KillZone Blog

The Journal: The Origins of Rider Jones

In today’s Journal * The Origins of Rider Jones * Of Interest * The Numbers The Origins of Rider Jones Well, I hadn’t planned to write anything while I’m “off.” But it’s difficult to plan not to do something you do pretty much every day. And Dean exacerbated things. In his introduction to my short story, “Rider Jones and the Portal,” in the forthcoming (May 2021) Cave Creek anthology Bitter Mountain Moonlight, he wrote in part “Harvey Stanbrough is giving me a run at being a top productive writer in this modern world. And he might be as nimble across … Read more

The Journal: Pulp Speed Revisited

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * Today * Pulp Speed Revisited * Of Interest * The Numbers Quotes of the Day “My novels are what is known as popular and sell very well, but I am not a critic’s favorite; indeed I am generally dismissed with a sneer as a bestseller and not reviewed at all.” Daphne du Maurier “Sometimes I wonder what the difference is between being cautious and being dead.” Sue Grafton “When fiction writing isn’t fun, you are doing something wrong. And that is usually a myth or critical voice….” Dean Wesley Smith “The … Read more

The Journal: Forgetfulness—Blessing or Curse?

In today’s Journal * Pulp Speed * Topic: Forgetfulness—Blessing or Curse? * The novel wrapped * Of Interest * The Numbers Pulp Speed There’s an item in “Of Interest” today on writing at what DWS terms “Pulp Speed.” I encourage you to read it, even if you’ve seen it before. It was one of the first few posts of Dean’s that I read, and I’ve read it again all three times he’s dusted it off and brought it forward. Writing at any pulp speed is the ultimate challenge for writers who just like to tell stories. Writers who, like me, … Read more

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: “Info Dumps” vs. POV

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * Microsoft Flight Simulator * Topic: “Info Dumps” vs. POV * Post Tags and Different Strokes * Another pretty good day * Of Interest * The Numbers Has anyone out there ever used (played) the Microsoft Flight Simulator? Apparently it’s a game, but an extremely realistic one. I’m not a gamer, but I’m thinking it would be a great tool or aid in writing. One of the magazines I subscribe to is Air & Space Smithsonian. The May 2021 issue contains an excellent article on the Flight Simulator. You can read it … Read more

The Journal: It’s Good to Be Back

In today’s Journal * Quick Diary of Days * A Very Pleasant Surprise * Of Interest * The Numbers It’s good to finally be back. Incredible how being without the internet for a few days disrupts a schedule. Since I’ve been gone, I thought I’d toss out a quick diary of those few days. Monday: I wrote some (Day 5), messed around some, went to the grocery, wrote some more, moved the cactuses from the Hovel where they were stored for the winter back to their normal places in the yard, wrote a little more, and set up my portable … Read more

The Journal: Willie Nelson wrote a song

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * Short announcement * Willie Nelson wrote a song * Topic: A Few Myths About Writing Into the Dark * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “If we take man as he is, we make him worse, but if we take him as he should be, we make him capable of becoming what he can be.” Viktor Frankl quoting Goethe A short announcement—Dean posted today that the surveys for the Return of the Fey Kickstarter should go out this week. So if you donated anything to that, you should … Read more

The Journal: Six Novels in 90 Days? Almost…

In today’s Journal * Six Novels in 90 Days? Almost… * Of Interest * The Numbers Yesterday, just before this Journal went live at 10 a.m., the last chapter of the novel wrapped. But something (that tiny little creative voice) was still nagging at me. So I decided to take a break. I went up to the house and announced the last chapter was finished, the novel was finished, and the series was finished. And the nagging voice welled up. The series was finished—but not quite. I’d always thought this would be at least a 10-book series, but it just … Read more

The Journal: Conscious Mind

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * Conscious Mind * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “We can’t solve poverty or hunger, but we’re going to solve global warming. Think about that.” Anonymous, from a meme Well, sometime or other I slipped from thinking it would be nice personally to finish 6 novels in the first quarter of the year to “trying” to make it happen. That’s conscious mind crap. And as a result, I had a non-writing day yesterday, the second one for this novel. I actually wrote probably 5,000 words yesterday in fits … 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