Professional Writer Series

The Journal: A Quick Lesson on Openings and Hooks

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * Topic: A Quick Lesson on Openings and Hooks * Today * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “I’m letting the story and characters unfold… and writing whatever comes. It’s definitely faster. It’s not at all exhausting. I’m not feeling the ‘brain drain’ I get when I try to craft a story from the outside in. And I’m eager to pick [the story] up again tomorrow.” Patrick Dorn, a new proponent of writing into the dark Topic: A Quick Lesson on Openings and Hooks One of my patrons emailed … Read more

The Journal: Boredom and the Power of I Am

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * Topic: Boredom and the Power of I Am * Today * Of Interest * The Numbers “[B]oredom comes when a reader anticipates (even subconsciously) what will happen next—and then it does.” James Scott Bell Know how to beat boredom for your reader? Don’t plan. Just write. Topic: Boredom and the Power of I Am Even if you’re a non-believer, the bible and other religious texts hold important lessons for everybody. There’s much wisdom there. In my humble opinion, the most important is the concept of I AM. I Am is the … Read more

The Journal: A Matter of Mindset

In today’s Journal * Topic: A Matter of Mindset * Today * Of Interest * The Numbers Topic: A Matter of Mindset You might consider this a little tough love. In this business, and it IS a business, your mindset is all-important. If you want to be a writer, you have to write. It really is that simple and, for some, that difficult. Please remember that I’m not talking from some magical ivory tower here. I’ve been where all other writers have been before or are now. Some writers outline. Been there, done that. Some writers research, research, research. Until … Read more

The Journal: Just a Thought

In today’s Journal * Just a thought * Today * Of Interest * The Numbers Just a thought— As I told a mentoring student this morning, “There are two kinds of writers: The first kind are those who live on high in an ivory tower. They dress in heavenly robes and exert control over every aspect of their characters’ lives as the characters move at the writer’s command (begrudgingly) through the trenches of the story. “Then there are those writers who aren’t afraid to get dirty and don’t WANT to control others’ lives. Those are the fortunate ones. They don … Read more

The Journal: Not Much Today

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * Not Much Today * Today * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “This is a hard technique to teach writers: how do you write setting from the point of view of someone who sees the same thing every day? You write about what’s different, as well as describe what they’re actually doing. If you’re not careful, you’ll overdescribe—or underdescribe. And if you’re wondering, overdescribing is better.” Kristine Kathryn Rusch Not Much Today and a Minor Change If you missed yesterday’s post, I encourage you to read it. It’s … Read more

The Journal: This is Important

In today’s Journal * Topic: This is Important: What I Offer * Today * Of Interest * The Numbers Topic: This is Important: What I Offer Today I’m tooting my own horn, letting you know what you can learn from me and the various ways you can learn from me. I realized this morning I’ve never enumerated the various ways I teach. In case you didn’t know or as a gentle reminder, first I write this Journal almost every day. In it, I often post a topic that I believe will help someone out there. Sometimes some readers see my … Read more

The Journal: Another Myth Revealed

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * Update on my offer * Topic: Another Myth Revealed * Today * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “We’re very lucky as prose writers. We can market our practice. We don’t see the reactions to it in real time.” Kristine Kathryn Rusch Update on my offer If you don’t know what offer I’m talking about, you can read all about it at https://hestanbrough.com/the-journal-writer-fear/. I know not everyone reads the Journal every day, so I’ll leave the offer open for a week. If you browse these posts less often … Read more

The Journal: Writer Fear

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * Topic: Writer Fear * Today * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “A good story is a good story no matter how you classify it.” Claire Langley-Hawthorne Topic: Writer Fear By now, anyone who follows this blog regularly or even irregularly knows I advocate Heinlein’s Rules and a technique called Writing Into the Dark (WITD). This is not original to me, nor is it original to Dean Wesley Smith, from whom I learned it. Nor was it original to whomever taught it to him. WITD is all about … Read more

The Journal: Change Is in the Wind

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * Yesterday over at Pro Writers Writing * Topic: Change Is in the Wind * Today * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “After the New Yorker piece I decided that I would never give another interview to anyone on any subject and that I would keep away from all places where I would be likely to be interviewed. If you say nothing it is difficult for someone to get it wrong.” Ernest Hemingway, emphasis added Yesterday over at Pro Writers Writing I shared a post on “The POV … Read more

The Journal: Tidbits and Thoughts

In today’s Journal * Putting this right at the top * The above is not something * On Amazon exclusivity * Clarification on critiques * I’m bone weary of listening * Today * Of Interest * The Numbers Putting this right at the top. Probably a great opportunity for somebody. See “Collaboration Special Class” at https://www.deanwesleysmith.com/collaboration-special-class/. The above is not something I would personally be interested in for the simple reason that I can’t imagine collaborating on a short story. Though I do know a few novelists with whom I would welcome a collaboration if the genre and premise of … Read more