Dean Wesley Smith

The Daily Journal, Friday, March 15

In today’s Journal ▪ New release and this morning ▪ Just a reminder… ProWritersWriting blog ▪ Daily diary ▪ Of Interest ▪ The numbers Blackwell Ops 2: Charles Claymore Task released this morning, so I uploaded it to BundleRabbit. This morning I’ll put together a few blog posts for Sunday through Tuesday (just in case). Then while I’m gone it will be just like I’m here except the fiction numbers below won’t change over those 2 or 3 days. But they should take a nice leap when I get back. *** Just a reminder… the PWW blog goes live on … Read more

The Daily Journal, Tuesday, March 12

In today’s Journal ▪ Topic: Reader Taste Revisited ▪ Daily diary ▪ Of Interest ▪ The numbers Topic: Reader Taste Revisited Well, I started a minor firestorm with my offhand comment in my post “On Readers’ ‘Taste’ and Writers’ Ability” over at https://harveystanbrough.com/pro-writers/on-readers-taste…-writers-ability/. (grin) The point of the article was based on a simple but solid premise: that all fiction writers who are (or profess to be or want to be) professionals are responsible for their own work and should strive to learn how to keep readers in their stories. After all, if every unfinished reading experience can be marked … Read more

The Daily Journal, Monday, March 11

In today’s Journal ▪ Daily diary ▪ Of Interest ▪ The numbers Rolled out at 2 and found some amazing stuff for “Of Interest.” If you write fiction and have the means, consider signing up for Dean’s Anthology Workshop for next year. I’m a little stuck on the WIP. Somewhere along the way I lost interest in it. I’ve done this enough to know that means somewhere along the way the story veered in a wrong direction. So at 4 when I opened the file, I scrolled up to the top and started reading. I’m not even cycling. Just reading. … Read more

The Daily Journal, Saturday, March 9

In today’s Journal ▪ Update on my challenge ▪ On Daylight Saving Time ▪ Daily diary ▪ Of Interest ▪ The numbers In today’s “Of Interest,” Dean Wesley Smith talks about firing up his challenge again. And again, I picked up a gem that helped me. At the moment and for the past few days, all three of my sons are visiting. I’m blessed. All are adults and successful in their own right, and each has a (very) unique personality. I love that about them, so I’m trying not to miss even a single moment of observing those personalities while … Read more

The Daily Journal, Thursday, March 7

In today’s Journal ▪ Daily diary and challenge stuff ▪ Of Interest ▪ The numbers Rolled out at 3 this morning, per my internal clock. So far it’s a great but slow morning. One of my first readers read Blackwell Ops last night and responded already. Very fast. I applied his corrections and one suggestion. Then I completed a quick first-page critique for another writer and got that sent off. (I do still offer a free critique of up to about the first 500 words of your WIP, if anyone’s interested. Just email me.) After that I read a lot … Read more

The Daily Journal, Tuesday, March 5

In today’s Journal ▪ Update on Pro Writers Writing ▪ An experiment ▪ Topic: Reader Taste (Revisited) ▪ Daily diary ▪ Of Interest ▪ The numbers Well, the subscription form wasn’t working out. Each time I updated it, it disappeared. So if you’ve subscribed, please do so again. To subscribe, visit http://prowriterswriting.com and click Subscribe vis Email in the menu. We’re growing! Yesterday we added Terry Odell, and this morning we added Dawn M. Turner. *** It’s kind of hard to gauge how the experiment is going. Of course, I’m only one day in. When I’m writing, the story’s going … Read more

The Daily Journal, Saturday, March 2

In today’s Journal ▪ Update on my challenge ▪ Topic: An Admission ▪ Daily diary ▪ Of Interest ▪ The numbers Man, a short day yesterday, and maybe a short day today and tomorrow. One of my sons and his wife and children are visiting. So I’ll visit. (grin) Meanwhile, time’s running out on my current novel (for the challenge). I’m also feeling a need for breaks more and more often, not from the WIP, but from the overall challenge. For the first time, I feel like I might not finish this one by the target date of March 6. … Read more

The Daily Journal, Monday, February 25

In today’s Journal ▪ Update on PWW ▪ Thanks in spades ▪ The Hovel, Part 2 ▪ My special offer stands ▪ Daily diary (and pictures!) ▪ Of Interest ▪ The numbers I received notice this morning that we have our first new subscriber who isn’t also a contributor at Professional Writers Writing. Woohoo! If you haven’t subscribed yet, I hope you will. And I hope you’ll tell all your writer friends. I think PWW is really going to be a big deal, a go-to source for writing information, advice and inspiration. *** Thanks for all the comments recently on … Read more

The Daily Journal, Saturday, February 23

In today’s Journal ▪ Topic: Paragraphing ▪ A Special Offer (I’m feeling generous) ▪ Daily diary ▪ Of Interest ▪ The numbers Topic: Paragraphing Despite what most of us heard in school, you don’t have to keep everything about a particular topic in one massive paragraph. Especially in fiction. And blog posts. In fiction, you should begin a new paragraph every time a different character speaks. Most everybody knows that. You should also begin a new paragraph when the scene or setting changes (even in the same setting, even a little). The primary benefit of shorter paragraphs (say up to … Read more

The Daily Journal, Friday, February 22

In today’s Journal ▪ MurderCon registration opening soon ▪ Daily diary and general rambling ▪ Of Interest ▪ The numbers Registration for MurderCon, presented by Writers’ Police Academy, opens this coming Sunday. For information, see https://www.writerspoliceacademy.com/classes-available/. *** Up at a little after 3 to a rainy, drizzly morning. And the rain’s supposed to turn to snow later. According to those who profess to know, we’re supposed to get 6″ before it’s all done. Not something we’re used to here, but it’s only weather. It will be 70 degrees here by the middle of next week. Of course, today many of … Read more