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

In Today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * The Bradbury Challenge * Yet Another Lesson, Part 2, from BO-40: John Staple * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “There is nothing like being pleased with your own efforts—and this is the best stage—before it is published and begins to be misunderstood.” Flannery O’Connor The Bradbury Challenge During the past week, in addition to whatever other fiction they’re writing, the following writers reported these new stories: Balázs Jámbor “Good luck and bad luck” 2200 General Fiction Vanessa V. Kilmer “Pull My Finger” 3022 Farce Alexander Nakul “Tabloid” … Read more

In Today’s Journal * Yet Another Lesson from Blackwell Ops 40: John Staple * Of Interest * The Numbers Yet Another Lesson from Blackwell Ops 40: John Staple In recent posts I’ve included at least two excerpts from Blackwell Ops 40: John Staple, the short novel I just finished. I provided those as learning opportunities. The thing is, often I don’t think to pass along ‘lessons’ others might find of value because they’re practices that, at this point, I more or less take for granted. By that I mean I no longer think of them consciously, or I assume the … Read more

In Today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * A New Short Story * Bradbury Reminder * The Novel Wrapped * Note * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “One cannot grow fine flowers in a thin soil.” Virginia Woolf “If people believe in themselves, it’s amazing what they can accomplish.” Sam Walton A New Short Story “Old Times” went live yesterday at 10 a.m. on my Stanbrough Writes Substack. Go check it out. It’s free. If I remember right, that’s a Stern Talbot PI short story. (I went back and read it. It is a PI … Read more

In Today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * Re Steven James’ Story Trumps Structure * Musings on the Writing * Still Offering * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “When people ask me if I went to film school, I tell them, ‘No, I went to films.’” Quentin Tarantino Re Steven James’ Story Trumps Structure Writer Sebastian left a thorough comment you might want to read. My endorsement of the book doesn’t mean I agree with everything James says. If I considered buying it based only on the ten points in the comment, I wouldn’t have … Read more

In Today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * The Value of Humor and Interruptions * A Rare Promotion for Another Writing Instructor * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “[P]ublication is not all it is cracked up to be. But writing is.” Ann Lamott Thanks to Bob B. for this excellent quote. The Value of Humor and Interruptions Check out this lengthy excerpt from my current novel. You weel fin’ a leetle more dialec’ een thees wahn too (grin): After the hostess seated us and gave us each a menu and a glass of icewater with … Read more

In Today’s Journal * On Serialized Fiction * A Book of One’s Own * For Anyone Who Missed It * Writing Effective Dialect, Part 5 * Of Interest * The Numbers On Serialized Fiction In Of Interest below, Vin Zandri talks about a new platform where you can serialize your fiction. I’ve always been interested in serializing my novels. If you are too, be sure to also check out this Laterpress article: The Complete Guide to Writing Serial Fiction In the article, the author explains serial fiction and also lists several platforms (but note that Kindle Vella is no longer … Read more

In Today’s Journal * Writing Effective Dialect, Part 4 * A Note from Dan Baldwin * Remember the Run With Harvey Challenge? * Of Interest * The Numbers Writing Effective Dialect, Part 4 Word Sequence and Misused Words Sometimes dialect (character voice) is conveyed through a stiff, clunky response (e.g., no contractions). Other times it’s conveyed using words in a different order than a native speaker would use. Juxtaposition matters. A close friend of mine who was born in Mexico and whose native language was Mexican Spanish had trouble with prepositions when he spoke in English. For example, if you … Read more

In Today’s Journal * The Bradbury Challenge * Report on a Ten-Day Challenge * Of Interest * The Numbers 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 story per week. Feel free to jump in at any time. During the past week, in addition to whatever other fiction they’re writing, the following writers reported these new stories: Balázs Jámbor “Guest pictures” 2000 General Fiction Balázs Jámbor “Dear shine of my eyes” 2200 Contemporary Balázs Jámbor “Asking … Read more