Lee Lofland

The Journal, Wednesday, October 10

Hey Folks, Back to writing today. When the sun is up and I know the babies are safe inside or in the yard, I’ll head out to the Hovel. I still run out of steam after only a few hours, so I want to spend those hours putting words on the page. I can rest after that. (grin) In the meantime, there are a lot of great posts in “Of Interest” today. *** To the Hovel a little after 8. It was enjoyable to see my old friends again. I spent some time going over the reverse outline and updating … Read more

The Journal, Saturday, October 6

Hey Folks, A lot of items in “Of Interest” today, some older just in case you missed them. I have a new favorite quote, culled from Joe Hartlaub’s post at the Kill Zone blog: “Grandparents and grandchildren have a special relationship, given that they have a common enemy.” (grin) Isn’t that wonderful? The operation went well (Thursday), with a couple of post-op glitches, natch. But long story short, I’m on the mend. A few days of extreme caution so I don’t pull any wires loose and then a few weeks of sort-of caution as my body gets over the physical … Read more

The Journal, Wednesday, October 3

Hey Folks, Some pretty good stuff in “Of Interest” today. There won’t be a Journal tomorrow or probably the next day, so I wanted to get this one out. In my absence, you might check on the websites from which I regularly post “Of Interest” topics: I typically visit Dean’s site every morning at https://deanwesleysmith.com. I often scroll down also to read the comments. I usually visit the Kill Zone blog at https://killzoneblog.com as well. Even some of their First Page Critiques are worth reading, but keep your salt shaker handy. (Tequila is optional.) I also recommend stopping by Kris … Read more

The Journal, Thursday, September 27

Hey Folks, Well, mostly editing today. In fact, all editing other than the brief time I spent online for items “Of Interest.” Some good ones today. I’ve also decided to re-enter the workforce by way of expanding my services to other writers. To that end, soon I’ll offer the following: ▪ First Chapter or Short Story Critique (fiction, up to 3000 words) — This consists of personalized instruction and recommendations on your specific scene and chapter openings, how to pull the reader into the story and keep him there, use of character names, and a great deal more. The cost … Read more

The Journal, Wednesday, September 26

Hey Folks, Well, the doc appointment yesterday went well. I found out I get my new internal pacemaker/defibrillator on the morning of October 4. I also learned we won’t find out whether my heart function will improve or how much for a month or longer. (They recommend three months, but expect to see a trend in one month.) So we’ll see how that goes. Either way, it just is what it is, and I’m entering a new stage of life. In the Corps we had a saying we used to toss back and forth when we were confronted by a … Read more

The Journal, Monday, September 24

Hey Folks, A LOT in “Of Interest” today. I even added a couple of them to my website Writer Resources page. Absolutely nothing to report from yesterday. But this morning, after spending a couple of days getting over this cold or whatever it is, I feel better enough that I can at least think. I mentioned a few days ago that I received a copyedit. It’s a re-edit, so it shouldn’t be all that difficult. Since it’s also prepaid, I’m going to set everything else aside and work on that until it’s finished. Some reshuffled priorities, in light of my … Read more

The Journal, Saturday, September 22

Hey Folks, You can’t tell, but I’m laughing out loud as I write this. Yesterday I discovered (on top of everything else) I had a bad case of sniffles. As in grabbing a tissue and blowing my nose every other minute or so. By the time my wife got home, I realized I had a head cold. (grin) It’s not funny, not really, but in the overall context it’s hilarious. Awhile back, a person who should feel close to me asked why I was giving away some of my stuff to my children. “You aren’t dying,” the person wrote. “After … Read more

The Journal, Friday, September 21

Hey Folks, Well, it’s taking a little time to get used to everything. The long and short of my personal stuff is that my heart function is down to 10-15% (from 45% for the past 18 years) and I’m wearing an external defibrillator for awhile. It’s an awkward device that makes every action a little different and a little more complicated. We’re hopeful everything will be resolved in the next few weeks. Very late getting to the Hovel and the novel this morning. An old Marine Corps friend called and we talked for about an hour. He’s from the early … Read more

The Journal, Thursday, September 20

Hey Folks, A great “Of Interest” section today (playing catch up), but first some personal stuff, though it is related to writing, or in this case, not writing. So sorry about missing yesterday. I missed writing not only this Journal but fiction for a day too. My “streak” ended at 4 days. Today it’s back to 1. (grin) Here’s the rundown on the past couple of days: As you know, we went to Tucson on Tuesday for what we believed was an out-patient procedure. We expected to depart Tucson around 5 p.m. Then the following morning, I would resume my … Read more

The Journal, Tuesday, September 18

Hey Folks, Welcome to new subscriber Dianne. Glad you’re aboard. I hope you get something of value out of the journal. The Journal apparently is a well-kept secret. That makes the subscribers a kind of elite group. Each of you is one of only 56 folks who currently enjoy these private glimpses and “Of Interest” tidbits. (grin) I’m very glad you’re out there. And it isn’t all one-sided. Thanks to subscriber Céline who this very morning gave me some invaluable advice re naming conventions in France, where my WIP is set. *** I received an email from another friend noting … Read more