In Today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * Setting, and Characters’ Opinions: 2 * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “An opening line should invite the reader to begin the story. It should say: Listen. Come in here. You want to know about this.” Stephen King Setting, and Characters’ Opinions: 2 To read Part 1 on the website, click Setting and Characters’ Opinions, Part 1. To read it on the TNDJ Substack click here. As I was saying yesterday about the “difference between the story (content) and the presentation (form),” everything starts with differentiating the two. … Read more

In Today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * Setting, and Characters’ Opinions, Part 1 * Reopening the Mentorships * Of Interest * The Numbers Setting, and Characters’ Opinions, Part 1 I recently received a couple of questions from a young writer. Since we are not engaged in a formal mentorship, I asked whether I could use his email and an example he sent in another email for TNDJ. He graciously agreed, so this is Part 1 of our exchange. Part 2 will follow tomorrow. I suspect there will also be a Part 3. Chances are good you want to … Read more

In Today’s Journal * Dan’s Seven Rules for Ghostwriters * The Numbers Dan’s Seven Rules for Ghostwriters a guest post by Dan Baldwin I have written more than 100 published books, but nine of ten have someone else’s name on the cover. A few have an “With Dan Baldwin” or “As Told To Dan Baldwin” on the cover, but my credit line, if at all, usually appears in the Acknowledgements printed upside down in the Cuneiform alphabet. And that’s okay. Credit lines are a commodity and they’re useful if you can get them, but ghostwriters are in the business to … Read more

In Today’s Journal * The TNDJ Challenges Report * Chapter Heads * Of Interest * The Numbers 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 drive yourself to the computer or legal pad and write fiction. It’s also a great way to build and maintain a streak. As if writing more and better fiction isn’t enough, I even offer prizes. To see those, please visit The NEW TNDJ Challenges. … Read more

In Today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * Yes, There’s a Sequel * Why I Don’t Like Critique Groups * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “Substitute ‘damn’ every time you’re inclined to write ‘very’; your editor will delete it and the writing will be just as it should be.” Attributed to Mark Twain Yes, There’s a Sequel As I’ve said a few times recently, if you download the free novel The 13-Month Turn (use the coupon code RRKV66BOWU) I’ll send you a free copy of “The Stipplesuit” as well. The former has a well-depicted lunar … Read more

In Today’s Journal * A New Short Story * TNDJ Contests Reminder * A Few Folks Have… * A Review Yesterday * Of Interest * The Numbers A New Short Story “The Dunlap-Denman Hit” went live yesterday at 10 a.m. on my Stanbrough Writes Substack. Go check it out. It’s free. I write across the genres. This story is the last one for at least awhile set in the Blackwell Ops world. If you enjoy the story, please click Like. Comments are welcome too. Both help with my Substack algorithms. Then tell Everyone else. Gracias. TNDJ Contests Reminder Today is … Read more

In Today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * Copyright (Read This) * A First-Time Occurrence * 400 Pages, One Sentence? * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “So many of our dreams at first seem impossible, then they seem improbable, and then, when we summon the will, they soon become inevitable.” Christopher Reeve Copyright (Read This) According to Dave Chesson, the Kindlepreneur, from the recent $1.5 billion settlement of Bartz v. Anthropic, the rights holders of those books that were scraped are now eligible for payments of around $3k per title. You can check the official … Read more

In Today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * The Novel Wrapped * The Value of Averages * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “I have to write to be happy whether I get paid for it or not. But it is a hell of a disease to be born with. I like to do it. Which is even worse. That makes it from a disease into a vice. Then I want to do it better than anybody has ever done it which makes it into an obsession.” Ernest Hemingway, in a letter to Charles Scribner, dateline … Read more

In Today’s Journal * Welp * Writing Longhand? * Ongoing Offers * Of Interest * The Numbers Welp The novel didn’t wrap yesterday, but the characters handed me the ending. So it will wrap today. Oh, and on the admin side the Stanbrough Writes Substack is populated with short stories out through the end of February 2026. I plan to finish at least out through December 2026. After that we’ll see. Writing Longhand? A writer emailed me, “I’m out of town this week and next and my schedule has been completely thrown off course. … I’ve been writing on my … Read more

In Today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * Awhile Back, a Young Writer * My Best Advice for Fiction Writers * The Numbers Quote of the Day “They who dream by day are cognizant of many things which escape those who dream only by night.” From Edgar Allan Poe’s “Eleonora” Awhile Back, a Young Writer emailed to ask whether I would copyedit a short story collection for him. Initially I said I would. Then I read one of his stories via his Substack. It was a good story, but the presentation dragged it down: I was not invited into … Read more