KillZone Blog

The Journal: A New Use for Reverse Outlines

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * Happy Birthday * Topic: A New Use for Reverse Outlines * The Value of Cliffhangers * Tomorrow * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “The faster the action, the more the writer should slow down the description.” Debbie Burke Yes. In the heat of battle, the POV character will notice far fewer aspects of the setting, but he will focus on that one aspect (or those few aspects) with a heightened sense of awareness because those aspects are crucial, as if time has slowed almost to a crawl. … Read more

The Journal: A New Writer Resource

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * A new writer resource * I haven’t written * Of Interest * The Numbers Quotes of the Day “I truly believe subscribing to MasterClass and getting a wide exposure to A-List resources can do a lot for you as a writer.” Garry Rodgers A lady named Carol Briggs emailed me yesterday with a breath of fresh air. Carol is a self-described youth services librarian and educator. In her email, she asked, on behalf of a young student named Anna, whether I’d be willing to add Theater Seat Services to my Writer … Read more

The Journal: Election Day

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * Today Is Election Day * Another great day of writing * Of Interest * The Numbers Quotes of the Day “The cat sat on the mat is not the opening of a plot. The cat sat on the dog’s mat is.” John LeCarre “The thing I like best about being a writer is the escape it provides.” Yer Uncle Harv Today is election day. I know, old news. But if you live in the United States, this is probably the most important election day of your life. Today the citizenry and … Read more

The Journal: A Great Motivator

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * Topic: A Great Motivator * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “Write about what you know, and what do you know better than your own secrets?” Raymond Carver Topic: A Great Motivator This will be a little rattled and fragmented, but I think the advice is there and sound, so bear with me. One of the articles I linked to recently contained some good advice on writing, but it also offered some advice that I thought was not so good. One of the things the author thought was … Read more

The Journal: A Writing Secret

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * A Writing Secret * The Link Between Poetry and Novels * Of Interest * The Numbers Quotes of the Day “Less is more. My first drafts [sic] went into phenomenal detail about absolutely everything. … A sense of place is good. Overwhelming readers is not. I had to keep reminding myself to make sure everything related to the plot and characters.” Terry Odell (See my vehement disagreement in the Topic below.) “As a writing instructor, I find that most of the time when writers teach classes, we focus on teaching people … Read more

The Journal: A Writing Tip

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * A Writing Tip * The writing has slowed a bit * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “For reasons of high aesthetic principle, I do not write on a computer. Writing on a computer makes saving what’s been written too easy. Pretentious lead sentences are kept, not tossed. Instead of sitting surrounded by crumpled paper, the computerized writer has his mistakes neatly stored in digital memory. P.J. O’Rourke (via The Passive Voice) A Writing Tip If one or more of your characters in your novels or short stories … Read more

The Journal: Quotes of the Day Expanded

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day (Expanded) * Of Interest * The Numbers Quotes of the Day (Expanded) Quote 1: “What does it mean to write awesomely? At the very least, it means giving your readers more than a by-the-numbers story.” James Scott Bell “More than a by-the-numbers story.” I like that. it’s a great analogy. No great painting was ever created on a by-the-numbers canvas. Of course, Mr. Bell stopped too soon. So how do you give your readers more than a by-the-numbers story? Easy. “By the numbers” comes from the conscious mind. If you trust what … 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: Bottom-Line Concerns

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * Bottom-line concerns * Degrees of communication * Writing into the dark * Of Interest * The Numbers Quotes of the Day “In order to control myself I must first accept myself by going with and not against my nature.” Bruce Lee “Bottom line concerns have all but decimated the publishers’ promotional efforts….” Paul Dinas on Anne R. Allen’s blog “Bottom-line concerns.” Yes. Because today the major traditional publishers increase the value of their corporation NOT by publishing and selling books but by paying a pittance for IP, then valuating that IP … Read more

The Journal: An Intensive Learning Month

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * An Intensive Learning Month * Book Covers * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “In 1792, while Gustav III was attending a masquerade ball, he was shot and killed by someone who didn’t like him.” PG Well, it looks as if October 2020 will be my intensive learning month. (grin) The instructor of the Affinity Publisher for Beginners course also offers a couple of FREE courses on Affinity Photo. I’ve already signed up. To read about those, see * 10 Steps to Amazing Photos at https://courses.affinityrevolution.com/p/10-steps-to-amazing-photos. This will … Read more