In Today’s Journal * Today * Of Interest * The Numbers Today is a rough anniversary for me. Two years ago today I lost someone very special. Most of us have lost people who are necessary to our wellbeing, so I won’t burden you with details. My friend and persona, Gervasio Arrancado, put the seed of the thing into a short story. You can read it here if you want to. I’m posting today only to pass along the items in Of Interest. Today also I expect the novel to wrap. Talk with you again soon. Of Interest 8 Ideas … Read more

In Today’s Journal * Your Morning Serial Live! * Readers Comment * Of Interest * The Numbers Your Morning Serial LIVE! Just in case you’ve been otherwise occupied the past few days and don’t know, you can read the novel I’m currently writing—Blackwell Ops 41: León Garras—beginning today at 5 a.m. (Arizona time). Just click Your Morning Serial. Today’s installment includes Chapters 1–3 in around 4500 words. Chapters 4–6 will go live on Saturday, April 12, also at 5 a.m. After that three more chapters will go live every other day until the novel wraps. I decided to start this … Read more

In Today’s Journal * My Quote of the Day * I Devote Entirely Too Much Time… * On Writing Fiction * Of Interest * The Numbers My Quote of the Day “If you want to grow new plants you have to plant new seeds.” Harvey I Devote Entirely Too Much Time to Writing Fiction Yesterday the title for this segment crossed my mind. And it’s probably true. I’m a very organized guy, but I’m also single-minded when it comes to writing fiction. I live to experience my characters’ lives. Especially when the story’s unfolding easily and the words are flowing, … Read more

In Today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * Serious Note 1 * Tongue-in-Cheek Note 2 * An Easter Sale * Update on Novel Serialization * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “Failure will never stand in the way of success if you learn from it.” Hank Aaron Serious Note 1 In Dean’s post (see Of Interest), as a stretch goal for his Poker Boy Kickstarter he’s offering a “focus bundle to learn characterization.” Characterization is important. As you know, I do not advocate doing character sketches or otherwise ‘trying to learn’ (thinking about) characters in advance. … Read more

In Today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * The Bradbury Challenge * A Note from Dave Taylor * Yesterday * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “The faster I write the better my output. If I am going slow, I’m in trouble. It means I am pushing the words instead of being pulled by them.” Raymond Chandler (Thanks to Patrick D for the quote.) The Bradbury Challenge The whole point of the Challenge is to have fun and grow as a writer. There is no cost. The only requirement is to write at least one short … Read more

Oops. Sorry this is late. I forgot to post it after I posted the Substack version. In Today’s Journal * A New Short Story * Bradbury Reminder * Some Maybe Helpful Thoughts on Serialization * The Numbers A New Short Story “One Hot Late Afternoon in a Jungle” went live yesterday at 10 a.m. on my Stanbrough Writes Substack. Go check it out. It’s free. If you enjoy the story, please click Like. Comments are welcome too. Both help with my Substack algorithms. Then tell Everyone else. Bradbury Reminder Today is Saturday. Just a reminder to get your Bradbury Challenge … Read more

In Today’s Journal * Woohoo! * Your Results Might Vary * NaNoWriMo Is Shutting Down * A Quick Survey * Of Interest * The Numbers Woohoo! Yesterday, about the time I finished cycling through what I wrote in the novel yesterday, a friend invited me to write a short story for a pulp fiction paper anthology that’s supposed to come out this summer. So I took a little over two hours to write that (it mostly wrote itself) before I took a short break, then went back to the Hovel to write more on the novel. I love it when … Read more

In Today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * One Example of Character Description * A Quick Survey * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “All you have to do is write one true sentence. Write the truest sentence that you know.” Ernest Hemingway Yeah, I know the above is a repeat, but it’s maybe the best advice Papa ever handed out about writing. One Example of Character Description The two paragraphs in this example comprise the opening of Chapter 4 of my current novel, which I wrote on Tuesday and cycled through on Wednesday. I also … Read more

In Today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * Writing and Storytelling in All Guises * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “You have always written before and you will write now. All you have to do is write one true sentence. Write the truest sentence that you know.” – Ernest Hemingway Writing and Storytelling in All Guises Writing and storytelling come in all guises. Everything depends on nuance. Chances are, if you have a sense of the nuances of language—a sense of the rhythms and of what goes where, when, and why—you can write in either … Read more

In Today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * Sometimes to Start Again * The TNDJ Challenges Revisited * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “[T]his kind of challenge really gets a writer producing stories, novels, and other stuff. Just a regular amount really, really adds up.” Dean Wesley Smith Sometimes to Start Again With every story or novel I start writing, when I finish writing for the day, the act of closing my laptop seems to erect around the story a minor barrier: a parapet or a low wall. Sometimes to start writing again the next … Read more