The Passive Voice

The Daily Journal, Monday, April 1

In today’s Journal ▪ It’s April 1 ▪ An opportunity to reset goals ▪ Some valuable lessons on structure ▪ Daily diary ▪ Of Interest ▪ The numbers It’s April 1. Let me just say up front, nothing in this edition of the Journal is an April Fool’s joke. (grin) I’ll be getting back to my WIP today. Also today, Blackwell Ops 3: Marie Arceneaux releases to the public. It’s available at https://books2read.com/u/3LGY00. I’m also in a new bundle, ECLECTICA, from BundleRabbit. Nineteen short stories and short story collections, featuring my own collection S, F, & H. For details, visit … Read more

The Daily Journal, Wednesday, March 27

In today’s Journal ▪ Quote of the day ▪ Update on Pro Writers Writing ▪ Topic: Once More Into the Breach ▪ Daily diary ▪ Of Interest ▪ The numbers Social media quote of the day: “I don’t see a need to strong-arm people I’ve never met into giving me happy thoughts and supportive words.” ~ Anonymous *** The subscriber list for PWW is growing. If you haven’t subscribed yet, we’re in the second round of posts and they’re getting even more interesting. To subscribe, visit http://prowriterswriting.com and click Subscribe via Email in the menu. At the request of one … Read more

The Daily Journal, Tuesday, March 26

In today’s Journal ▪ Yesterday I read ▪ Update on my challenge ▪ Daily diary ▪ Of Interest ▪ The numbers Yesterday, I had the pleasure of reading the first few pages of a story from a relatively new writer. Hey, we all start somewhere. The writing was good, though the writer is currently too wrapped around the wheel of the myths he was taught in school. Again, we’ve all been there. But this writer is different than many. He wants to improve his craft. He was honest enough to post specific questions (which pointed to his being wrapped around … 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, Saturday, March 23

In today’s Journal ▪ With respect to the OP… ▪ Topic: On Being a “Hybrid” Writer ▪ Daily diary ▪ Of Interest (a boatload of links) ▪ The numbers With respect to the OP mentioned about Microsoft Word in “Of Interest,” you can still view (free) my blog series “Microsoft Word for Writers” at http://harveystanbrough.com/microsoft-word-for-writers/. Just sayin’. *** Topic: On Being a “Hybrid” Writer Part 1: Statement, History and Rationale At 66 years old, with 40-some novels and almost 200 short stories under my belt, I’ve decided to go hybrid. My work has been traditionally published before. I’ve had articles, … Read more

The Daily Journal, Friday, March 22

In today’s Journal ▪ I got a new coffee mug ▪ Topic: Turning a “Story Prompt”… ▪ Daily diary ▪ Of Interest (a boatload of links) ▪ The numbers I got a new coffee mug from Zazzle (https://zazzle.com). My new mug reads I’M A FICTION WRITER. Yes, I’m poor. No, I don’t wish I wrote “__________.” Yes, I’m aware that no one reads anymore. No, I’m not drunk. Just thought I’d share. (grin) *** Topic: Turning a “Story Prompt” into a Story Idea From Reedsy’s Writing Prompts newsletter, “You’re a professional cleaner and the beginning of spring is always your … 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

The Daily Journal, Wednesday, March 13

In today’s Journal ▪ Welcome and today in “Of Interest” ▪ Topic: What Is a Scene? ▪ Update on my challenge ▪ Daily diary ▪ Of Interest ▪ The numbers Welcome to our newest subscriber, Judy M. Thanks for coming along for the ride, Judy. Tell Ron W. I miss his tired old self. (grin) (By the way, most of my Journal entries aren’t quite as long as this one. You picked a good day to start.) Today in “Of Interest” John Gilstrap (at TKZ) talks about what constitutes a scene. He has an interesting take, and he asked readers … Read more

The Daily Journal, Tuesday, March 12

In today’s Journal ▪ Topic: Reader Taste Revisited ▪ Daily diary ▪ Of Interest ▪ The numbers Topic: Reader Taste Revisited Well, I started a minor firestorm with my offhand comment in my post “On Readers’ ‘Taste’ and Writers’ Ability” over at https://harveystanbrough.com/pro-writers/on-readers-taste…-writers-ability/. (grin) The point of the article was based on a simple but solid premise: that all fiction writers who are (or profess to be or want to be) professionals are responsible for their own work and should strive to learn how to keep readers in their stories. After all, if every unfinished reading experience can be marked … Read more

The Daily Journal, Monday, March 4

In today’s Journal ▪ Update on Pro Writers Writing ▪ An experiment ▪ Daily diary ▪ Of Interest ▪ The numbers The contributors to Pro Writers Writing have begun scheduling their posts. We’ll kick the site off “live” on Monday, March 18. I hope all of you will subscribe. More than likely, I’ll reference some of those posts in my Journal in the “Of Interest” section. But I won’t reference all of them. If you subscribe, you will definitely find some things that work for you but that I might have skipped over. UPDATE: Terry Odell (http://terryodell.com), whose posts I … Read more