Professional Writer Series

The Journal, Thursday, 9/7

Hey Folks, Rolled out a little early at 2:20. My recliner came in yesterday. And it’s So Big my feet dangle when I’m sitting in it. Makes me feel like I’m five again. The seat is too deep too, front to back. (We ordered it online.) And honestly, in hindsight I also wish both my wife and I could sit on it at the same time. That’s how sappy I am. (This thing would fit my friend Robert Sadler just about perfectly. But, you know, he’s in Dallas holding down the southeastern front.) So this morning I told my wife … Read more

The Journal, Wednesday, 9/6

Hey Folks, Now I know what the kids mean when they write OMG. Via The Passive Voice from yesterday, there was this wonderful gem: “What begins as a raindrop on our heads turns into a cloudburst of rain. If we deny its messages, it becomes a thunderstorm. Still not listening? Look out for a hurricane, a tornado and an accompanying tsunami.” Are you kidding me? Talk about mixing metaphors. And even mixing them WITHIN a metaphor. This is supposed to be a serious post about what might happen if we “fail or refuse to learn the lessons we are supposed … Read more

The Journal, Tuesday, 9/5

Hey Folks, I rolled out a little early today. I spent the first half-hour or so on a little bit of Internet stuff. Then I listened to Week 5 of my online workshop with DWS. The main topic this week was the primary reason I took this workshop, especially when combined with the main topic in Week 4. So I went back and reviewed a couple of videos from Week 4 as well and enhanced my notes for Week 5. The topics in Weeks 1 – 3 weren’t really of interest to me, but I listened to them anyway because … Read more

The Journal, Monday, 9/4

Hey Folks, I told my wife last night I needed to get back in the office and publish “The Tarp.” I didn’t. So after most of my Internet stuff this morning, I did that. I’m rusty there too, so it took a little longer than usual. Anyway, I’ll be emailing it to donors shortly. Actually, I ended up emailing the last three stories to donors. I might have sent the first two before, but I don’t think so. I sent them “Going Home,” a war story about a sniper who encounters some unusual circumstances; “Pancho and Lefty: An Alternate Ending,” … Read more

The Journal, Sunday, 9/3

Hey Folks, I read the story I just finished to my wife yesterday, but she didn’t quite get the ending. I said, “Would it help if I had mentioned perfume” in a particular place in the story? She said it would. That was the one clue that was missing. This was an interesting story for me. It appears to be very convoluted, but really there are only two major scenes. And you can tell I’ve been reading a lot of Hemingway recently. This story is very detailed and very strange. (grin) So I added the bit about perfume this morning. … Read more

The Journal, Saturday, 9/2

Hey Folks, Well, the story I started yesterday will definitely be a short story, though longer than my usual short story. My short stories are usually around 3,000 words. This one will come in probably at around 5,000 or 6,000. It might also expand into a novel, but right now it’s about one event. So a short story. *** Finally checked Dean’s site (it’s not quite noon here) and I am stymied. See “Short Story Finished” at http://www.deanwesleysmith.com/short-story-finished/. Uncanny. Some of the parallels between his writing world and mine are just eerie at the moment. He wrote “only 25,000 words … Read more

The Journal, Friday, 9/1

Hey Folks, Welp, happy Labor Day. Time for me to get to laboring again. (grin) More Adjustments Getting three hours per day to write (and writing during that time) shouldn’t be a problem even if it’s in snippets on some days. But it would be better if the time were blocked off. With the coming cooler weather, I can walk a little later in the day, so that helps. As long as the temp isn’t over about 85 I’m good for a couple of miles. My previous early rising seems to work out fairly well, so I’ll probably stick with … Read more

The Journal, Thursday, 8/31

Hey Folks, Before the sun is up, I already know today will be another day of learning/reading for me. For one thing, irrationally, I’ve become attached to the beginning and ending of months. Go figure. Frankly, I’m glad August is almost gone. From a writing standpoint, it’s been a traumatic month for me. I probably could have pulled myself out of it any number of times, but I didn’t, so. And in a way, I feel as if I’ve been holding myself back, sort of waiting. Anyway, I’m glad it’s almost gone. *** We’re in an age in which companies … Read more

The Journal, Wednesday, 8/30

Hey Folks, Not a lot to talk about today. I started the day a little late. Still catching up on my sleep, I guess. I made my rounds of the Internet. DWS is back, mostly. I listened to the vids from Week 4 of my current workshop and enjoyed it. A lot of meat there. I guess maybe there was a lot of meat in Weeks 2 and 3 as well, but I wasn’t as interested in those. It would depend on where your interests lie. I also received a link to my FREE copy of “Write. Publish. Repeat Conversations” … Read more

The Journal, Tuesday, 8/29

Hey Folks, In the interest of “fair and balanced reporting,” via The Digital Reader check out David Gaughran’s “The Visibility Gambit” at https://davidgaughran.wordpress.com/2017/08/28/the-visibility-gambit/. Spoiler Alert: This is in favor of going with Amazon KDP Select, but be sure to read the comments too. Hey, whatever works for you. To learn more about KDP Select (this feeds Kindle Unlimited) and determine whether it’s right for you, visit https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/. Be sure to also read https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/A6KILDRNSCOBA?ref_=kdp_KDPS_faq/ and then click the link for KDP Terms and Conditions and read that. I decided today to take a chance, though really it isn’t much of a … Read more