The Passive Voice

The Journal: The Journey Home: Part 7 Is Finished

In today’s Journal * Just a reminder * Wow. I almost screwed up * I was thinking * Today, and as I was reading * The Numbers Just as a reminder, the half-price sale on WMG Publishing (DWS) workshops ends on Thursday at 5 p.m. You can use the code AGAIN to get anything on Teachable at half price. (Note: I am not an affiliate. I pass this along only because I beleive it’s a great value.) Wow. I almost screwed up big time. So here’s another cautionary tale direct from the experience of a prolific writer. Yesterday, I was … Read more

The Journal: A Gentle Reminder

In today’s Journal * Topic: A Gentle Reminder * Fiction Lengths * The Numbers Topic: A Gentle Reminder A gentle reminder today not to believe every bit of every article you read about writing. Better to consider each statement and question posed in such articles, then assign each a value. The values I assign personally range from Valid on the high end to Maybe Useful in the middle to PBS on the low end, and I’m not talking about the television network. In my rating system the P stands for “Pure” and the B stands for “Bat” or “Bull,” your … Read more

The Journal: Random Thoughts

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * Random Thoughts * In today’s “Of Interest” * Yesterday * The Numbers Quotes of the Day “In my case all painting… is an accident. I foresee it and yet I hardly ever carry it out as I foresee it. It transforms itself by the actual paint. I don’t in fact know very often what the paint will do, and it does many things which are very much better than I could make it do.” Francis Bacon (via The Passive Voice) “Anything you can make, you make by accident. … you have … Read more

The Journal: Why I Write the Journal

In today’s Journal * A good day * Topic: Why I Write the Journal * The Numbers Yesterday was a good day for me and my fiction. I wrote a short story of 4140 words for the Cave Creek Shared World, spell-checked it and sent it off, then took a short lunch break and added another 2480 words to the novel for a total on the day of 6620 words. Topic: Why I Write the Journal Note: This is a very long post. I won’t apologize for that, and I hope you’ll read it to the end. Slim pickings for … Read more

The Journal: A Minor Glitch

In today’s Journal * For the first time ever * I hit a minor glitch * The Numbers Well, for the first time ever, this morning I came back and deleted a large segment of an original Journal post. The simple fact is, I’m tired of beating my head against a wall. I don’t care how anyone else writes, I don’t care what sort of fertilizer they’re peddling, and I don’t care who buys it. My job as an instructor or mentor is to pay forward what I’ve learned and to help where I can. I do my best to … Read more

The Journal: Maybe an Exciting New Source

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * Note: Gilbert Bassey * I’m writing again * Dean’s at it again * Sorry about the snow and ice * The Numbers Quotes of the Day “Story is about emotional manipulation.” Gilbert Bassey “[S]tories are the most powerful creations of mankind.” Gilbert Bassey “In an era when Woke culture apparently has the power to turn business executives of all sorts into quivering and spineless pools of goo, a morals clause can be dangerous to a traditionally-published author’s financial and emotional health, both presently and in the future.” The Passive Guy and … Read more

The Journal: On Solitude, and Openings

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * On Solitude and Dismissive Attitudes * Openings * The Numbers Quotes of the Day from my Did She Really Say That? file “Let me tell you this: if you meet a loner, no matter what they tell you, it’s not because they enjoy solitude. It’s because they have tried to blend into the world before, and people continue to disappoint them.” Jodi Picoult (via The Passive Voice) Note: Whatever the reason, I absolutely LOVE solitude, not that it would do any good to tell Ms. Picoult that, given her self-centered, audacious … Read more

The Journal: Kenneth Flowers, Yarmulkes and Tattoos

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * Kenneth Flowers * Yarmulkes and Tattoos * Wrote an opening * The Numbers Kenneth Flowers A couple of days ago I was talking a bit about titles. Apropos of nothing, I wanted to remember my friend since high school, Kenneth Flowers. Kenneth was easily the kindest person I’ve ever known and among the most intelligent. He was one of those folks whom I wish everyone could have known. We lost Kenneth to COPD a few of years ago. Anyway, Kenneth came up with one of the best titles I’ve ever heard, … Read more

The Journal: WITD, the Novel and Dean

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * Topic: Despite the playful * Wow. The novel * Yesterday I mentioned * The Numbers Quotes of the Day “Don’t get so obsessed with writing advice that you fail to write.” JR Murdock “But how do I do this? How can I type words to a story when I’m not sure what’s happening?” JR Murdock (Harvey, in the back of the classroom, arm raised, hand waving frantically: “Ooh, ooh! Pick me! Ask me!” (grin)) Topic: Despite the playful, tongue-in-cheek jab immediately above this paragraph, reading JR Murdock’s post this morning (see … Read more

The Journal: Copyright: It Isn’t Rocket Science

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * Copyright: It Isn’t Rocket Science * No bites * Great day * The Numbers Quote of the Day “I am a writer, a writer whose work has been published widely, so I have figured out a thing or two about how copyright does and does not work.” Emily Harstone Copyright: It Isn’t Rocket Science Sorry, but the quote of the day is just a really stupid statement. Being a writer, even a widely published writer, doesn’t mean you know copyright any more than being an experienced driver means you know the … Read more