Professional Writer Series

The Daily Journal, Monday, April 22

In today’s Journal ▪ Still downloading ▪ Too Important for “Of Interest” ▪ Topic: Life Wants to Live ▪ A note about “Of Interest” ▪ Daily diary ▪ Of Interest ▪ The numbers I visited Unsplash.com yesterday and downloaded more possible cover pics for Blackwell Ops 5, and this morning I continued and downloaded even more. And yes, as I scanned “women in shadow” pics (thousands of them) I also downloaded a lot of pics that appealed to me for future stories and/or covers too. Easy to get happily lost while doing that. (grin) But everything’s moving forward. I’ll get … Read more

The Daily Journal, Sunday, April 21

In today’s Journal ▪ A guy once said to me ▪ Today is Sunday, and Easter ▪ Topic: Sometimes I Hate the Truth of Numbers ▪ Daily diary ▪ Of Interest ▪ The numbers A guy once said to me, “You shouldn’t work on Sunday. Even God took Sunday off.” To which I replied, “Ah, but I am not a god.” *** From the Department of Stuff You Already Know, today is Sunday, and Easter, and a short day for me. Sometime today, I’ll help my wife set up a small office for a surprise party kind of thing for … Read more

The Daily Journal, Saturday, April 20

In today’s Journal ▪ Quote of the day ▪ Topic: On the Value of Pre-Orders ▪ Daily diary ▪ Of Interest ▪ The numbers Quote of the Day: “We shall soon be in a world in which a man may be howled down for saying that two and two make four, in which people will persecute the heresy of calling a triangle a three-sided figure, and hang a man for maddening a mob with the news that grass is green.” G. K. Chesterton *** Topic: On the Value of Pre-Orders Well, apparently I’m still having trouble with Heinlein’s Rule 4 … Read more

The Daily Journal, Thursday, April 18

In today’s Journal ▪ Dean Wesley Smith’s free offer ▪ Topic: Always Learning ▪ Daily diary ▪ Of Interest ▪ The numbers Dean Wesley Smith is incredibly generous. He is giving away his Pop-Up Workshop #9: “How Authors Hurt Their Own Writing and Sales and How to Stop.” No catches. No gimmicks. The Pop-Up consists of twelve videos plus a short story prompt. See the link to his post (and the first video) in “Of Interest.” ESPECIALLY if you think you don’t need this (critical voice) SIGN UP. Seriously. Topic: Always Learning Every morning I search the Internet for items … Read more

The Daily Journal, Wednesday, April 17

In today’s Journal ▪ A great day ▪ There’s a great writing-book bundle ▪ Thoughts on Realizations and Legacies ▪ Daily diary ▪ Of Interest ▪ The numbers I had a great day yesterday in Sierra Vista. I bought some new jeans that are actually blue, don’t have frayed cuffs and aren’t falling off me. (grin) I also bought a few items to outfit my 4Runner for upcoming camping trips, got a haircut, and bought some other stuff. Topped it off with a visit to my favorite burger joint. It was a necessary trip, but if I’d tried to write … Read more

The Daily Journal, Monday, April 15

In today’s Journal ▪ Notre Dame Cathedral ▪ Blackwell Ops 4: Melanie Sloan ▪ I couldn’t get through the OP ▪ Topic: Mentoring (or Not), A Cautionary Tale ▪ Daily diary ▪ Of Interest ▪ The numbers First and foremost, our hearts go out to the people of Paris and France as Notre Dame, which has stood since the 14th century, is on fire today. I don’t watch network news, so I first learned of this at around 1:15 p.m. from my dear friend Michaele, for whom the Cathedral was once her parish church for a short while. Of course, … Read more

The Daily Journal, Sunday, April 14

In today’s Journal ▪ Quote of the day and thanks ▪ Another BundleRabbit bundle ▪ Yesterday I ordered ▪ Topic: “Take Your Time: Part 3” ▪ Daily diary ▪ Of Interest ▪ The numbers Via The Passive Voice, “If you have a story that seems worth telling, and you think you can tell it worthily, then the thing for you to do is to tell it, regardless of whether it has to do with sex, sailors or mounted policemen.” — Dashiell Hammett *** I think I forgot to mention awhile back I’m in another BundleRabbit bundle called Eclectica. My short … Read more

The Daily Journal, Saturday, April 13

In today’s Journal ▪ Not a lot ▪ Topic: Take Your Time ▪ Daily diary ▪ Of Interest (a LOT of links) ▪ The numbers Not a lot around the internet this morning, so probably a realtively short post today. I did take a few minutes to improve the copyright notice. It appears at the bottom of every page. Stop by http://prowriterswriting.com and take a look. Topic: Take Your Time (Revisited) As I was discussing with one of my mentoring writers a day or two ago, sometimes it’s necessary to take your time while writing. Yes, I write around 900 … Read more

The Daily Journal, Friday, April 12

In today’s Journal ▪ Thanks ▪ Trad pubs? ▪ Topic: Consistency Is Key ▪ A new icon for PWW ▪ Daily diary ▪ Of Interest (a LOT of links) ▪ The numbers I read over yesterday’s post again last night, and wow did it sound needy. (grin) Anyway, thanks to all of you who commented on the post or in private emails to let me know the Journal matters to you. I appreciate it. I kind of figured it mattered to some of you, but I admit it’s nice to hear. If a particular edition of the Journal strikes you … Read more

The Daily Journal, Thursday, April 11

In today’s Journal ▪ Sometimes I wonder ▪ Topic: If You’re a Writer, Write ▪ Daily diary ▪ Of Interest (a LOT of links) ▪ The numbers Sometimes I wonder whether anyone’s still reading these silly entries. I mean, I know a few people are, those with whom I’m working closely. But sometimes I wonder otherwise whether all this is worth it. Kris Rusch’s post makes even this nonfiction writing (and wondering) better. Her post in today’s “Of Interest” reminded me that I chat with my friends and acquaintances here each day because I enjoy doing so. She reminded me … Read more