Professional Writer Series

The Daily Journal, Saturday, May 25

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * Dude, where’s my royalties * Topic: How to Quiet the Critical Voice (Chapter 8) * Daily diary * Of Interest * The numbers Quote of the Day: “There’s many a bestseller that could have been prevented by a good teacher.” Flannery O’Connor *** In “Of Interest” you’ll see “Dude, Where’s My Royalties?” When I’d read the article, a quick scene popped into my head: Me tapping him on the shoulder. “Um, pardon me.” He turns around, smiling, his eyebrows arched. “Yes?” I try to maintain a polite smile and fail. “Why … Read more

The Daily Journal, Friday, May 24

In today’s Journal * Dean’s offer to learn * Very long topic today * Topic: How to Quiet the Critical Voice (Chapter 7) * Daily diary * Of Interest * The numbers Dean’s offer to learn along with him as he and Kris attend the licensing expo in Las Vegas is nothing short of an astounding and exceptional opportunity. If you’re on the fence about his offer to learn what he learns as he attends, at least watch the free introductory video (see “Of Interest”). And just so you know, he’s also including his The Magic Bakery (licensing) classic workshop … Read more

The Daily Journal, Thursday, May 23

In today’s Journal * Happy birthday to my dad * Short day today * Note * Topic: How to Quiet the Critical Voice (Chapter 6) (See the note below.) * Daily diary * Of Interest * The numbers Happy birthday to my dad. He would have been 91 today. *** Short day today, so this will be a brief post other than the topic below. Of course, short days and long days don’t matter as much on this WIP since I’m in no rush to finish it. (grin) *** Note: I decided to turn the “digression” I wrote on May … Read more

The Daily Journal, Wednesday, May 22

In today’s Journal * Subscriptions to the Journal * In light of that * Topic: How to Quiet the Critical Voice (Chapter 4) * Daily diary * Of Interest * The numbers Subscriptions to the Journal might be changing soon. The thing is, I’m not some big marketing master. I’m just a writer who wants to share my experiences with other writers. Via Linda Mae Adams, see David Gaughran’s “Time To Ditch Mailchimp?” at https://davidgaughran.com/2019/05/16/mailchimp-alternatives-criticism-changes-pricing-plans/. I’ve been aware of this for a week or so and have read MailChimp’s new Terms of Use. If you don’t personally use MailChimp, no … Read more

The Daily Journal, Tuesday, May 21

In today’s Journal * From Kris Rusch * Topic: A Digression * Daily diary * Of Interest * The numbers From the Too Good to Pass Up department, see Kris Rusch’s “Good News” at https://kriswrites.com/2019/05/20/good-news/. *** Topic: A Digression Note: Chapter 4 of How to Quiet the Critical Voice will appear here tomorrow. I had it ready to go, but this has to take precedence. Wow. Especially considering that I’m smack in the midst of writing a nonfiction book on beating the critical voice, I had to talk about this. For an excellent example of someone who for right or … Read more

The Daily Journal, Sunday, May 19

In today’s Journal * My friend Dan * Weird how writers say * Topic: My Own Stages of Becoming a Fiction Writer * Daily diary * Of Interest * The numbers My friend Dan Baldwin will be dropping by today mid-morning or a little later. We’ll enjoy a couple of cigars and, no doubt, a lot of talk about writing. It’s always enjoyable visiting with Dan. I invariably learn something new or realize something I’d forgotten. So I’ll devote the first couple of hours this morning (after the Journal stuff) to the WIP, then post this early. *** As another … Read more

The Daily Journal, Saturday, May 18

In today’s Journal *My bride and I *I’ll be glad *All good fiction *As I was writing *Daily diary *Of Interest *The numbers My bride and I have a fun trip planned to Sierra Vista today where we’ll visit an estate sale, then attend a gun show, then visit the commissary to grab some grub, plus lunch somewhere in all that. So I had a decision to make. So no topic today (Chapter 3 will keep). Instead I’ll write a bit more on the WIP and on this Journal with my available time. Enjoy the respite. (grin) *** Just a … Read more

The Daily Journal, Friday, May 17

In today’s Journal A very long post today Quotes of the Day I’ve updated the site Today in “Of Interest” Topic: How to Quiet the Critical Voice (Chapter 2) Daily diary Of Interest The numbers A very long post today. Hang in there. I think it will be worthwhile. *** Quotes of the Day Via Terry Odell, “There is a difference between a book of two hundred pages from the very beginning, and a book of two hundred pages which is the result of an original eight hundred pages. The six hundred are there. Only you don’t see them.” Elie … Read more

The Daily Journal, Wednesday, May 15

In today’s Journal Quote of the Day Well, without really planning to Topic: How to Quiet the Critical Voice (Intro) Daily diary Of Interest The numbers Quote of the Day From Jeff Goins’ newsletter: “You don’t have to want to be a writer. You just have to write.” *** Well, without really planning to, I guess I’ll take a shot at writing the critical-voice nonfiction book. As DWS has done before me (and as I did over on the big blog with Writing the Character-Driven Story), I plan to write the entire book a chapter at a time here in … Read more

The Daily Journal, Tuesday, May 14

In today’s Journal Quote of the Day In the past two days Topic: How to Write “Complicated Stories” into the Dark Daily diary Of Interest The numbers Quote of the Day From The Passive Guy: “Writing well means never having to say, ‘I guess you had to be there.’” Jef Mallett *** In the past two days, I came up with two topics that are so huge they want badly to be nonfiction books. One is How to Quiet the Critical Voice, and the other is Writing High-Action Scenes. Of course, the former probably won’t sell five copies. (grin) The … Read more