The Passive Voice

The Journal: Update: Game On

In today’s Journal * Update: Game On * Topic: Inventory * More and more patrons * Today * Of Interest * The Numbers Update: Game On I reached out to a writer who has attended the Master Business Class and asked him whether anyone there talked politics during the sessions. His answer was a resounding No. He wrote “at the beginning of both Vegas workshops I attended, they announced that there was to be absolutely NO discussion of politics or religion inside or outside of the classroom. They said they have sent people home for doing so.” Good enough. I … Read more

The Journal: Rethinking, Rethinking

In today’s Journal * Rethinking ways to rethink the future * I’m also rethinking * Some days are downers * Of Interest * The Numbers Part of the creative person’s ongoing task is to experiment, plan, rethink, and adjust. Regrettably, I’m rethinking a couple of things today. The first is rethinking ways to rethink the future of our business. Only yesterday, I was certain I wanted to attend the Master Business Class in Vegas next October. Today, not so much. It would be an invaluable investment in our business. What we could learn there — if the instructors and students … Read more

The Journal, Friday, November 1

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * Finished * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “The more you reason the less you create.” Raymond Chandler (wise words from another Stage 5 master) Finished the short story. I’ll call it “Seven Minutes in Belfast.” It’s a fast-paced story in the Blackwell Ops world. I wrote only a little over 500 words (the opening) yesterday, then had my doctor appointment and basically lost interest for the rest of the day. I can’t remember the last time a short story spilled over from one day to the next. … Read more

The Journal, Monday, October 28

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * I wasn’t going to * Topic: In My Personal Restructuring… * Today * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day-in and day-out.” Robert Collier I wasn’t going to post today. Need to give my left hand a few more days of healing time. But today’s “Of Interest” is important. Topic: In My Personal Restructuring… yesterday I figured out a few things: 1. How to Climb Back on Heinlein’s Rules Daily word count goal = 2500 wpd (on average). This is … Read more

The Journal, Friday, October 25

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * Topic: Humility and Epiphany * Today * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “One of the widest gaps in human experience is the gap between what we say we want to be and our willingness to discipline ourselves to get there.” Harry Emerson Fosdick Topic: Humility and Epiphany In an email exchange, another writer wrote something that shocked me to my core. The statement was nothing earth-shattering. It was one of those casual sentences-in-passing that carries almost no weight at all. It was about process, about something the … Read more

The Journal, Thursday, October 24

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * Welp, I won’t * Still a spot open * Microsoft Word for writers * Yesterday I was reminded * There’s an article * Today * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “If we listened to our intellect, we’d never have a love affair. We’d never have a friendship. We’d never go into business, because we’d be cynical. Well, that’s nonsense. You’ve got to jump off cliffs all the time and build your wings on the way down.” Ray Bradbury And what quality must you possess in order to … Read more

The Journal, Wednesday, October 23

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * Show of hands * Topic: Warning—Safeguard Your IP * Today * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “Jesus, where the hell is everybody when they first deliver the typing paper? Where are all the ‘helpers’ when those boxes full of silence come in? Blank. Both sides. No clue, no instructions enclosed on how to take just twenty-six letters and endlessly rearrange them so that they can turn them into a mirror of a part of our lives. Try it sometime.” Larry Gelbart First, a ahow of hands—How many … Read more

The Journal, Tuesday, October 22

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * Horrible Quote of the Day * Today * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, and die gallantly. Specialization is for insects.” Robert A. Heinlein Horrible Quote of the … Read more

The Journal, Thursday, October 17

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * Topic: On “IP Accelerators” and Other Ridiculous Notions * Chances are * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day First, some preparatory remarks. Back on October 8, I came across an article titled “Amazon Intellectual Property Accelerator.”  I listed it in the “Of Interest” section that day. When I mentioned the article to a knowledgeable friend, he shook his head. “Yup. Lawyers now making money off of baby writers. Go figure.” His comment stuck with me, so I figured it was time to write a topic on the subject. … Read more

The Journal, Monday, October 14

In today’s Journal * Well, my mind * Topic: In Defense of Being a Prolific Writer * Today * Of Interest * The Numbers Well, my mind is apparently going. (grin) Spurred-on by a series of comments I read elsewhere, I wrote a really long essay a week or so ago. It was too long for a single topic, so I decided to break it into a few separate topics. You saw the first one on October 7 (“POV: Point of View”) and the second on October 8 (“Stick to Your Guns”). The third came on October 9 (“Pro, Hobbyist, … Read more