Search Results for: opening

In today’s Journal * Flash Contest! * Of Interest * The Numbers Flash Contest! It’s been a long time since StoneThread Publishing held a contest and published an anthology. But a timely comment from a writer and Journal reader made me realize it’s time. If this contest works out well, I probably will host similar contests in the future. Maybe for more short stories or for openings of novels or whatever. I’m actually excited about this. In her comment, Emilia wrote (excerpted) “I used to read other peoples stories and give feedback, but I stopped because it made my critical … Read more

In today’s Journal * Some Old New Posts * What I’ve Learned & What I Teach * Of Interest * The Numbers Some Old New Posts I have a folder on my desktop labeled “Journal Topics.” When I have an idea for a topic but don’t have time to put it into the Journal right then, I make a note of it. Then, from time to time, I browse that folder and delete or add-to those topics. But I need to clear out that folder, so in coming days I’ll be posting some old new topics. Here’s the first one: … Read more

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * The Novel Wrapped * Going to the Welles (guest post) * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “The most important things to remember about back story are that (a) everyone has a history and (b) most of it isn’t very interesting.” Stephen King The Novel Wrapped The novel wrapped yesterday with a final on the first anniversary of ‘Bit’s departure. That was appropriate, because she even enabled my writing. One more gift she gave me. In almost every (and maybe every) novel I’ve written, I paid a minor … Read more

In today’s Journal * An Excellent Question * I Was Going to Finish-Up on Payhip * Of Interest * The Numbers An Excellent Question I received an excellent question about Payhip yesterday in a comment, and it’s about something I haven’t discussed here yet: websites. The writer mention she doesn’t have a website yet, and wondered whether she should set that up before going to Payhip. Payhip stresses that if you have a website, you can imbed Payhip on your site, or you can link items on your site to Payhip (that’s what I did). But here’s the thing: If … Read more

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * Correction * TJ Blackwell: The Origin Story * A New Short Story * Reminder * PayHip Etc. * Yesterday * * * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “Write hard and clear about what hurts.” Ernest Hemingway Correction In Numbers, with the completion of the novel yesterday, I now have 6 novels on the year, so I’m on track to reach my annual goal of 24 novels by December 31. TJ Blackwell: The Origin Story is also my 88th overall novel since October 19, 2014. TJ Blackwell: The … Read more

In today’s Journal * Two Reminders * Reading Your Own Work * Of Interest * The Numbers Two Reminders One, Bradbury Challenge information—for those who are in the Bradbury Challenge to write at least one short story every week, story information is required before the Journal goes live tomorrow morning (Monday). Two, tune-in at my YouTube channel this afternoon at 1 p.m. Arizona time to see whether it works this time. You know, if you want to. Reading Your Own Work I very seldom read my own work. For one thing, knowing I committed typos drives me nuts. For another, … Read more

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * Every Novel Writes Differently * It All Depends… * Of Interest * The Numbers Quotes of the Day “I’ve also been doing a ‘how I wrote these’ history of each [of six short stories and a few novelettes] on my website. Start here. [Scroll down.] It’ll lead you to the others.” Kristine Kathryn Rusch (See Of Interest) If you’d like to see how Kris came to write some of the stories featured in her current Kickstarter, click the link above. “When I stand before God at the end of my life, … Read more

In today’s Journal * Personal Responsibility and Generative AI * A New Novel (or Series) * Of Interest * The Numbers Personal Responsibility and Generative AI Recently I was glad to see that Amazon now requires publishers (writers) to verify, by ticking a radio box, whether any part of the story or novel they’re publishing was the result of generative AI. Why? Because it goes to personal responsibility. Ticking the first box amounts to an admission that yes, the writer created the work at least in part using generative AI. Ticking the second box verifies that no generative AI was … Read more

In today’s Journal * Setting Matters. And Detail Matters. * Of Interest * The Numbers Setting Matters. And Detail Matters. When you say or write a noun, you put a static picture in the listener’s or reader’s mind. That’s important to remember. It isn’t theory, it’s fact. (Then if you add an action verb, the picture moves. But in this lesson, forget the verb.) You want that picture to be there. It is what draws the reader into a scene. There’s a popular and widely misundertood belief that ANY description of setting you put into a scene MUST advance the … Read more

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * Note on Heinlein’s Rules Free Download * Addendum to Writing Fiction * Affidavit * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “My concern with this opening is that it feels a bit choppier than it needs to because information and context is dribbled out rather than just situating us cleanly the first time a concept is described. There’s not much to be gained by forcing the reader to piece everything together. Err on the side of being clear the first time around.” Nathan Bransford Note on Heinlein’s Rules Free … Read more