KillZone Blog

The Daily Journal, Sunday, July 7

In today’s Journal * Not a lot * Topic: How Long Should A Book Be? * Daily diary * Of Interest * The numbers Not a lot to write about today, so this will be short. I did write a take-off topic I thought you might find useful though. My son will leave for home this morning. It’s been a great visit. I’ll spend the balance of the day with my wife and/or watching and listening to (learning) some of the workshops I’ve invested in. Tomorrow I’ll get back to writing fiction. On the learning front, be sure to read … Read more

The Daily Journal, Saturday, July 6

In today’s Journal * Looking for resources * Licensing Learn Along * Daily diary * Of Interest * The numbers As you can tell from today’s edition, “Of Interest” is slim pickings lately. If you know of any interesting or informative blogs or other resources that I don’t list at least occasionally, please share in the comments below. *** For anyone who’s been thinking about jumping into the Licensing Learn Along, Dean’s on the verge of closing it down. If you’re interested (it’s only $200 and includes a separate workshop on copyright that’s a $150 value alone), visit https://wmg-publishing-workshops-and-lectures.teachable.com/courses/ and … Read more

The Daily Journal, Thursday, July 4

In today’s Journal * A brief note * Daily diary * Of Interest * The numbers Once again, happy Independence Day in the US. Maybe no fiction writing today at all. Today is important for other reasons, so for today my fiction writing takes a lower priority. If I do write anything today, I’ll report those numbers in tomorrow’s Jounal. *** Rolled out at 3. Worked on “Of Interest” and then screwed around awhile with spider solitaire. I just wasn’t in the mood to play today, with anticipation of whatever else the day will hold. Talk with you again tomorrow. … Read more

The Daily Journal, Wednesday, July 3

In today’s Journal * A brief note * Topic: On Dialogue * Daily diary * Of Interest * The numbers A Brief Note My wife’s birthday is tomorrow, July 4. Yes, that’s what all the fireworks are really about. Additionally, my youngest son came down last night to spend the next few days with us. As a result, my time with the Journal (and all other writing things) will be limited for the next few days. I’ll strive at least to list some items in “Of Interest” for you, and should the mood strike, I might even write a topic … Read more

The Daily Journal, Tuesday, July 2

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * Recap * Topic: On Writing Fiction * Daily diary * Of Interest * The numbers Quotes of the Day “It’s not Dostoevsky. It’s not going to tax your mental capacities. It’s not ahhrtt.” Judith Krantz on her writing “I’ve been absolutely dead earnest and I’ve told the story I had in hand as best as I possibly could.” Herman Wouk on his writing “I make no conscious effort to be tough, or hard-boiled, or grim, or any of the things I am usually called. I merely try to write as the … Read more

The Daily Journal, Monday, July 1

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * Recap * Topic: On Writing This Journal and Teaching * Daily diary * Of Interest * The numbers Quote of the Day Via the Passive Voice, “People are always asking me, ‘What do you want people to say about you a hundred years from now?’ I want them to say, ‘Dang, don’t she still look good for her age?’” Dolly Parton *** Yesterday I updated my production spreadsheet to get it ready for July. Then I looked over my notes from the Pacing workshop and decided I didn’t need to view … Read more

The Daily Journal, Sunday, June 30

In today’s Journal * Recap * Topic: On Building Suspense and Creating Tension * The midpoint of the year * Daily diary * Of Interest * The numbers Yesterday I remembered I hadn’t updated my writer website at HarveyStanbrough.com. So I added In the Cantina at Noon and Change of Plans to the Westerns page, then created new book pages for each of those. Then I added Quiet the Critical Voice to the nonfiction books page. Sometime soon I probably should create a separate book page for each of those, but for the time being prospective readers can see the … Read more

The Daily Journal, Saturday, June 29

In today’s Journal * Recap * Quiet the Critical Voice (and Write Fiction) and Change of Plans * Daily diary * Of Interest * The numbers Yesterday I attended the Adding Suspense workshop and thoroughly enjoyed it. It’s more of an awareness workshop than anything else, bent toward teaching the writer how to study the suspense element in other works. For the workshop, DWS broke suspense down into five major elements, yet those elements are intertwined when at work in the novel. It was interesting to see how they interact (and are interdependent) on the micro level. No telling how … Read more

The Daily Journal, Tuesday, June 25

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * Early wrap up * Still looking * Daily diary * Of Interest * The numbers Quote of the Day “Truth, like light, blinds. Falsehood, on the contrary, is a beautiful twilight that enhances every object.” Albert Camus (via The Passive Voice) As a guy who puts the truth in its proper perspective (lies) for a living, I really like this quote. Of course, I substituted “Fiction” for “Falsehood.” (grin) *** Yesterday I created a cover and promo doc and distributed the Sam Loredo novella, now titled Change of Plans, to D2D, … Read more

The Daily Journal, Monday, June 24

In today’s Journal * Of particular importance * Topic: Brief, Grouchy Thoughts on Publishing * Daily diary * Of Interest * The numbers In her June 22 post on PWW, Michaele Lockhart wrote about the importance of word choice. It was an excellent post, one that I thought would serve as a catalyst for dozens of comments. It did not. Early this morning, I realized why. Word choice is a topic about which any group of craft-wise and craft-serious writers could talk for days—or weeks—on end and never say the same thing twice. So I left a comment on the … Read more