Pro Writers Writing

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, Friday, July 5

In today’s Journal * Kris Rusch, Patreon and licensing * Writers should be paid for their work * Call for first readers * Daily diary * Of Interest * The numbers As writers, we’re entering a new and exciting age beyond publishing, and we’re being led (not surprisingly) by Dean Wesley Smith and Kristine Kathryn Rusch (see “Of Interest”). Frankly, I feel sorry for writers who are not currently signed up for this Journal or for Kris’ Business Musings posts. If you’re a friend to your writer friends, please share this post widely. Specifically because of how important Kris’ Business … 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, 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, 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, Friday, June 28

In today’s Journal * Thanks * Recap * Daily diary * Of Interest * The numbers Thanks to Diane Darcy and Phillip McCollum. Both for their comments on yesterday’s post and for spreading the word about the book. Phillip actually plugged it on his blog. (grin) If any of you bought the Amazon version of Quiet the Critical Voice (and Write Fiction) and found it doesn’t have a table of contents, I’m not sure why they did that. If you email me, I’ll send you a Kindle version that DOES have a TOC. A table of contents is valuable in … Read more

The Daily Journal, Thursday, June 27

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * Recap * Daily diary * Of Interest * The numbers Quote of the Day “The … published book, is not the holy grail. The story, the thing that the writer has created, is the holy grail. Before publication of any kind. Because publication is a license.” Kristine Kathryn Rusch (see “Of Interest”) KKR’s post today is nothing short of earth-shattering. Let s/he who has ears listen. *** I really thought I’d get the Critical Voice book finalized and distributed yesterday. Didn’t happen. So I’ll do that today. Had trouble finding cover … Read more

The Daily Journal, Wednesday, June 26

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * Topic: I Almost2 (Squared) * Daily diary * Of Interest * The numbers Quote of the Day “All generalizations are dangerous, even this one.” Alexandre Dumas *** Topic: I Almost2 (Squared) 1. I almost tossed out the Critical Voice book this morning. After all, pretty much everything in the book flies in the face of one lie or another (DWS calls them “myths”) that writers have been taught over the years. But if you’re one of the minority who were looking forward to the book, don’t sweat it. I will publish … 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