KillZone Blog

The Journal: Life Rolls Happen

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * Life rolls happen * Hey Media, shut up already * Be Sure to Check “Of Interest” * Yesterday * Today * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “Even the pandemic flu of 1918 only killed one to two percent of the people who were infected.” Anthony Fauci, via The Passive Voice Life rolls happen. I’ll be headed out of town tomorrow morning (Friday) for up to a few days. How fortunate am I, to be able to love my day job and take it with me? Thanks to … Read more

The Journal: A Medium-Length Post and Mentoring

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * I’m time-limited today, but in a good way * Today * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “This is what Stephen King would write like if Stephen King could really write.” A review from an anonymous (and clueless) reviewer of a Richard Bachman novel Not a lot to write about today, or much time. I started the day with a session with a new mentoring student, one I think I’m going to enjoy a great deal. The guy seems honest to a fault and forthright and one who … Read more

The Journal: A Very Short Post Today

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * A Question answered re FWIW * Today * Of Interest * The Numbers I received a question via email. What do I mean or what am I implying when I add FWIW (for what it’s worth) to the end of a link in “Of Interest”? First, I’m implying nothing. If I don’t think a link might be valuable to any of my subscribers, I simply don’t include it in “Of Interest” in the first place. I use FWIW when I don’t actually read the whole post before I add it to … Read more

The Journal: What the Journal Is All About

In today’s Journal * I lost a whole day * What the Journal is all about * A new comment policy * About Atlas Obscura * Today * Of Interest * The Numbers I lost a whole day yesterday, but I brought it on myself. I’m out here in public, an easy target for anyone who wants to snipe, but that doesn’t mean I have to belabor you with the specifics. You might take a lesson from all of this though: People who don’t know you will hear whatever they want to hear, whatever suits their purpose and gives them … Read more

The Journal: A Free Short Story

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * A new free short story * Please continue to spread the word * Sigh… the lies continue * Today * Of Interest * The Numbers Quotes of the Day From The Passive Voice, “No publisher should ever express an opinion on the value of what he publishes*. That is a matter entirely for the literary critic to decide. I can quite understand how any ordinary critic would be strongly prejudiced against a work that was accompanied by a premature and unnecessary panegyric from the publisher. A publisher is simply a useful … Read more

The Journal: Whom Should I Trust?

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * My conscious, critical, teacher mind * Topic: Whom Should I Trust? (and on “getting” concepts) * Today * Of Interest * The Numbers Quotes of the Day Via The Passive Guy, “Writing is not necessarily something to be ashamed of, but do it in private and wash your hands afterwards.” Robert A. Heinlein “In the creative mind, the story and the characters are controlling the writer. In the critical mind, the writer is controlling the characters and the story.” Harvey Stanbrough My conscious, critical, teacher mind is almost swimming. I had … Read more

The Journal: A Smattering of Thoughts and Self-Hypnosis

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * Thus ends the current string * Correction * Topic: Self-Hypnosis * I love to write * Today * Of Interest * The Numbers Quotes of the Day “If you make people think they’re thinking, they’ll love you; but if you really make them think, they’ll hate you.” Harlan Ellison “The only thing worth writing about is people.” Harlan Ellison “The trick is not becoming a writer. The trick is staying a writer.” Harlan Ellison “I was the green monkey, the pariah. And I had no friends. Not just a few friends, … Read more

The Journal: On the Perceived Threat of Writing Off Into the Dark

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * On Amazon Prime * Topic: On the Perceived Threat of Writing Off Into the Dark * Today * Of Interest * The Numbers Quotes of the Day “It is not merely enough to love literature if one wishes to spend one’s life as a writer. It is a dangerous undertaking on the most primitive level. For, it seems to me, the act of writing with serious intent involves enormous personal risk. It entails the ongoing courage for self-discovery. It means one will walk forever on the tightrope, with each new step … Read more

The Journal: Recognizing Life Rolls

In today’s Journal * I felt a little disjointed * Today * Of Interest * The Numbers I felt a little disjointed yesterday, a little out of sorts. I was fatigued, felt less than interested in the novel I’m writing, etc. I wanted only to go sit on my recliner and watch reruns of old Twilight Zone episodes. (The writing in most of those is excellent, though the dialogue often leaves a lot to be desired.) So that’s what I did. I barely got my 3000 words yesterday, and as soon as I did, I retired to the house. But … Read more

The Journal: When Rewriting Is (Maybe) Appropriate

In today’s Journal * Getting close * Topic: When Rewriting Is (Maybe) Appropriate * Today * Of Interest * The Numbers At almost 52,000 words, I finally have a sense that I’m nearing the final scenes of my WIP. The end isn’t in sight (thankfully) but probably within another 10,000 words or so. So it looks like I’ll finish it in February. Woohoo! Topic: When Rewriting Is (Maybe) Appropriate Yeah, I actually said the R word. But I didn’t really mean it. What I actually meant was Cycling After the Fact (after a book is published). I actively teach (and … Read more