Atlas Obscura

The Journal: A Change to the Journal

In today’s Journal * Yesterday’s Journal * You’ll notice I’ve switched * Authors in My Novels * The writing slowed again today, but * Of Interest * The Numbers The Journal that went live on Nov 12 I actually posted on Nov 11. Not sure why it didn’t go out until the 12th. Anyway, I thought it was an important one. Frankly, I’m surprised I got such a small response on that one. (Thanks, Patrick.) I thought everyone would find it useful if not illuminating. Mark it up to reader taste, I suppose. Who knew reader taste worked for writing … Read more

The Journal: A Conundrum

In today’s Journal * Digital Marketing Assistance * Karen Riggs * Odd. At roughly the 2/3 point * Of Interest * The Numbers Over at The Passive Voice today, among other articles, was one titled “Should You Hire a Social Media Assistant?” See https://www.thepassivevoice.com/should-you-hire-a-social-media-assistant/. The article was written by Barbara Linn Probst as a guest post for Jane Friedman. If this topic interests you, I also encourage you to read the comments. For one digital marketing and/or virtual assistant possibility, see https://www.pub-craft.com/. I’m not recommending them, only mentioning them. I encourage you to key “digital marketing” and/or “virtual assistant” into … Read more

The Journal: A New Writer Resource

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * A new writer resource * I haven’t written * Of Interest * The Numbers Quotes of the Day “I truly believe subscribing to MasterClass and getting a wide exposure to A-List resources can do a lot for you as a writer.” Garry Rodgers A lady named Carol Briggs emailed me yesterday with a breath of fresh air. Carol is a self-described youth services librarian and educator. In her email, she asked, on behalf of a young student named Anna, whether I’d be willing to add Theater Seat Services to my Writer … Read more

The Journal: Election Day

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * Today Is Election Day * Another great day of writing * Of Interest * The Numbers Quotes of the Day “The cat sat on the mat is not the opening of a plot. The cat sat on the dog’s mat is.” John LeCarre “The thing I like best about being a writer is the escape it provides.” Yer Uncle Harv Today is election day. I know, old news. But if you live in the United States, this is probably the most important election day of your life. Today the citizenry and … Read more

The Journal: I Guess I’m Smug

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * I love a writing challenge * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “Maybe you can be smug when you can actually write 50,000 words of fiction in a month again. When was the last time you did that?” A guy named Steve in a comment on my October 23 post I was going to write a whole thing about what it’s like to be challenged with a personal affront by a person for whom you’re trying to do a favor, but I spent enough time on that in … Read more

The Journal: “Turnaround” and Links

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * “Turnaround” Finished * My friend Robert S. * Not a lot, but links * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “The most regretful people on earth are those… who felt their own creative power restive and uprising, and gave to it neither power nor time.” Mary Oliver As advertised, I played a little yesterday and finished “Turnaround.” I wasn’t sure of the title when I started (it was just what occurred to me) but the reason for the title became clear as the story wrapped up. (grin) I … Read more

The Journal: Writing, and Story Ideas

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * Not a lot * Thank you * What is a Y gate? * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “Simply put, adding information, such as a message or data, to a particle in one location will make the data appear at the other location: the essence of teleportation.” Dan Hurley quoting on the forthcoming quantum internet Not a lot in today’s Journal. I’m posting today mostly for what’s in “Of Interest.” I wrote a little on the short story yesterday, but (again) I forgot to get caught up … Read more

The Journal: Better Than Usual

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * Update on my construction woes * Better than usual * Of Interest * The Numbers Quotes of the Day “A successful runner doesn’t see the finish line in a race; he sees ten yards beyond it. That’s his goal and the visualization keeps him moving beyond the expected end. A good writer does the same thing – pushes beyond the obvious limit to ensure a successful conclusion.” Dan Baldwin in “The Long and Short of Endings” (To subscribe free email baldco@msn.com.) “Don’t think about making art, just get it done. Let … Read more

The Journal: Cultural Appropriation

In today’s Journal * “Cultural Appropriation”… whatever * Of Interest * The Numbers I’m a little under the weather and not in a good mood besides, so I’ll keep this short. In fact, I’m publishing it at all mostly to get the “Of Interest” stuff out to you. I was going to write a whole long rant on so-called “cultural appropriation” but I changed my mind. Aren’t you glad? Suffice to say, the actual purpose of a phrase like “cultural appropriation” is to intimidate and infuriate, not to effect actual change. To make that vein on the forehead bulge in … Read more

The Journal: October Already and TMI

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * The first of… October? * The return of Blackwell Ops 8 * A little personal good news * Of Interest * The Numbers Quotes of the Day “I make no conscious effort to be tough, or hard-boiled, or grim, or any of the things I am usually called. I merely try to write as the character would write.” James M. Cain in the preface to Three of a Kind “[M]y style is rural rather than urban; my ear seems to like fields better than streets. I am glad of this, for … Read more