Heinlein’s Rules

The Journal: Rewriting and Hemingway

In today’s Journal * Topic: Rewriting and Hemingway * Of Interest * The Numbers Topic: Rewriting and Hemingway Once again, a writer gave me a topic to write about here. Screenwriter MGP wrote to ask, “Why do you think rewriting is so embedded in the writing community?” He went on to talk about Hemingway and the allegation that the great writer “rewrote the last few sentences of Farewell to Arms 39 times.” Then MGP wrote, “in the article itself the writer uses that as ‘inspiration’ to allow himself to write sloppy and ‘fix’ it later.” My response to the direct … Read more

The Journal: 10,000 Trillion Ants

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * Rewording Heinlein’s Rule 4 * An Analogy * Dean Wesley Smith’s post yesterday * An Anniversary of Note * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “There are, by some rough estimates, 10,000 trillion ants in the world at any given moment, and their combined weight would match the total weight of the planet’s human population.” Christoph Irmscher, paraphrasing Edward Osborne Wilson in “The Ant Man’s World.”https://www.thepassivevoice.com/the-ant-mans-world/ Idea for an SF novel or series of novels? Rewording Heinlein’s Rule 4 I was talking with screenwriter MGP again and he … Read more

The Journal: A Little More on Process

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * If you don’t currently practice * Questions from a screenwriter * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “It had long since come to my attention that people of accomplishment rarely sat back and let things happen to them. They went out and happened to things.” Elinor Smith If you don’t currently practice writing into the dark, and if you want to, read my previous two posts. I have a feeling some folks see “WITD” in the subject line or in the contents list and skip reading the post. … Read more

The Journal: An Epiphany

In today’s Journal * An Epiphany * Of Interest * The Numbers An Ephiphany In an effort to help with your writing career, I’ve always tried to be up front and honest with you guys with both my blunders as well as my achievements. Boy do I have a doozie for you today. You know how I’m always saying Take Your Time with your writing? Bear with me here. Sixty-some novels into my fiction writing career as I wrote the final chapter of the Wes Crowley saga, I decided to see whether there was room for more Wes Crowley novels … Read more

The Journal: On Ernest Hemingway

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * Prompted by the first post * 10 Steps to Becoming a Writer * Another good-enough day * Of Interest * The Numbers Quotes of the Day “The best way is always to stop when you are going good and when you know what will happen next. If you do that every day when you are writing a novel you will never be stuck.” Ernest Hemingway “I learned not to think about anything that I was writing from the time I stopped writing until I started again the next day. That way … Read more

The Journal: Update on Heinlein’s Rules Stuff

In today’s Journal * Update on Heinlein’s Rules Stuff * From B&N Press *  Nothing in “Of Interest” today * The Numbers You’ll remember my recent 5-post treatise on Heinlein’s Rules, which was based on the actual responses I provided to a series of questions from another writer. If you missed it, you can find the first post at https://hestanbrough.com/the-journal-awhile-back-an-introduction/. I provided that series while maintaining the author’s anonymity, but now she’s outed herself. Becca Publisi, the person who interviewed me about Heinlein’s Rules and then decided not to use (most of) the interview emailed me again yesterday. She needed … Read more

The Journal: I’m a Fortunate Guy

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * Topic: I’m a Fortunate Guy * If you haven’t pulled the trigger * The Numbers Quotes of the Day “You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.” Maya Angelou “In writing, the critical voice always makes the wrong decision. Readers don’t read safe, easy, dull books. Just like no one watches the perfectly behaved child walking beside their parent and doing nothing. Nope, people watch with laughter or shock or stunned amazement or horror the out-of-control funny child. Your book needs to be that child, not … Read more

The Journal: Post 5 on Heinlein’s Rules

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * A friend brought a truism home * Topic: Post 5 on Heinlein’s Rules * The Journey Home: Part 8 is finished * The Numbers Quote of the Day “Nine months later, I’d written and published 500,000 words and learned more from that process than I could have imagined.” Cat Sole in the AuthorsPublish article linked to below on writing FanFic (I suspect she was able to write so much so quickly because since it was fanfic it was easy to think of it as unimporant… just sayin’) A friend brought a … Read more

The Journal: Post 4 on Heinlein’s Rules

In today’s Journal * Topic: Post 4 on Heinlein’s Rules * Not a great day * The Numbers Topic: Post 4 on Heinlein’s Rules A lot of this one is about the most controversial of Heinlein’s Rules: Rule 3. Q: Ok, my next question is about Rule #3: Refrain from rewriting except to editorial order. So, if a story is good enough to be accepted by a publisher, and they give you feedback on what needs to be changed, you should make those changes (within reason). But you shouldn’t do revisions on your own. Q (cont.): I agree with the … Read more

The Journal: Post 3 in the Heinlein’s Rules Series

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * Topic: Post 3 in the Heinlein’s Rules Series * It’s no secret * For an update * The Numbers Quote of the Day Fun quote of the day: “After I saw a bumper sticker that read I’m a veterinarian so I drive like an animal, I realized how many proctologists I see on the roads.” Anonymous meme Topic: Post 3 in the Heinlein’s Rules Series Today the topic is mostly about Rule 4: You must put it on the market. Q: I want to dive right in to some of my … Read more