In Today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * On the POV Character’s Unspoken Thoughts * Guest Posts Welcome * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in!” from the screenplay written by Mario Puzo and Francis Ford Coppola. The line is effectively delivered by actor Al Pacino as Michael Corleone in The Godfather, Part III (1990). On the POV Character’s Unspoken Thoughts A writer asked me a fairly basic question, whether to use quotation marks to set off a POV character’s unspoken thoughts. First, here’s the … Read more

In Today’s Journal * Guest Posts Welcome * The Bradbury Challenge Writers Reporting * One More Comment on Generative AI * Of Interest * The Numbers Guest Posts Welcome I’ll be posting less often. If there’s a writing or publishing topic you know well, consider writing a guest post. I’ll run this notice a few times in the hope that most of you will see it. If you’re in doubt about whether your topic would make a good guest post, queries me at harveystanbrough@gmail.com. Any editing I do will be necessary and light. Also, I’d be happy to link to … Read more

In Today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * Follow-Up Comments re AI * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “As an ace operative for TJ Blackwell and Blackwell Ops, Jack Temple’s favorite bit of self-deception is, ‘Hey, I’m not the carpenter, and I don’t pick which nails to hit. I’m only the hammer.’” from the description for Blackwell Ops 33: Temple’s Way (a nod to the item in Of Interest) Follow-Up Comments re AI From Peter A. “I just this minute noticed pixabay removed their AI content selection from the top right menu. I was afraid … Read more

In Today’s Journal * Admin Note * A New Short Story * Another View on Generative AI * Of Interest * The Numbers Admin Note The Journal Website (by WordPress) is getting more and more iffy. Yesterday I was unable to upload the two Traits charts even though they’re small files. If you currently view TNDJ on the website, I strongly recommend that you switch over to reading it in your inbox or on the Substack. A New Short Story “Mistaken Identity” went live yesterday at 10 a.m. on my Stanbrough Writes Substack. Go check it out. If you enjoy … Read more

In Today’s Journal * My Quotes on Characters * A Chart of Character Traits * On Storystarter Scenes * Of Recent Note * Of Interest * The Numbers My Quotes on Characters To follow up on yesterday’s post, here are some thoughts I’ve had over the years concerning characters: “In fiction, character voice is what matters, and that doesn’t always mean words.” “Let the characters direct the reader. They, not you, are living the story. Never correct the maestro in how to wield the wand.” “My characters always know how to get from A to Z, but why wouldn’t they? … Read more

In Today’s Journal * Tertiary Characters * Secondary Characters * The POV Character(s) * Of Interest * The Numbers Please read Part 1 of this series first either at the Journal website or at the Substack. Tertiary Characters Tertiary characters are typically well-rounded and play a significantly greater role than cardboard characters play, largely to advance the storyline. But in almost every case they advance the storyline by helping reveal the personality and character of the secondary or POV character(s). Tertiary characters are usually on the verge of becoming secondary characters but they don’t quite make the transition. Examples of … Read more

In Today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * On Characters: A Series * Important Notes * Background * Introduction * The Kinds of Characters * Cardboard Characters * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “Character is king. There are probably fewer than six books every century remembered specifically for their plots. People remember characters.” Lee Childs On Characters: A Series Important Notes 1. My booklet Creating Realistic Characters (2011) is an abomination. I’m no longer even giving it away. To those of you who already asked for and received that booklet, my apologies. I recommend you … Read more

In Today’s Journal * My Quote of the Day * TNDJ Thus Far * Low Participation in the Challenges * Regarding Characters * Mentorships Are Open * A Final Note * Of Interest * The Numbers My Quote of the Day “Don’t worry about ‘interrupting’ me. You can’t interrupt someone who writes into the dark. There is no train of thought to derail.” TNDJ Thus Far even though I announced a short while back that I will publish TNDJ less frequently, I’ve posted every day since then. Please don’t trust that. I’ve been posting every day because thus far I’ve … Read more

In Today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * The Bradbury Challenge Writers Reporting * Blackwell Ops 36: Temple’s Dream * Writers Write (On Comfort Zones) * A Fun Day * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “The measure of who we are is what we do with what we have.” Vince Lombardi The Bradbury Challenge Writers Reporting 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. During the past week, in addition to … Read more

In Today’s Journal * Writers Write * The Novel Will Wrap Today * Of Interest * The Numbers Writers Write Diane Darcy Diane Darcy, a prolific, best-selling Romance writer recently wrote, “I’m using pre-orders to put out a book every month. I just started. It works for me too. But I would like to write one every two weeks as well.” It pleases me to report that apparently Diane is shadowing me (maybe, and if so I’m flattered) in the same way I shadowed Dean Wesley Smith for so long. If so, I’m glad for her. More power to her. … Read more