Dean Wesley Smith

The Journal: Update: Game On

In today’s Journal * Update: Game On * Topic: Inventory * More and more patrons * Today * Of Interest * The Numbers Update: Game On I reached out to a writer who has attended the Master Business Class and asked him whether anyone there talked politics during the sessions. His answer was a resounding No. He wrote “at the beginning of both Vegas workshops I attended, they announced that there was to be absolutely NO discussion of politics or religion inside or outside of the classroom. They said they have sent people home for doing so.” Good enough. I … Read more

The Journal: On Efficiency and Establishing Habits

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * Topic: On Efficiency and Establishing Habits (and a Bit on Today) * Yesterday I picked up * Toward the end of the day * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “I’m not a young man. I’m old, tired and full of no coffee.” Raymond Chandler, in Playback I can totally relate. (grin) Topic: On Efficiency and Establishing Habits (and a Bit on Today) Yesterday, Mona noted that the recurrent theme in my personal notes over the years has been scheduling. She’s right, and that was an epiphany for … Read more

The Journal, Saturday, November 2

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * After slacking off * Topic: A Few Thoughts on Publishing * Today * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “When in doubt, have a man come through the door with a gun in his hand.” Raymond Chandler *** After slacking off for a couple of hours yesterday, I decided to go ahead and publish “Seven Minutes in Belfast.” This is a fast-paced thriller in a tight package. If you want to study tight pacing and how to delve deep into your protagonist’s psyche all in a small package, … Read more

The Journal, Friday, November 1

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * Finished * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “The more you reason the less you create.” Raymond Chandler (wise words from another Stage 5 master) Finished the short story. I’ll call it “Seven Minutes in Belfast.” It’s a fast-paced story in the Blackwell Ops world. I wrote only a little over 500 words (the opening) yesterday, then had my doctor appointment and basically lost interest for the rest of the day. I can’t remember the last time a short story spilled over from one day to the next. … Read more

The Journal, Thursday, October 31

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * Genres and Audiences * I’m writing again! * Yesterday * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “Don’t ever write anything you don’t like yourself and if you do like it, don’t take anyone’s advice about changing it. They just don’t know.” Raymond Chandler For a great series of descriptions of the commercial genres and appropriate audiences by age, download my free Genres and Audiences at https://harveystanbrough.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Genres-and-Audiences.pdf. Note: this was derived from “Genre: A Novel’s Flavor” ©2019 Modupeh Duncan for AuthorsPublish.com *** I’m writing again! This morning I started … Read more

The Journal, Monday, October 28

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * I wasn’t going to * Topic: In My Personal Restructuring… * Today * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day-in and day-out.” Robert Collier I wasn’t going to post today. Need to give my left hand a few more days of healing time. But today’s “Of Interest” is important. Topic: In My Personal Restructuring… yesterday I figured out a few things: 1. How to Climb Back on Heinlein’s Rules Daily word count goal = 2500 wpd (on average). This is … Read more

The Journal, Saturday, October 26

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * Yesterday * Today * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “Always believe in courage, virtue and honor, that good always triumphs over evil, that true love never dies — because those are things worth believing in.” Hub in the film, Secondhand Lions *** Yesterday, despite my best intentions, I didn’t even return to my WIP to figure out what to do with it. I let too many other things get in the way. I did take a good 2-mile hike, so there’s that. Today and for the next … Read more

The Journal, Tuesday, October 22

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * Horrible Quote of the Day * Today * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, and die gallantly. Specialization is for insects.” Robert A. Heinlein Horrible Quote of the … Read more

The Journal, Thursday, October 17

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * Topic: On “IP Accelerators” and Other Ridiculous Notions * Chances are * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day First, some preparatory remarks. Back on October 8, I came across an article titled “Amazon Intellectual Property Accelerator.”  I listed it in the “Of Interest” section that day. When I mentioned the article to a knowledgeable friend, he shook his head. “Yup. Lawyers now making money off of baby writers. Go figure.” His comment stuck with me, so I figured it was time to write a topic on the subject. … Read more

The Journal, Tuesday, October 15

In today’s Journal * I caught my breath * Yesterday * Of Interest * The Numbers I caught my breath when “Intellectual Property: The Big Picture for Authors” popped into my inbox this morning. (First item in “Of Interest” below.) Could this be a post about (gasp) licensing? And one that’s not from Kris Rusch or Dean Smith? It is. Not only that, it’s posted on Jane Friedman’s site and was written by literary agent Ethan Ellenberg. What? Yeah, I could hardly believe it either. But it’s a great overview, entry-level article. If you read nothing else today, read this … Read more