Professional Writer Series

The Journal: Cave Creek and A Few Thoughts on Writing Into the Dark

In today’s Journal * I seldom write from a picture * Cave Creek Kickstarter update * Yesterday * Topic: A Few Thoughts on Writing Into the Dark * Today * Of Interest * The Numbers I seldom write from a picture, but in case anyone wondered, I wrote my recent short story, “Silence Is Better,” based on seeing a print I found at a garage sale. (Artist: Vivian Flasch) That’s a photo of it on the left. If you’d like to read the short story (some readers think it’s Hemingway-esque), email me at harveystanbrough@gmail.com and I’ll send it to you … Read more

The Journal: On Having “Enough” Inventory, Supporting Readers, and Other Things

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * Yesterday * Topic: On Having “Enough” Inventory, Supporting Readers, and Other Things * Today * Of Interest * The Numbers Quotes of the Day “But the truth is, that pushing yourself often yields great results. If you push yourself and fail, at the very least you’ve exercised your writing muscles.” David Farland I expected yesterday to be a really big day, but it wasn’t. I diverted my efforts to helping my wife clear the yard of piles and piles of saltbush and mesquite tree trimmings. We transported four pickup-bed loads to … Read more

The Journal: Dave Farland and Poetics

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * Dave Farland and Poetics * Everything I’ve ever written * Topic: Sometimes Comparisons Are Useful * Yesterday and Today * Of Interest * The Numbers Quotes of the Day “The most durable thing in writing is style, and style is the single most valuable investment a writer can make with his time.” Raymond Chandler “Scarcely anything in literature is worth a damn except what is written between the lines.” Raymond Chandler In his post today, Dave Farland talks about the importance of eloquence and originality in writing in “Poetics” at https://mystorydoctor.com/poetics-2/. … Read more

The Journal: Cave Creek and Update on Cycling

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * Cave Creek Kickstarter * Street Team update * Kevin Tumlinson * Topic: Update on Cycling * Today * Of Interest * The Numbers Quotes of the Day “‘No one will like this.’ ‘It’s not funny enough.’ ‘It’s too short.’ ‘It’s too long.’ [These] are projections into the future, which don’t actually exist because no one has read your book yet. Write your book, put it out there, and then don’t dwell in the past worrying about whether the book is good enough. Keep in the present and write that next sentence.” … Read more

The Journal: When a Novel Becomes Work

In today’s Journal * A Note to New Subscribers * Topic: When a Novel Becomes Work * Today * Of Interest * The Numbers A Note to New Subscribers First, welcome. I’m glad you’re here. Second, a bit about what you can expect from the Journal. I’m an open book, and a blunt, straightforward one. As most of my long-time subscribers know and have somehow survived, I don’t have (or employ) many filters when it comes to talking about writing. To me, storytelling is too important—THAT you write, not WHAT you write—to pull many punches. And I post here almost … Read more

The Journal: A Hodgepodge

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * I’m gonna harrass you a little * Dean’s writing in public again * Update on the Street Team * The 50%-off sale continues * Smashwords Presents * If you enjoy podcasts * Today * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “There is always something, and something else, to discuss.” Joe Hartlaub Hey folks, I’m gonna harrass you a little bit here. Please bear with me. As I write this, I have in mind a few specific friends of mine whom I know would benefit greatly. In fact, I … Read more

The Journal: Standing Up a Street Team

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * Yesterday * Just a reminder * The 50%-off sale continues * Topic: Want to be part of my street team? * Today * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “The art of medicine consists in amusing the patient while nature cures the disease.” Voltaire (via The Passive Voice) When the day was over yesterday I’d added around 1600 words to the novel and ended the day with a little over 5,000 words of fiction. So a good day. And I actually remembered to switch the posting time from … Read more

The Journal: Special Limited Time Discount

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * Special Limited Time Discount * In the spirit * Writing with Depth and Advanced Depth * Yesterday and Today * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “Literature is a textually transmitted disease, normally contracted in childhood.” Jane Yolen (via The Passive Voice) Special Limited Time Discount In the spirit of helping readers pass the time and helping writers learn something new, I’ve just discounted all of my titles—nonfiction books, novels, novellas, short stories, and short story collections—by 50% at Smashwords. This sale ends on March 31, 2020. To … Read more

The Journal: An Incredibly Generous Offer

In today’s Journal * An Incredibly Generous Offer * Today * Of Interest * The Numbers NOTE: The special offer below ends at 5 p.m. PDT on March 19! To be sure you have the opportunity to take advantage of it, I’ve even set the Journal to go out today and tomorrow at noon instead of the normal time. An Incredibly Generous Offer As we all struggle to get through the pandemic and the government and public reaction to it… Dean Wesley Smith and Kris Rusch are offering an incredible FIFTY PERCENT off everything on Teachable (see https://wmg-publishing-workshops-and-lectures.teachable.com/), but only … Read more

The Journal: My Advice for Writers re CoVID-19

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * Topic: My Advice for Writers re CoVID-19 * Today * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “For some people, curiosity will lead to greater stress, and that stress will cripple their creativity. Instead of focusing on their novels, they’ll be focusing on the spectacle.” David Farland Topic: My Advice for Writers re CoVID-19 Since everyone else seems to be handing out advice, I thought I’d take a shot at it too. This advice, naturally, is for writers. First, here’s the all-but-mandatory disclaimer: I am not, have never been, … Read more