The Journal, Saturday, 7/29

Hey Folks, Well, the good new is, the intensive will go. We have four hearty souls signed up. There are four slots left. If anyone else wants in and you’re local, email me. (Please don’t fly in, etc. No need. If this goes as well as I expect, I’ll put it on audio later and make it available for sale to the public at something of a discount.) *** I went to bed and read for about an hour last night (Raymond Chandler stuff, of Philip Marlowe fame). Then some moron got his vehicle stuck on the dirt road that … Read more

The Journal, Friday, 7/28

Hey Folks, I get a lot of questions that I can answer, in general, with this one sentence: “In storytelling, no single aspect is more important than the ability to pull the reader into the story and keep him there.” I’m hoping to teach an intensive on how exactly to do that in the near future. The intensive will be geared for no more than 8 attendees. Two writers are already signed up. I’ll cover Openings, Hooks, Grounding the Reader in the Story, Physical and Emotional Cliffhangers, and Pacing. Given time, I’ll talk a little about Endings as well. The … Read more

The Journal, Thursday, 7/27

Hey Folks, If you’re into Orwellian stuff, it’s on the increase around us pretty much day by day. For one more than excellent example of DoubleSpeak, see today’s “Of Interest.” Today, and Writing Just a travel day today. I got up really late (for me) so no writing even for an hour or so this morning. There’s a chance I could write after we get home, but I’ll just call this a non-writing day. IF I’m home early enough to write and IF I write, I’ll update this before it actually posts. Otherwise, back tomorrow. Nope. No writing today. Too … Read more

The Journal, Wednesday, 7/26

Hey Folks, Had a very nice email last night and this morning from a reader and writer about a story I wrote. Frankly, I don’t remember the story, though I recognized the title. She wrote with a question, but was also kind enough to say the story had “amazing detail” and was “an amazing example of pacing.” Who knew? It was a great compliment and a total score. (grin) Anyway, we’ll visit two more uncles today, then are considering having supper with another before heading back home. We miss our 4-legged babies. We’re also considering staying one more night since … Read more

The Journal, Tuesday, 7/25

Hey Folks, Yesterday on the trip over here, a line in a famous song touched me. I casually said, “That could be my next novel.” My wife said it probably should be. I won’t divulge here what the line is, but later, in the hotel room while checking email, I happened across this from The Passive Voice: “Nothing is original” at http://www.thepassivevoice.com/2017/07/nothing-is-original/. Nothing is original. Steal from anywhere that resonates with inspiration or fuels your imagination. Devour old films, new films, music, books, paintings, photographs, poems, dreams, random conversations, architecture, bridges, street signs, trees, clouds, bodies of water, light and … Read more

The Journal, Monday, 7/24

Hey Folks, On the road today, our first travel day. It’s only about six hours, but six hours these days is what ten or twelve used to be. I’ll add to this if I’m able and have something relevant to say. Topic: A Few Thoughts on Characters It’s funny, in a way, how we (humans) — especially writers, with characters running around in our heads — often tend to think of other humans in one-dimensional terms. Not long ago, a friend asked whether I appreciated beauty as expressed in my photos while I was still in the Marine Corps. My … Read more

The Journal, Sunday, 7/23

Hey Folks, Well, my kitten is all right. I won’t go into details, but my wife and I considered putting off our trip (with nonrefundable hotel stays already paid for) to stay here with her. Thanks to my bride for considering doing that. (She brought the subject up.) I’m always torn when I (or we) leave. It’s better for Bit and the other two babies to stay here in familiar surroundings. But it’s always difficult on me, being away from her for any length of time. I’ve never been quite selfish enough to take her with me, but I’ve been … Read more

The Journal, Saturday, 7/22

Hey Folks, Just a placeholder today. My little girl doesn’t feel well, so Dad’s hanging around the house, staying close. Some things just take priority. The baby asks so little and she’s so precious to me. Today, and Writing Nada. Nonwriting day Back tomorrow. Of Interest Nothing that I found. Fiction Words: XXXX Nonfiction Words: 50 (Journal) So total words for the day: 50 Writing of Graham’s Road (tentative title, novel or novella) Words brought forward…… 1070 Day 1…… 3012 words. Total words to date…… 4082 Day 2…… 2675 words. Total words to date…… 6757 Day 3…… 2181 words. Total … Read more

The Journal, Friday, 7/21

Hey Folks, Nothing much to talk about today. I should be back in a day or two with a topic or three. Oh, I do have a book in a new bundle. The Dystopia Bundle at BundleRabbit. You can get 11 great stories (so the curator says) for only $3.99. A good value no matter how you cut it. For details, please check https://bundlerabbit.com/b/alpha-one/. Here’s a picture: Today, and Writing Got out to the Hovel a little later than I did yesterday. That, combined with a strange necessity to do very little, slowed the pace of my writing and today’s … Read more

The Journal, Thursday, 7/20

Hey Folks, I’m so excited about this first bit I can barely breathe. Truly a drop-the-mic moment. Via The Digital Reader (Thanks, Nate!) you can now download and read — FREE — a huge archive of Amazing Stories magazines. They are available in several formats, and both Kindle and PDF downloaded quickly for me. If you like SF, this is a treasure trove. If you want to study masterful writers, this is an atomic treasure trove. (And please, if you think you have to want to write SF to learn from masterful SF writers, you shouldn’t have access to sharp … Read more