Ernest Hemingway

The Journal: A Trip, Feedburner, Refreshers and Hemingway

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * Coming up on a trip * Note from and about Feedburner * Refreshers? * Ernest Hemingway * The novel’s still unfolding * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “It’s none of their business that you have to learn how to write. Let them think you were born that way.” Ernest Hemingway Coming up on a necessary trip to New Mexico. I probably will write while I’m gone, unless the current novel wraps before we leave, although probably I will be heavily prompted to consider the time a brief … Read more

The Journal: Quotes and Other Things

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * If you’ve never read * In some of Dean’s lectures * Of Interest * The Numbers Quotes of the Day “I teach a number of writing classes and attend my share of conferences, and one of the questions that always comes up goes something like this: ‘I hear authors talk about how there comes a point in every story when the characters take over and start writing the story for you. Does that happen to you?’ The short answer is no; and frankly, it sort of ticks me off. I’d love … Read more

The Journal, Sunday, September 15

In today’s Journal * Again, I just HAD to * Quote of the Day * For anyone out there * Yesterday * The numbers Again, I just HAD to write a Journal entry. You’ll see why. Quote of the Day “We have to dare to be ourselves, however frightening or strange that self may prove to be.” May Sarton in The Journal of a Solitude (Thanks, Sam T!) Not really about writing, but when I read it my thoughts went immediately to a character who might have that philosophy. Might even make a great intro to a story. *** For … Read more

The Journal, Monday, September 2

In today’s Journal * Topic: On Reader Taste * The numbers Topic: On Reader Taste Some of you will remember, awhile back I had a problem understanding “reader taste.” One reader will be absorbed into a story whereas another won’t care for it at all. He might not even finish reading it. I’ve been on both sides of the experience as a reader, but still I didn’t quite get it. Slowly, I came to understand. I still say it’s the writer’s responsibility to do all the things necessary to pull the reader into the story. Otherwise, why bother studying and … Read more

The Daily Journal, Wednesday, February 20

In today’s Journal My apology for the very long Journal today. But it’s all good stuff. ▪ Update on the challenge ▪ Topic: Writers Need Adventure — Don’t They? ▪ Two folks chimed in ▪ Daily diary (yeah, it’s back) ▪ Of Interest ▪ The numbers With novel 3 of the challenge in the bank, I’ll probably begin novel 4 today. No idea at the moment what it will be. Maybe back to one of my series, maybe a standalone. I guess we’ll see. It won’t be another Blackwell Ops book, though, unless another truly unique character pops into my … Read more

The Journal, Sunday, January 6

Hey Folks, Well, I’ve decided I’m going to write another Blackwell Ops story. Not because I’m not interested in Nick and Marie anymore, or in Stern Talbot, or in the other ideas I listed yesterday. I want to start the challenge with another Blackwell Ops book because I don’t want to take the time to read over the last Nick Spalding book to refresh my memory about the main characters. (grin) I’m just that lazy. And if I start with another Stern Talbot book, I’ll have to include a new technique I re-learned recently. I’m not sure I want to … Read more

The Journal, Wednesday, June 13

Hey Folks, Okay, the light of a new day. First, I’m not going to start a monthly magazine. At least not in fhe foreseeable future. To do so would make a LOT more work for me (layout, a cover, the intricies of adding scalable covers for the stories and novels inside the magazine) and would give me only a hyper-minimal return on investment. Plus the time investment would be massive and ongoing. So I’m not going to do it. Still, I’m glad the possibility was part of yesterday’s thought process. It’s been a long time since a stream of such … Read more

The Journal, Monday, June 11

Hey Folks, I hope you all read the Journal from yesterday. It might be the most informative one I’ve written. If you missed it, you can find it at http://hestanbrough.com/the-journal-sunday-june-10/. One thing I mentioned yesterday is “Style follows story, not the other way around.” If your stylistic choices call attention to themselves, change them back. For example, the poet E.E. Cummings is as well known for writing in all lower case as much or more so than he is known for his poetry itself. For another, many writers have asked me why they should have to set off dialogue with … Read more