Dean Wesley Smith

The Journal, Wednesday, October 31

Hey Folks, Man, October flew by. Already. There are a LOT of interesting if a little spooky articles in “Of Interest” today. Don’t miss it. You might want to get your favorite beverage ready before you settle in to read. (grin) Happy All Hallows Eve, everybody. Enjoy. And please be safe. If you actually eat all that extra candy you bought… well, you know. (grin) We live on a side road on the edge of a very small and very socially/religiously segmented (cliqueish) town. And we aren’t part of the primary societal/religious segment, so we don’t get trick or treaters. … Read more

The Journal, Thursday, October 25

Hey Folks, Writing fiction is my escape. It’s fun, and I love nothing more than being shoulder-deep in a story, racing along with my characters, almost breathlessly anticipating what will happen next. It’s so enjoyable for me that I occasionally use writing as a carrot. It dangles from a string, hanging from a stick that’s tied to my balding old head. It’s the only way I can think of to get my muley old butt to pay attention to Heinlein’s Rule 4 and move forward. That will be the case today. No more fiction writing for me until I create … Read more

The Journal, Tuesday, October 23

Hey Folks, On this day in 1983, two suicide bombers in truck bombs attacked the Marine barracks near the airport in Beirut, Lebanon. The attack killed 220 Marines and 21 other service personnel. This was the deadliest attack against US Marines since the battle of Iwo Jima in February 1945. At the same time, another truck bomb attacked a building housing French paratroopers, killing 58. We will not forget. *** Now to writing…. First, a thought to ponder: When we look back at something we’ve written and think it’s good, our first thought is usually “But writers are the worst … Read more

The Journal, Monday, October 22

Hey Folks, Long post today, but a good one, I think. I’m in the Hovel as I write this. I got out here around 7 this morning, played a game or two of Spider Solitaire, then decided to write this stuff before moving back to the novel. I’ll probably finish the novel today, but as I’ve mentioned, I’m in no big rush. After I write the stuff below, I’ll probably delay writing on the novel for a little longer. I have to update my reverse outline. For those who don’t know yet what a “reverse outline” is, I’ll explain it … Read more

The Journal, Friday, October 19

Hey Folks, Today’s post at the Kill Zone blog is a Reader Friday thing. I don’t often mention them, but today’s post is about cartoons and comics. It was fun looking back. See “Of Interest.” And regarding Lee Lofland’s posts… they’re full of great information for writers, but each post most often is a story of sorts in its own right. Just as writers can learn hard, cold facts from the posts, they can also learn descriptive techniques (writing setting). Today’s post is particularly interesting. Lee writes a great hook (in this case, the first paragraph), then not only mentions … Read more

The Journal, Thursday, October 18

Hey Folks, Watched an excellent baseball game last night and stayed up late (for me) to do so. I seldom watch baseball on TV through the season, but I almost always watch the division and league series and then the world series. I’m of the generation that remembers games being played only in the daytime, teachers allowing us to listen to the radio broadcast during class, etc. (grin) I’m old enough to remember men asking other men (as a test of their manhood) whether they knew who won the previous world series. I’m glad the custom didn’t persist; my memory … Read more

The Journal, Monday, October 15

Hey Folks, Half the month is gone. I’ve written fiction only one day this month, and that was ill-advised. Still, it is what it is. I hope all of you are having a better month writing than I am. (grin) But today all of that changes. I’m feeling much better overall. I realized yesterday I didn’t get tired as quickly or as early in the day. I’ve learned new ways of getting dressed without assistance, and yesterday for the first time since the operation I was able to wash my entire body in the shower without assistance. Woohoo! Maybe most … Read more

The Journal, Thursday, October 11

Hey Folks, Wow. I rolled out (actually, I “sat up” as I’ve been sleeping in a recliner) really late this morning to the sounds of my wife releasing the hound and the cat from their kennel-beds at 5 a.m. I’ve usually been up an hour or two before then. And Wow #2, I’m pretty obviously not ready to return to my usual schedule yet. I planned to alter my routine a bit this morning. I was going to move my writing ‘puter to the outside desk instead of all the way out to the Hovel. Moving it out there yesterday … Read more

The Journal, Wednesday, October 10

Hey Folks, Back to writing today. When the sun is up and I know the babies are safe inside or in the yard, I’ll head out to the Hovel. I still run out of steam after only a few hours, so I want to spend those hours putting words on the page. I can rest after that. (grin) In the meantime, there are a lot of great posts in “Of Interest” today. *** To the Hovel a little after 8. It was enjoyable to see my old friends again. I spent some time going over the reverse outline and updating … Read more

The Journal, Tuesday, October 9

Hey Folks, Well, again today we’re off to see the wizard (cardio-electrician). That will happen early this afternoon. Then on November 1, I’ll have a followup with the cardio-plumber who implanted a stent. After that, I suspect I’ll be allowed to relax back into the semi-annual checkup routine. As far as I know, today the tech will check the implanted device. Then someone will check the stitches on the incision and tell me what I can and can’t do for the next few weeks and on into the future. I’m actually looking forward to that part of the conversation. I … Read more