The Journal: Mentorships Updated

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * Mentorships Updated * Of Interest * The Numbers Quotes of the Day “First forget inspiration. Habit is more dependable. Habit will sustain you whether you’re inspired or not. Habit will help you finish and polish your stories. Inspiration won’t. Habit is persistence in practice.” Octavia Butler on inspiration “I tell the students that there comes a time when you want to either burn it or flush it. But if you keep going, you know, that’s what makes you a writer instead of an ‘I wish I was a writer.” Octavia Butler … Read more

The Journal: Today, Yesterday, Sometime Later

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * Topic: Today * Yesterday * Sometime later * The Numbers Quotes of the Day “Saying that taste is just personal preference is a good way to prevent disputes. The trouble is, it’s not true. You feel this when you start to design things.” Paul Graham “It takes confidence to throw work away. You have to be able to think, there’s more where that came from.” Paul Graham Topic: Today in “Of Interest” is a link to an article that purports to list “12 Signs You’re Still in the Learning Phase of … Read more

The Journal: Just Rambling

In today’s Journal * Just Rambling * On the other hand * The Numbers Just Rambling I’m constantly amazed by other “professional” writers, and all too often in a negative way. That sense of amazement makes me feel really blessed that I have my particular attitude and personality. I’m glad I can actually achieve and not simply talk about achieving. I’m glad, as a writer, I understand that actually writing is a thousand times better and more fun than talking about writing or the dreaded “deciding to be more proactive and assertive about writing.” I know a lot of people … Read more

The Journal: Missed It By That Much, and Cycling

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * Missed it by that much * A new app for authors * Because one writer asked * Yesterday’s cycling session * Of Interest * The Numbers Quotes of the Day “But why write stories that don’t engage you? It’s like cooking a feast that you wouldn’t eat.” David Farland “If you’re not learning, you’re standing still.” FS Blog “[Stephen King] weds an imaginative plot with characters you can almost touch.” James Scott Bell Missed it by that much Note that in today’s Quotes and in “Of Interest” James Scott Bell, praises … Read more

The Journal: I Guess I’m Smug

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * I love a writing challenge * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “Maybe you can be smug when you can actually write 50,000 words of fiction in a month again. When was the last time you did that?” A guy named Steve in a comment on my October 23 post I was going to write a whole thing about what it’s like to be challenged with a personal affront by a person for whom you’re trying to do a favor, but I spent enough time on that in … Read more

The Journal: Negativity, Go Away!

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * Yesterday * Topic: Negativity, Go Away! * Today * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “Why would I want to take a day off from doing something I love?” Dean Wesley Smith Yesterday I realized I wasn’t quite up to “big day” status yet. I wrote some, but not enough to talk about and only as I was cycling through. I sidetracked myself with merging and updating my reverse outlines for the two novels into one. When that was caught up, I also opened a new Word document … Read more

The Journal: This is Important

In today’s Journal * Topic: This is Important: What I Offer * Today * Of Interest * The Numbers Topic: This is Important: What I Offer Today I’m tooting my own horn, letting you know what you can learn from me and the various ways you can learn from me. I realized this morning I’ve never enumerated the various ways I teach. In case you didn’t know or as a gentle reminder, first I write this Journal almost every day. In it, I often post a topic that I believe will help someone out there. Sometimes some readers see my … Read more

The Journal: Another Way to Think of Your Daily Word-Count Goal

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * Topic: Another Way to Think of Your Daily Word-Count Goal * Today * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “[M]y editor and agent at the time felt strongly that a degree of ambiguity in the end made the story better. I never agreed, but it was my first book, and I was dizzy from the whole experience, so I said okay. I’ve regretted it for 25 years.” John Gilstrap Topic: Another Way to Think of Your Daily Word-Count Goal I happened on this while replying to Diane Darcy’s … Read more

The Journal: Licensing and Everything Else

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * Topic: Licensing and Everything Else * Today * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “I’m thankful there are people out there who read what I write and who like what I make. I’m very lucky, and I know it.” Neil Gaiman Topic: Licensing and Everything Else DWS has said many times that licensing is a process, one that takes time. It has occurred to me that how long it takes from concept to actual production seems even longer when compared to the ability of today’s writers to write … Read more

The Daily Journal, Friday, August 9

In today’s Journal * I ran across an interview * Daily diary * Of Interest * The numbers I ran across an interview on Jane Friedman’s site. I won’t share the URL with you. I like you. I also will not share any of the participants’ names for the same reason. But the following excerpt is so unbelievably ludicrous, I wanted to share at least that much with you just to illustrate how much silliness is out there. The excerpt consists of one question from the interview between the author of the article, “a former acquiring editor of children’s books … Read more