Craft of Writing

A Good Question, and Punctuation

In today’s Journal * A Good Question * Punctuation * Of Interest A Good Question In a comment on “An Email, and You Who Disagree,” Chynna P wrote “[D]oes this mean you’ll stop writing the Journal soon?” I doubt many read the comments, so I thought I’d respond in today’s edition of the Journal. (I hadn’t planned to post an edition today at all.) First, thanks to Chynna for the question. She read the post correctly, but the answer is, I honestly don’t know. I’m not getting any younger, and I’d really rather fashion an intentional end to my contribution … Read more

The Journal: Glitches in Writing

In today’s Journal * A Bit of Fun * Topic: Glitches in Writing * A Storyteller * Of Interest A Bit of Fun For a bit of fun, check how well you really observe. See “The Changing Room Illusion” at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TXk-Oc35oN4. It’s a very short video. Topic: Glitches in Writing This topic is based on James Scott Bell’s post (see “Of Interest”) and his question: “What little things bug you when you see them in a book?” I’ve talked before about studying the language and the craft and using both to convey the story to the best of your current … Read more

The Daily Journal, Saturday, August 3

In today’s Journal * Thought of the Day * Topic: The Art of Writing Flash Fiction * Daily diary * Of Interest * The numbers Thought of the Day “[S]cience fiction should be less about predicting the future than observing the present.” A purported belief of Ursula K. Le Guin in New Documentary Focuses on Ursula K. Le Guin. Topic: The Art of Writing Flash Fiction Although you can find The Art of Writing Flash Fiction at both Amazon, Smashwords, and other major ebook outlets, today I thought I’d present it for you here free. I’ve written flash fiction for … Read more