The Journal: The Mentorships and the Novel

In today’s Journal * The Mentorships * Topic: The Novel (and Cycling) * Of Interest The Mentorships Well, the mentorships are definitely a go. I’ve already had a good response. (Thanks to those who responded so quickly.) If this is something that interests you, please email me at harveystanbrough@gmail.com to let me know. I also decided against including the mentorships on the Patronage page. Instead, over the next few days I’ll develop a new page strictly for the Mentorships (I’ve decided now there probably will be two levels). I’ll also create a new PayPal subscription button specifically for the mentorships. … Read more

The Journal: Quotes and Items of Interest

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * Of Interest Quotes of the Day “I think the difference between a lie and a story is that a story utilizes the trappings and appearance of truth for the interest of the listener as well as of the teller. A story has in it neither gain nor loss. But a lie is a device for profit or escape. I suppose if that definition is strictly held to, then a writer of stories is a liar — if he is financially fortunate.” John Steinbeck in East of Eden “It would be absurd … Read more

The Journal: Discipline, Study, Keep Coming Back

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * Topic: Discipline, Study, Keep Coming Back * Of Interest Quotes of the Day “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” Winston Churchill “Not everything warrants description—only details that matter to the character.” Joe Ponepinto “There are no shortcuts to success on the field or in life.” Tom Brady, in his retirement message Topic: Discipline, Study, Keep Coming Back Some writing lessons today from James Scott Bell over at the Kill Zone blog, taken from how the now-retired quarterback Tom Brady lived … Read more

The Journal: Critical Voice vs. Creative Voice

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * Topic: Critical Voice vs. Creative Voice * Dean’s put out a call * In today’s post at the Kill Zone blog * * The Numbers Quotes of the Day “[N]othing important, or meaningful, or beautiful, or interesting, or great ever came out of imitations. The thing that is really hard, and really amazing, is giving up on being perfect and beginning the work of becoming yourself.” Anna Quindlen “I plucked hissing, thrashing, horned tomato worms off the plants and tossed them in a bucket, secretly terrified of their alien aggression. Every … Read more

The Journal: Heinlein’s Rule 2

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * I’ve updated the mentorships * Topic: Heinlein’s Rule 2 — You Must Finish What You Write * Of Interest * The Numbers Quotes of the Day “At some point in the next 1,000 years, nuclear war or environmental calamity will ‘cripple Earth.’ However, by then, ‘our ingenious race will have found a way to slip the surly bonds of Earth and will therefore survive the disaster.’ The Earth’s other species probably won’t make it, though.” Max de Haldevang, quoting Stephen Hawking in Quartz magazine “In fiction, emotional release is boring. Drama … Read more

The Journal: Only an Update

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * An Update re APEX Writers Group * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “The power to tightly regulate is a drug not easily kicked.” James Scott Bell An Update re APEX Writers Group Re the problem with the Terms of Service I noted in yesterday’s Journal post, I received a quick and thorough response from both Dave Farland and his webmaster. The CompleatWriter.com website is still under construction, and the offensive TOS was an item the webmaster had grabbed as a placeholder, and one that hadn’t yet been … Read more

The Journal: Susan Ellison

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * The Passing of Susan Ellison and a Story * Of Interest * The Numbers Quotes of the Day “If you aren’t getting better, you’re getting worse.” Lawrence Welk on practice “Wit does not always mean funny. Many times it is, but the real basis of wit is sharpness. It gets the point across crisply, memorably.” James Scott Bell The Passing of Susan Ellison, and a Story I was late coming to this, but I thought it worthy of sharing in a special post. First, read Neil Gaiman’s touching post at https://journal.neilgaiman.com/2020/08/susan-ellison-rip-and-love.html. … Read more

The Journal: A Great Quote and a Lot in “Of Interest”

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * Today * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “I’m not much of a fan of starting a novel off with unanchored dialogue. It’s hard to start investing before we know where we are, who the characters are, and how we should be contextualizing the conversation.” Nathan Branford, former literary agent Yes. In the opening of every chapter and every major scene, remember to ground your reader (pull him into the setting) Today will be similar to Saturday for me, with a necessary trip to Sierra Vista and much … Read more

The Journal: Getting Organized, Rights Grabs, and Learning

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * Topic: Preparation Saves Time and Prevents Typos * Topic: Another Rights Grab * Today * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “Thomas’s poetry is so narrow — just a straight conduit between birth & death, I suppose—with not much space for living along the way.” Poet Elizabeth Bishop in a letter to a friend after hearing of Dylan Thomas’s death Can you get a story or title idea from this quote? As a side note, my own favorite Dylan Thomas poem is “The Force That Through the Green … Read more

The Daily Journal, Friday, August 2

In today’s Journal * I’m in the middle * A fellow writer * Daily diary * Of Interest * The numbers I’m in the middle of a messy whirlwind: writing fiction and this blog; continuing to get my inventory under control; reading for pleasure and to learn more about writing; learning about copyright, trademark and licensing; learning where and how to obtain original cover art; and all the normal life and medical things that come with age. Not that I’m complaining. Fun stuff, most of it. *** A fellow writer sent me an interesting link. It might be one more … Read more