Sue Coletta

The Daily Journal, Monday, June 24

In today’s Journal * Of particular importance * Topic: Brief, Grouchy Thoughts on Publishing * Daily diary * Of Interest * The numbers In her June 22 post on PWW, Michaele Lockhart wrote about the importance of word choice. It was an excellent post, one that I thought would serve as a catalyst for dozens of comments. It did not. Early this morning, I realized why. Word choice is a topic about which any group of craft-wise and craft-serious writers could talk for days—or weeks—on end and never say the same thing twice. So I left a comment on the … Read more

The Daily Journal, Monday, June 3

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * Thanks * A new goal * Topic: On Sharing and Copyright * Daily diary * Of Interest * The numbers Quotes of the Day “They say ‘write what you know,’ which frankly I just find a dull truism. I say, write what you write. Write what engages you. What you know will just shine through.” Sean Monaghan “Writing is perhaps the greatest of human inventions, binding together people who never knew each other, citizens of distant epochs. Books break the shackles of time. A book is proof that humans are capable … 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, Friday, May 10

In today’s Journal ▪ Kristine Kathryn Rusch (one more time) ▪ Bundle time again ▪ Mentoring still open ▪ Almost had a minor melt down ▪ Topic: Boxed Sets ▪ Daily diary ▪ Of Interest ▪ The numbers Kris added a second stretch goal and more rewards to her Kickstarter. Read about it at https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/403649867/the-diving-universe/posts/2503773. *** Yesterday I learned my Science Fantasy novel In the Siberian Fields (StoneThread Publishing, 2016) will be included in the forthcoming bundle, Gods Among the Stars. (grin) When that one goes live, my work will be available in 10 active bundles. Woohoo! To see the … Read more

The Daily Journal, Monday, May 6

In today’s Journal ▪ Topic: How I Became… ▪ Daily diary ▪ Of Interest ▪ The numbers Topic: How I Became a Professional Fiction Writer Sometimes it’s difficult to remember that a scant 5 years ago I knew almost nothing about writing fiction. Oh, I knew (and taught) mechanics: grammar, punctuation, the use of sentences and fragments, and some of the finer nuances passive vs. active construction, past tense vs. present tense and so on. But about writing? I knew nada. I’d written bits and pieces off and on for most of my life (poems, essays, articles, a few stories). … 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, Monday, April 8

In today’s Journal ▪ Today I’ll start ▪ Tutoring slot open ▪ Topic: Who a Story Is About ▪ Daily diary ▪ Of Interest ▪ The numbers Today, sometime or other, I’ll start a new novel. Maybe. The visit with my old friend went really well, interrupted somewhat by the sobering news about Jim Glaser’s passing. This morning, I watched/listened to a few of Jim’s performances as a way to spend some time with him. It was enjoyable. *** I heard from another possible tutoring student that s/he decided to pass at the moment (until s/he decides what specifically s/he … Read more

The Daily Journal, Monday, March 25

In today’s Journal ▪ If you don’t read anything else ▪ Topic: On Being a Hybrid Writer, Part 2 ▪ Daily diary ▪ Of Interest ▪ The numbers If you don’t read anything else all day, read “In Y.A., Where Is the Line…” at https://www.thepassivevoice.com/in-y-a-where-is-the-line-between-criticism-and-cancel-culture/. This sort of censorship crap makes me wonder what the hell is wrong with people. If you would ever succumb to this kind of censorship, I suggest you drop your pen, close your laptop, and go find something fun to do other than writing. And if you choose to keep writing, gird your loins: jerks … Read more

The Daily Journal, Tuesday, March 19

In today’s Journal ▪ Dean Wesley Smith ▪ Mea culpa ▪ Catching up ▪ Daily diary ▪ Of Interest (a boatload of links) ▪ The numbers If you missed it, do yourself a valuable favor and watch the half-hour video at https://selfpublishingadviceconference.com/how-to-write-a-novel/. Dean basically presents a masters class on writing fiction. I recommend you take notes. I did, and I also watched and listened to the video twice. It is incredible. I added this in several categories to my Writers Resources page. And for one of the most excellent and shortest posts I’ve ever seen, see “A Reminder” at https://phillipmccollum.com/a-reminder/. … Read more

The Daily Journal, Thursday, March 14

In today’s Journal ▪ Quote of the day ▪ Update on admin stuff ▪ Topic: Four Harsh Truths ▪ Daily diary ▪ Of Interest ▪ The numbers “You only fail if you stop writing.” Ray Bradbury *** Well, I got my main author website up to date yesterday. And I got Blackwell Ops 4: Melanie Sloan uploaded for advance orders. It will release officially on April 15. The universal link is https://books2read.com/u/4NZxYz, but it’s currently available only in a few stores. (It takes a few days to get into all the stores.) The publisher website is going to take a … Read more