Dean Wesley Smith

The Journal: Decisions, Decisions

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * I started writing * Decisions, decisions… * The Numbers Quotes of the Day “Traditional publishing and selling physical books are, in the 21st century, narrow-margin operations without a lot of room for error or financial difficulties.” The Passive Guy “[E]ven fools can often recognize a death spiral.” The Passive Guy, talking about the book business, but easily relatable to other endeavors as well “Leonard, we know you’re great, we just don’t know if you’re any good.” CBS Records President and CEO Walter Yetnikoff to Leonard Cohen, as reported by Joe Hartlaub … Read more

The Journal: Story Ideas

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * Topic: Story Ideas * A slow start * The Numbers Quote of the Day “A government of, by, and for the people requires that people talk to people, that we can agree to disagree but do so in civility. If we let the politicians and those who report dictate our discourse, then our course will be dictated.” Donna Brazile (thanks to the Passive Guy) Note: Beyond hinting at censorship, the Quote of the Day has nothing to do with writing. I included it only because it is so closely related to … Read more

The Journal: Most generations are given a fight

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * Most generations are given a fight * Taking a Break with JPS Brown * Finished the novel * Thank you * The Numbers Quotes of the Day “Traditional publishing has a highly-conflicted view of libraries. They have the idea that a high percentage of borrowers would buy their books if it were unable to conveniently borrow them from a library.” The Passive Guy “[T]he impulse to silence the opinions of or “deplatform” others has experienced a troubling resurgence of late, at least in some myopic intellectual bubbles in the United States.” … Read more

The Journal: What We Keep

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * There are links to several * Topic: What We Keep * The Numbers Quotes of the Day “Hahahahahaha!! What??? Me and you grumpy?” anonymous, a friend responding to yesterday’s Journal post “I have no trouble accepting my own flaws. It’s other people who have a problem with that.” Wes Crowley There are links to several very good articles in today’s “Of Interest” section. I hope you’ll take the time to click through and visit some of them. Topic: What We Keep For close to a year after I learned the technique … Read more

The Journal: Feedback and Thinking Out Loud

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * One astute reader noticed * Feedback on my negativity * I didn’t have as good a day * Just thinking out loud * The Numbers Quotes of the Day “I think some aspects of writing can be taught. Obviously, you can’t teach vision or talent. But you can help with comfort.” Toni Morrison (via The Passive Voice) One astute reader mentioned she noticed that although I finished the recast of Book 4 of the FOH series earlier this month, my novel total for 2021 still indicates 0. That’s true, but it … Read more

The Journal: Gripes of the Day

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * Gripes of the Day * The Numbers Quote of the Day “[I]f an artist of any kind sits around waiting for inspiration, he’ll have a very small body of work. Inspiration usually comes during work, rather than before it.” Madeline L’Engle Gripes of the Day Gripe 1 “Writing may be art, but publishing, when all is said and done, comes down to dollars.” Nicholas Sparks Okay, first, duh. Do people never grow weary of stating an obvious fact as if no one’s ever said it before? Second and more importantly, does … Read more

The Journal: Writer Seeks Actual Publisher

In today’s Journal * Topic: Writer Seeks Actual Publisher * Wimped out a little * The Numbers Topic: Writer Seeks Actual Publisher A couple days ago I posted about numbers, and yesterday I posted about priorities. Who knew I was building up to posting about Heinlein’s Rule 4: “You must publish” (in today’s parlance)? I just read another post about organizing, or rather the consequences of the lack of organization. And I was moved to leave a brief comment. I wrote “For me, at least, that’s why Heinlein’s Rule 4 is so easy to fall off of.” (Yeah, I know. … Read more

The Journal: A Thought on Priorities and Writing

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * Topic: A Thought on Priorities and Writing * Another Note on Numbers * A decent day yesterday * The Numbers Quote of the Day “You don’t need more time, you need more focus.” FS Blog Topic: A Thought on Priorities and Writing When I was a child in New Mexico, I heard a Realtor’s spot on the local radio station: “There will always be more people, but there will never be more land.” The Realtor in question most often dealt in large tracts of land: farms, ranches and the like. And … Read more

The Journal: Writing “Fast”

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * Topic: Writing “Fast” * A dismal day * The Numbers Quotes of the Day “Professional writers think of stories or novels as just one continuous thing they write, never making one or another more important.” Dean Wesley Smith “I usually write a play in six days. A novel takes a month.” William Saroyan Topic: Writing “Fast” Again today I saw a writer trying to define “fast,” as in “Are you a ‘fast’ writer?” To me, this is like defining heat and cold or light and dark. Really, there is no such … Read more

The Journal: Yes, That’s What Happens

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * I’m writing this * Yes. That’s what happens * On an oddly related note * Today I’ll finish cycling and write * The Numbers Quote of the Day “My story began to develop and grow in unexpected ways, much like a baby who resembles neither parent at first but occasionally, even eerily, flashes a crooked smile or gives you that soulful gaze that makes you know you are staring at your spiritual twin.” Sunday Taylor I’m writing this on Thursday morning. I finished the recast of Book 4 by around 7 … Read more