The Journal: “Can’t” vs. Critical Mind Excuses

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * Topic: Can’t vs. Critical Mind Excuses (in which Harvey gets mouthy) * Welcome * Yesterday * Today * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “Can’t never did anything.” Shirley Stanbrough (my mom) Topic: “Can’t” vs. Critical Mind Excuses In “Of Interest” today is an article titled “10 Ways to Feel Like a Real Writer When You Can’t Write Thanks to Coronavirus.” Normally I wouldn’t even link to this silly article, but some of the 10 activities on their list are still things writers need to do, so I … Read more

The Journal: Apropos of Nothing

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * Apropos of nothing * Yesterday * Today * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “I Love to write. It’s all I do.” Ray Bradbury Apropos of nothing, I thought I’d share this little bit of wisdom from a friend’s post on Facebook from a week or so ago. One more glaring example of why natural selection is a thing. Yesterday, after I posted the Journal (that’s always the first hour or two of the day) I was about to start on the novel. Then I decided to apply … Read more