Dean Wesley Smith

The Journal: Good Days

In today’s Journal * I like days like this * Dean mentioned * Watch for my posts * Of Interest * The Numbers I like days like this when I have little to say on the Journal and few items in “Of Interest.” Those days enable me to post this Journal early and get back to the novel sooner. Just a hint: if you get anything out of these posts, I would appreciate a comment on that. Your comments keep this Journal going. Dean mentioned he got around 5000 words on the first day of the new novel in his … Read more

The Journal: Cigars Are on the Way Out

In today’s Journal * June slipped away * My Cigars Are on the Way Out (sigh) * Of Interest * The Numbers Wow, June slipped away from me. For some reason I confused it with July and thought it had 31 days. My spreadsheet’s all fixed now, after I pawed frantically at my keyboard before I’d even had my coffee. Well, apparently either I or my cigars are on the way out. My BP has my doc worried, so yesterday I canceled my email newsletter from my cigar providers, etc. (My take? It’s always been high, so whatever.) Anyway, my … Read more

The Journal: Gems About Writing

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * Dean Wesley Smith * John Gilstrap * Confidence Matters * Of Interest * The Numbers Quotes of the Day “In this line of work, every moment we live and every person we interact with is a moment of research. More times than not, I find that the really good stuff comes less from studying books than it does from passive listening and watching. It doesn’t take work so much as it takes paying attention.” John Gilstrap “Want to write about quilting? Go where quilters go and then shut up and listen.” … Read more

The Journal: Whalin’s 10 Publishing Myths

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * Whalin’s 10 Publishing Myths (a review) * Of Interest * The Numbers Quotes of the Day “A Lisbon, Portugal court just ruled that rather than the ‘official’ 17,000 COVID deaths reported by the health ministries, only 152 actually died of COVID.” Russell Blake Now there’s a current story idea if I ever saw one. “Experience the place through your characters’ eyes [ears, nose, etc. and] … Speak to the senses.” Erika Liodice I recommend Blake’s post on the push to vaccinate children too, especially now that the president seems to be … Read more

The Journal: In Memory of Casey

In today’s Journal * In memory of Casey * Bestselling Author Russell Blake * I got a very brief start * Of Interest * The Numbers In Memory of Casey As most of you probably know, it’s difficult to lose a little friend who’s been with you awhile. Forgive me the lack of talk about writing today. As this really is my only outlet, I want to devote part of this space to that special little guy. Casey, our little Chihuahua-mix pup, passed yesterday at around 15 years old. He was probably a couple of years old when we got … Read more

The Journal: Weird and Weirder

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * Weird and Weirder * The monsoons are here * Topic: Deciding Who You Are * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “If you could go on a no-return trip into the future, say hundreds of years, would you? And why would you do that?” story prompt from Dean Wesley Smmith Weird. I couldn’t help but notice the novel wrapped on Writing Day 14. That seems to happen a lot. Talk about an active creative subconscious! It even crossed my mind that maybe my creative subconscious was jerking me … Read more

The Journal: The Novel Wrapped, But

In today’s Journal * The Novel Wrapped, But * Of Interest * The Numbers Well, the first Wes Crowley gap novel, Assignment: Brownsville, wrapped as a short novel at 36,000 words. Per usual, I ran a spell check and sent it off to my first readers. The thing is (as I keep saying), every novel writes differently. No more than maybe five minutes after I sent this one out to my first readers I experienced the overpowering urge to pull it back and add a chapter (late in the story) in which the POV switches to the bad guy down … Read more

The Journal: Quotes and Of Interest

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * Not much * Of Interest * The Numbers Quotes of the Day “Pace is the speed at which your narrative unfolds. There is a kind of unspoken (hence undefended and unexamined) belief in publishing circles that the most commercially successful stories and novels are fast-paced. Like so many unexamined beliefs in the publishing business, this idea is largely bullshit. … I believe each story should be allowed to unfold at its own pace, and that pace is not always double time.” Stephen King (and bravo!) “Life minus x equals death. Solve … Read more

The Journal: You Can’t Sell an Idea

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * Be sure to read * Topic: You Can’t Sell an Idea * Of Interest * The Numbers Quotes of the Day “Waiting rarely makes things easier. Most of the time, waiting makes things harder. The right time is now.” Farnam Street Brain Food “The kiss originated when the first male reptile licked the first female reptile, implying in a subtle, complimentary way that she was as succulent as the small reptile he had for dinner the night before.” F. Scott Fitzgerald “I’ve had a sign over my typewriter for over 25 … Read more

The Journal: A Cat Picture

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * A Little More on Censorship * A Breath of Fresh Air (and Cat Shoulders) * Of Interest * The Numbers Quotes of the Day “Sometimes you have to go on when you don’t feel like it, and sometimes you’re doing good work when it feels like all you’re managing is to shovel sh*t from a sitting position.” Stephen King “I wish that future novelists would reject the pressure to write for the betterment of society. Art is not media. … We need characters in novels to be bree to range into … Read more