The Passive Voice

The Journal, Sunday, April 15

Hey Folks, Well, happy Shearing Day. No fiction writing yesterday or today, as expected. Yesterday I edited for a few hours in the early morning, then a little more later on. I was going to publish an edition of this Journal yesterday, but I had nothing even for the “Of Interest” section so I didn’t. This morning too I edited for a few hours. I should finish the edit over the next two days. *** Back when I presented sessions at writers conferences and conventions and in private seminars, every now and then I’d hear some version of “Well, the … Read more

The Journal, Friday, April 13

Hey Folks, Sometimes it feels specifically like I make plans so I’ll have something to change later. Remember how I said a few days ago I was going to write in the early morning and then edit later in the day? Yeah. I worked on my WIP for a few minutes this morning, just enough to put my hand in. Then I thought about the copyedit waiting on my business computer. My gut tied in a knot. The client was even good enough to prepay the balance for the edit. Then, thankfully, I read Kris Rusch’s current Business Musings article … Read more

The Journal, Monday, April 9

Hey Folks, I hope to get started on my next novel soon. Probably another noir mystery. We’ll see what appeals to me. Probably no writing today. An edit came in, though it’s a re-read so it won’t take more than two or three days. I don’t like doing re-reads, but if the writer insists, I’ll do it for half the price of the original edit. I don’t personally recommend revising an edited manuscript, but when I’m wearing my copyeditor hat, the customer is always right. In the meantime, my recent camping experience proved I can walk (rugged terrain) three miles … Read more

The Journal, Monday, April 2

Hey Folks, I might as well let you in on a secret. In writing my current WIP, I’m doing something I’ve never done before. And actually, I’m doing something I don’t enjoy. At all. At less than 6,000 words in (as of yesterday) I already know most of the plot points and the satisfactory resolution of the novel. Ugh. How in the world does anyone write from an outline? Seriously, I don’t understand. If they already know the story beforehand, how are they not bored out of their mind as they put it on paper? It seems to me that … Read more

The Journal, Friday, March 30

Hey Folks, This is a process post. I started reading my latest novel to Mona yesterday morning. Reading aloud is the best possible way to proofread. The ears process words less quickly than the eyes, so you catch more stupid mistakes. Also, this morning, I remembered there was one chapter (one I haven’t read aloud yet) in which the two detectives are in the bullpen. As they work on preliminary computer stuff for a few upcoming cases, the POV character relates an overview of two cases they’ve recently closed. One was a very odd suicide and the other was a … Read more

The Journal, Wednesday, March 28

Hey Folks, Well, I spoke too soon. (grin) Yesterday I thought I saw the end of the WIP and figured I’d get there today. Maybe I will, and maybe I won’t. I’m still certain it’s near. But as I cycled back over what I wrote yesterday, I cut about 2000 words. I also created a cover for this one, so that’s done early. That’s it on the left. This wasn’t conscious-mind stuff. This was my characters (one good guy and one very bad guy) stopping dead still on the stage, staring out at me, and saying, “Uh… no.” So I … Read more

The Journal, Thursday, March 22

Hey Folks, Well, the doc appointment was rescheduled by the office for next Tuesday. And I shed myself of the problem I’ve had for the past few days. So today I get to write. I also have a few chores to do, so this will be one of those Keep Coming Back days. We’ll see how it goes. *** According to my friend Dan Baldwin, “The Writer has an article on ‘How To Write A Book In 90 Days’ in eight simple steps. First step – take a month to prepare.” (grin) Thanks for the tip, Dan. *** Spent the … Read more

The Journal, Tuesday, March 20

Hey Folks, Oh, if anyone wants to visit my site to see the changes in the menu that I mentioned yesterday, visit http://HarveyStanbrough.com. Sorry I didn’t include the link yesterday. And thanks to my friend Robert (by the way, that’s pronounced ro-BEAR as he is an honorary Acadian), for the gentle reminder. (grin) I still have a little work to do in that regard. A few fixes to target pages to make them more negotiable. But no rush on that. I learned yesterday that I have a new copyedit coming in, so I’ll be splitting my time between earning money … Read more

The Journal, Monday, March 19

Hey Folks, No writing today. More on that (through gritted teeth) later. Well, I simplified my website a bit, based on recommendations in the link I shared here a couple days ago. No drop-down menus on the home page. Now when you click (for example) Mystery Novels, it takes you to a page full of mystery novel covers. Each cover links to its own page on the site. They also recommended having only one row of menu items. I decided against that. I write in (so far) four differnt genres plus short fiction and poetry. So I decided to leave … Read more

The Journal, Wednesday, March 14

Hey Folks, Well, I got a late start this morning. Just kind of a blah day. I almost called this a day off, after which I would have spent the day doing nothing. I finally made it to the novel at around 9:30. In the first session, I got right at 1000 words. About a third of that was to finish correcting the problem held over from yesterday. So the novel’s tracking right along again now. Then up to the house for a break and to write this stuff. *** One of my short story collections is part of a … Read more