Professional Writer Series

The Journal: Nothing Much Today

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * Nothing much today * Of Interest * The Numbers Quotes of the Day “The power of accurate observation is commonly called cynicism by those who have not got it.” George Bernard Shaw Nothing much today in the Journal. I’m kind’a concentrating on getting the novel done and out. So nothing bad going on, just writing. If I’m not here for the next day or two, that’s why. Well, the novel’s writing a little slower again and I’m a little nervous about it because the end is nowhere in sight. I guess … Read more

The Journal: The world is chock full

In today’s Journal * The world is chock full * Free lecture * A recent lightning strike * A good day of writing * The Numbers The world is chock full of people who are willing to teach you how to write fiction but have never written so much as one short story or novel themselves. Think about that. The same people who smile smugly and would never sign up for an international money transfer from an obscure Nigerian Prince rush out to buy books on how to write fiction from people who’ve never written fiction. It’s exactly the same … Read more

The Journal: The Internet, blah blah blah

In today’s Journal * The Internet, blah blah blah * I won’t be trashing * The Numbers My internet was down earlier today. Add to that the fact that I was under the weather last night and didn’t wake up until after 5 this morning, and I’m just not in a good mood. But the internet—well, the wind blew a little, and it rained a little (less than a half-inch spread out over 8 or 10 hours). Of course, neither wind nor rain have anything whatsoever to do with electricity and the signals it carries as long as the latter … Read more

The Journal: A “New” Computer and Logging a Day

In today’s Journal * Free Hour-Long Lecture * A “new” computer * Logging a Day * The Numbers Free Hour-Long Lecture I updated yesterday’s Journal a little late. So in case some of you missed it yesterday, to register for a free hour-long lecture titled “The First Twenty Pages — How to Win Over Agents, Editors, & Readers in Just Twenty Pages,” click https://authorspublish.com/free-author-lecture-the-first-twenty-pages/. It’s free, so it’s worth checking out. I registered, and I’ve also since learned the lecture will take place on Wednesday, March 24, at 2pm ET and 11am PT. But just as a reminder, you really … Read more

The Journal: Get a Beverage and Settle In

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * First, there are a lot * Free hour-long lecture * Slow day yesterday * Just out of curiosity * Of her current Kickstarter * The Numbers Quotes of the Day “The writing courses taught me how to trust my characters even more than I had been – to let them lead me through the story.” Rachel Amphlett “There’s a term I like, coined by author Dean Wesley Smith over on his blog, called ‘writing into the dark.’ This means writing without an outline, without an overall plan, without a safety net, … Read more

The Journal: Second Novels and Mentorships

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * When I originally pointed to * And re the first item * Still a little under * The Numbers Quote of the Day “[I]f PG were to hypothetically consider using a Social Media Assistant, he might explore the college population. They’re likely to be intelligent and very familiar with the various platforms and the unwritten norms that govern interaction on those platforms.” The Passive Guy When I originally pointed to “Twenty Authors Talk About the Second Time Around” (“Of Interest”) I did so because I had in mind the thought that … Read more

The Journal: Started a New Novel

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * Started a new novel * From David Farland (Dave Wolverton) * The Numbers Quotes of the Day “Substitute ‘damn’ every time you’re inclined to write ‘very’; your editor will delete it and the writing will be just as it should be. Mark Twain (via The Passive Voice) “This is what Stephen King would write like if Stephen King could really write.” One reviewer of a Richard Bachman novel “‘Master your instrument,’ Charlie Parker once advised. ‘Master the music and then forget all that and just play.’” Michael Hall in Texas Monthly … Read more

The Journal: On Getting Paid in Copies

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * Yesterday * On Getting Paid in Copies * Speaking of writing * The Numbers Quotes of the Day “People on the outside think there’s something magical about writing, that you go up in the attic at midnight and cast the bones and come down in the morning with a story, but it isn’t like that. You sit in back of the typewriter and you work, and that’s all there is to it.” Harlan Ellison “I get so angry about [people expecting writers to work for nothing] because you’re undercut by all … Read more

The Journal: All Caught Up

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * All Caught Up * Topic: The Pulp Writers * Turns out I’m lazy * The Numbers Quotes of the Day “I write for the joy of writing. It is the air I breathe and the joy of my life.” Charlene Iverson “There is in writing the constant joy of sudden discovery, of happy accident.” H.L. Mencken “In Sarasota, Florida, Stephen King reminded me of the joy of just writing every day.” Neil Gaiman All Caught Up I went ahead and published Book 8 of the FOH series too, early this morning. … Read more

The Journal: Diary Continued

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * Diary Continued * Rules for Dealing with Traditional Magazine Editors * The Numbers Quote of the Day “A year from now you will wish you had started today.” Karen Lamb Diary Continued Yesterday I got quite a bit done. I designed (or redesigned) 13 covers for novels (I cheated in that 11 of those used the same art for branding), wrote sales copy for 9 novels, republished two to D2D and Amazon, published one new one to D2D and Amazon (The Journey Home: Part 3) and scheduled one for preorder to … Read more