The Journal, Saturday, December 23

Hey Folks, I’m psyched. Even yesterday, in 20° weather, I was thinking what a wonderful day it is to be alive. The same holds true today. I have some great things coming up in the new year. They have nothing to do with traditional new year’s resolutions — those always are losing propositions for me, invitations to fail — but the things I’m looking forward to do have a lot to do with writing (of course). And they’re made bigger and better and more fun by the fact that, other than a few vague ideas floating around in my brain … Read more

The Journal, Friday, December 22

Hey Folks, Well, once again I’m prompted to file another edition of the Journal mostly so I can pass along some information. See “A Christmas Gift” at https://www.deanwesleysmith.com/a-christmas-gift/. I already signed up. There are 8 videos in the lecture. The whole lecture takes a little over an hour. Given the number of gems Dean drops, this will be well worth your time depending on your level as a writer. I watched the whole thing so I could give you a more comprehensive report. Even with all that I’ve done in the past few years, from the vantage point of my … Read more

The Journal, Thursday, December 21

Hey Folks, From The Passive Guy: Barbara Walters: “But what would you do if the doctor gave you only six months to live?” Isaac Asimov: “Type faster.” *** I started the day with a good walk, which was more wandering aimlessly about in the desert out back. Then back home for breakfast and to work on the copyedit. Those of you who wrote regarding the villanelle that Stanley Grill will include in his composition, thank you. I appreciate the kind thoughts. Here’s the poem, in case you want to see it: Roses? When pink and red entwine, their dreams to … Read more

The Journal, Wednesday, December 20

Hey Folks, Probably thirty years ago, right out of the blue, I received an email from a young filmmaker at UCLA. He requested permission to make a short film based on my flash fiction story “At Confession.” Then several years later, so maybe fifteen or twenty years ago, a different filmmaker wrote me with the same request. And it was about the same story. How cool is that? So imagine my thrill when lightning struck for the third time early this morning. Oh, and if you’re a lover of classical music, you’re going to like this. Have you ever heard … Read more

The Journal, Monday, December 18

Hey Folks, Mostly I’m posting today to pass along some stuff in “Of Interest” below. But as long as I’m here, I’ll give you an update on my personal writing stuff as well. My December’s slipping by with not a word of fiction so far. How weird is that? In a way, knowing I could start writing today and have a new novel finished by the end of the year is a liability. In a way. But that probably won’t happen, and it’s all right. I’m allowing everything else in my life to take precedence right now. But that’s by … Read more

The Journal, Saturday, December 16

Hey Folks, Okay, I’ve figuratively traveled some twisted, warped subterranean depths over the past month or so. In that time, I’ve tended to (or dealt with) a lot of tasks that have little if anything to do with writing in any specific way. In fact, they touch writing only in that they added to my general overall experience. I won’t bore you with details. Suffice it to say some of them are tasks that are common in the human experience. There also were a few that I’m glad are not common in the human experience, at least where my friends … Read more

The Journal, Monday, December 11,

Hey Folks, Well, before I even think about returning to my own fiction, I’ve decided to power-through the first half of my latest copyedit to get it finished. The author of the novel and I have agreed that I’ll finish the prepaid first half, then bow out of the project. It’s just too rough. In related news, I’ve recently added several “new” inappropriate tag line verbs to my list. I’ll be publishing those in a topic here soon, and in my ProWriters blog in the future. Not sure when this Journal will go “daily” again, if ever. But I do … Read more

The Journal, Friday, December 8,

Hey Folks, Just some important info for you today, mostly in the first listing below. Via The Passive Voice, see Passive Guy’s comments toward the end of “The Contributions of Publishing’s Conference Contrarians” at http://www.thepassivevoice.com/2017/12/the-contributions-of-publishings-conference-contrarians/. Very informative and heartening. Also of possible interest, see “Astronauts Get Writer’s Block, Too” at http://www.thepassivevoice.com/2017/12/astronauts-get-writers-block-too/. Imagine what Astronaut Scott Kelly could write if only he had learned to trust his subconscious and write off into the dark. Sigh. (Frankly, I’m kind’a ticked off that Margaret Lazarus Dean felt a need to stick that comma in before “too” in the title of the article. Ten … Read more

The Journal, Tuesday, December 5,

Hey Folks, A few days ago, a friend sent me an email: “You think too much.” I could only respond with a smiley face. I do understand why “you think too much” would appear to readers of this Journal to be true. After all, the point of the Journal is to bare the most intimate details and thought processes of my writing life, with the ultimate goal of maybe cutting the learning curve a bit for you, the subscribers. But I assure you, I only think “too much” here, in this Journal. And really, I don’t know that I’m thinking … Read more

The Journal, Saturday, December 2

Hey Folks, I didn’t plan to post again this soon. With my return feeling imminent, though, I figure what harm could it do. A friend wrote to me privately. In his email, he mentioned the desk, said he’d like to see it and wondered whether maybe it has magic powers. Actually, it might have. I thought I’d share my expanded response to him with you. My Desk As I mentioned yesterday, my desk is walnut, stained naturally in a warm medium brown. The finish on the leading edge of the large surface shows some wear, primarily in four places: where … Read more