Jane Friedman

The Journal: Analogies and a Clarification

In today’s Journal * Yesterday’s post * Some writers and some drivers: analogies * My experience, a clarification, and more of my experience * The essential key * Of Interest * The Numbers This is long. My apologies in advance. Yesterday’s post struck a chord with a few folks. There were emails and there were comments. In one comment, Matt P called the post a “low-KT tactical nuke.” (grin) In another, Anitha K wrote “on days when WITD seems to lead me down an underground mine with no exit in sight, it’s that much harder to trust it.” I encourage … Read more

The Journal: An Inane Quote

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * An Inane Quote * A lot to see * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day (an inanity) “Everything is a decision.” Matthew Salesses in Craft in the Real World (as noted in an article in “Of Interest”) What a stupid, inane quote. The problem is, we’re talking about two different “real worlds” here. Granted, in the real world of timid, frightened, uncertain writers—a world that is admittedly much larger than the world in which I reside—certainly everything from character “development” to setting to scenes and plot points is … Read more

The Journal: Got my new pickup

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * My New Pickup * Labor Day Weekend * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “[T]hink like a publisher. I want to wholesale the books to someone like Little Passports because they [not I] work to acquire the end customer….” Darcy Pattison My bride was kind enough to take a couple of quick snapshots of my new pickup. Well, it’s new to me, and exactly what I wanted. Please pay no attention to the short, fat, slouchy, probably balding vagrant who wandered in to photo-bomb the second picture. (Like … Read more

The Journal: On “Making” Good or Great Writers

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * On “Making” Good or Great Writers * An Observation on “Pressure” * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “All things are difficult before they are easy.” Thomas Fuller On “Making” Good or Great Writers In today’s “Of Interest” I’ve included a “Reader Friday” from the KillZone, primarily because it’s based on a Stephen King quote. Here’s my response (expanded): I think the key word in this passage is “make” and King’s repetition of that. This quote runs alongside his thought that writing can’t be taught, but it can … Read more

The Journal: On the Use of Language

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * Topic: On the Use of Language * Of Interest * The Numbers Quotes of the Day “Polish-American scientist and philosopher Alfred Korzybski remarked that ‘the map is not the territory’ and that ‘the word is not the thing,’ encapsulating his view that an abstraction derived from something, or a reaction to it, is not the thing itself.” Wikipedia On the Use of Language Most if not all nouns and verbs and phrases in the English language have at least two meanings: the actual definition(s) (the denotation) and the implied meaning in … Read more

The Journal: Quotes and Of Interest

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * Not much * Of Interest * The Numbers Quotes of the Day “Pace is the speed at which your narrative unfolds. There is a kind of unspoken (hence undefended and unexamined) belief in publishing circles that the most commercially successful stories and novels are fast-paced. Like so many unexamined beliefs in the publishing business, this idea is largely bullshit. … I believe each story should be allowed to unfold at its own pace, and that pace is not always double time.” Stephen King (and bravo!) “Life minus x equals death. Solve … Read more

The Journal: You Can’t Sell an Idea

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * Be sure to read * Topic: You Can’t Sell an Idea * Of Interest * The Numbers Quotes of the Day “Waiting rarely makes things easier. Most of the time, waiting makes things harder. The right time is now.” Farnam Street Brain Food “The kiss originated when the first male reptile licked the first female reptile, implying in a subtle, complimentary way that she was as succulent as the small reptile he had for dinner the night before.” F. Scott Fitzgerald “I’ve had a sign over my typewriter for over 25 … Read more

The Journal: Great Advice from DWS

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * Dean’s current and previous posts * Meanwhile * Of Interest * The Numbers Quotes of the Day “[T]he advantage of writing 40,000 word novels. Readers can read them faster.” Dean Wesley Smith “[Fiction] implies the action of making, or rather, giving form. It is not inventing something that is not true, but giving shape to something that was already there.” Valeria Luiselli, Mexican author Well, I’m gonna add Dean’s current and previous post to my writers resources pages on my main website. Great, great stuff. The first post in today’s “Of … Read more

The Journal: Not Much Today

In today’s Journal * Not Mucn Today * I almost wrote a topic * Of Interest * The Numbers Not Mucn Today I’m publishing this issue of the Journal mostly to get the “Of Interest” items below out to you. I almost wrote a topic for this one, which I would have titled “Get Your Facts Straight.” It was the result of reading a pure puff-piece I read on the Authors Publish blog. The article was ostensibly about whether self-publishing was a good idea. The upshot of the article was “self-publishing isn’t for everyone, but when it is done right, … Read more

The Journal: Analysis Paralysis

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * Wes Crowley Rides Again * Topic: Analysis Paralysis * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day When you doubt your importance as a writer compared with editors and publishers, remember this brief one-sided conversation I had with a major NY acquisitions editor who seemed a little full of himself a few years ago at the Tucson, AZ writers’ conference: I said, “Know what writers would do if there were no editors or publishers?” He shook his head. I said, “We’d write. But do you know what editors and publishers … Read more