KillZone Blog

The Journal, Tuesday, December 18

Hey Folks, Wow. I stayed up to watch about 3/4 of the football game last night. It was difficult to watch the Saints pitted against both the Panthers and the referees (grin), so I finally gave up. But by then it was late. I couldn’t sleep, so I stayed up even later and didn’t roll out this morning until almost 5. Ugh. So a late start to the day. No Internet in the Hovel this morning, so I did the preliminary “Of Interest” stuff and this bit of the Journal up at the house with my first cup of coffee. … Read more

The Journal, Sunday, December 16

Hey Folks, Quote of the day (to consider, on distractions): “…email [is] an infinite hamster wheel powered by other people’s priorities.” — Jake Knapp on Medium (see “Of Interest”) And another: “…write excellent books. That’s the only ironclad, long-tail secret to a career.” — James Scott Bell (see “Of Interest”) And one more: “Don’t let being a writer interfere with actually writing.” — John Gilstrap (see “Of Interest”) *** Just in case seeing my own reckoning with this “test” of December might help you, I’ll lay it out here each day in detail (when the detail matters). I rolled out … Read more

The Journal, Saturday, December 15

Hey Folks, Wow. My fiction number was so good yesterday it almost scared me off. (grin) Then I calmed down. I’m also practicing with what’s left of this month and year to write 4,000 words per day. So far, I have almost 1000 words in the bank. Not too shabby. *** The third novel in the Nick Spalding action-adventure romantic-suspense series released this morning. If you’re interested, you can find it at http://harveystanbrough.com/coincidence/. *** Topic: Pet Peeves That Matter Pet peeves — you know, those little flaws and inanities that grind away on the nerves and cause me to close … Read more

The Journal, Tuesday, December 11

Hey Folks, Again, nothing much to report. I do want to welcome any new subscribers. The novel still seems to be approaching the end game, but I thought the same thing around 10,000 words back. (grin) The characters continue to throw twists and turns, none of which I can foresee. It’s entertaining as all get-out, but still a little annoying when the ending seems to move two steps farther away for every step I take. There’s a lot of cycling with this one too. Whenever the characters toss in a new twist, it seems to require foreshadowing in one place … Read more

The Journal, Sunday, December 9

Hey Folks, YAY! (grin) Reading “Of Interest” items can be SO valuable in SO many ways! In reading The Passive Guy’s recent post about troubles with his website, I stumbled across a post that mentions a new WordPress plugin called “Classic Editor,” which apparently enables WordPress users to go back to posting without those ugly, time-consuming “blocks” (Gutenberg). I also found “Disable Gutenberg.” I installed that one. Then I clicked Add a New Post and voila! my old posting screen was restored in full. I can’t say enough what wonderful news this is. If you like “blocks” for some things … Read more

The Journal, Saturday, December 8

Hey Folks, Not a lot to report today. My son visited and left yesterday to attend a funeral in NM, and today my two sisters-in-law will arrive shortly for a visit. I wrote for awhile this morning.As has been the case throughout this very twisted mystery/police procedural novel, I did a lot of cycling and added some new words. It wasn’t a great day, but good enough considering it’s a Saturday. I also feel as if I’m approaching the end game of this one and maybe dragging my feet a little. Talk with you again soon. Of Interest See “How … Read more

The Journal, Thursday, December 6

Hey Folks, Tomorrow is Pearl Harbor Day, though I think, sadly, it’s no longer taught in schools. Here’s a quote for the day: The carrier Enterprise sailed into Pearl Harbor the day after the attack. Surveying the wreckage from the bridge, Adm. William Halsey could not hide his anger. “When this war is over the Japanese language will be spoken only in hell.” For an excellent article about that fateful day, see https://nationalinterest.org/feature/why-japan-failed-pearl-harbor-18638. *** Wow. Remember I released Book 2 of the Nick Spalding series, Transitions, back in November? One of my donors, a voracious reader, sent me an email … Read more

The Journal, Wednesday, December 5

Hey Folks, Topic: A Realization or Epiphany Dangerous as it sounds, sometimes I feel as if I’ve been through it all as a writer. “Dangerous” because such a feeling is the surest way to stop learning and reach a plateau. Which is to say it’s the surest way to death as a writer. When we reach a plateau, a flattening-out of the attempt to keep learning, little things we’ve learned but haven’t yet tried tend to sift down through the holes and cracks in our knowledge. Without having practiced them, we forget them and have to be reminded. That’s the … Read more

The Journal, Tuesday, December 4

Hey Folks, I think, having gone to bed early last night and risen early again this morning, I’m finally over whatever funk has mastered me during the past few days. Today should be a good one. *** Paraphrasing Dean Wesley Smith from “Of Interest” today, “We need to make our writing process like our reading process. When you’re reading and you reach the end of a chapter, do you put the book down and try to figure out where the story’s going next? Or do you just keep reading to entertain yourself. Do the same thing with your writing.” From … Read more

The Journal, Monday, December 3

Hey Folks, Another good quote: “I am what I am. To look for reasons is beside the point.” — Joan Didion And another one from Chandler: “I have a sense of exile from thought, a nostalgia of the quiet room and balanced mind. I am a writer, and there comes a time when that which I write has to belong to me, has to be written alone and in silence, with no one looking over my shoulder, no one telling me a better way to write it. It doesn’t have to be great writing, it doesn’t even have to be … Read more