The Passive Voice

The Journal: Rushing This Out

In today’s Journal * The Indie Author Mindset * Something to Bear in Mind * Of Interest Rushing This Out I came to the Journal late this morning. I have a lot about writing to talk about, but that will be for later. For now, for those of you who are interested in marketing, I suggest Adam L Croft’s The Indie Author Mindset and maybe more specifically to marketing, David Gaughran’s book, Amazon Decoded: A Marketing Guide to the Kindle Store. In full disclosure, I have not read either of these books, but both come highly recommended from a trusted … Read more

The Journal: You Can Comment

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * You Can Comment on Journal Posts * Of Interest Quotes of the Day “To be clear, PG isn’t saying that every pirate site for free [or cheap] ebooks is infected with malware, but enough are that it’s a good idea to stay away from all of them….” The Passive Guy “Because it goes to a very fundamental principle of all nations, which is that our borders should be inviolate, and that our sovereignty should be respected.” Jonathan Finer, a White House deputy national-security adviser, on why Americans should care about what’s … Read more

The Journal: Readership and How to Get One

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * Today, again * “What it is” * Readership and How to Get One * Of Interest Quotes of the Day “Actually, practically nothing is going on.” Kurt Vonnegut “Having your book turned into a movie is like seeing your oxen turned into bouillon cubes.” John le Carre “Film adaptations of books gross 44% more at the U.K. box office and a full 53% more worldwide than films from original screenplays.” Adam Rowe in Forbes magazine “Writing is exactly like having a rare disease.” Alicia Butcher Ehrhardt Today I’m just chatting. Again, … Read more

The Journal: Spreading Yourself Thin?

In today’s Journal * Not Much * Spreading Yourself Thin? * Of Interest Not much of anything today. Mostly I just wanted to touch base and recommend the items listed in “Of Interest.” Dean’s post is time-sensitive if you want to back his current Kickstarter campaign. Spreading Yourself Thin? I also thought I’d share a bit of advice I sent another writer via email this morning. He emailed me to ask whether I thought it was possible for writers to “stretch themselves too thin,” for example writing plays and novels and short stories (not his specific example). No, I don’t. … Read more

The Journal: It’s Much Easier

In today’s Journal * It’s Much Easier * Of Interest It’s Much Easier Over at the Kill Zone Blog a day ago, James Scott Bell posted an interesting question: “Should Writing Be Easy?” Naturally, I commented. Of course writing is easy. You’re sitting alone in a room, making stuff up. What could be easier than that? But I wasn’t quite that flippant in my actual comment. I wrote that, “Writing is easy (and fun!) for those who are able to trust their creative subconscious and not allow the conscious, critical mind to second-guess them and shut them down.” Which of … Read more

The Journal: Believe in Yourself, Part 3

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * Read the Contract * Topic: Cycling (What It Is, How to Do It) * Maybe I Should Write a Book * Of Interest Quotes of the Day “READ THE DAMN CONTRACT BEFORE YOU SIGN IT! READ THE DAMN CONTRACT BEFORE YOU SIGN IT! READ THE DAMN CONTRACT BEFORE YOU SIGN IT! READ THE DAMN CONTRACT BEFORE YOU SIGN IT! READ THE DAMN CONTRACT BEFORE YOU SIGN IT!” The Passive Guy (an attorney well-versed in copyright law) “An author who has spent hours and days and weeks and months writing a book … Read more

The Journal: Believe in Yourself

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * Topic: Believe in Yourself * Of Interest Quotes of the Day [I]f you are really writing from your creative voice, it just ain’t possible to control it or steer it.” Dean Wesley Smith “[S]ince I never go into the writing with any idea what I am doing, I have been surprised every day what has appeared. And not questioning anything, just going for the ride and having fun.” Dean Wesley Smith “A year from now you will wish you had started today.” Karen Lamb Topic: Believe in Yourself In “Of Interest” … Read more

The Journal: Truly Stupid Advice and “Deep POV”

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * Altered Brain Chemistry * Truly Stupid Advice * Topic: Deep POV * Of Interest Quotes of the Day “[J]ournalists need to be overt and candid advocates for social justice, and it’s hard to do that under the constraints of objectivity.” Stanford journalism professor Ted Glasser (As a writer, I personally see censorship as a bad thing. Your opinion might vary.) Altered Brain Chemistry From a dear friend whom I believe would not mind me sharing: “By now, you’re probably aware that the one change in your life—giving up nicotine in all … Read more

The Journal: To Achieve Success

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * To Achieve Success * A Minor Change to the Journal * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “If I were to tell you today that your project is a waste of time, would you abandon it? If so, perhaps it’s best that you did. … [T]o achieve results that spell success … requires enjoyment of the writing process in and of itself—to see that as the reward.” Jane Friedman To Achieve Success Jane’s take (see “Of Interest”) is spot on: To Achieve Success Requires Enjoyment of the Writing … Read more

A Slightly Belated Happy New Year

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * Happy New Year * If any of you enjoy history * I Hoped to Post Links * My Only Real Escape * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “My subconscious mind always knows how to get from A to Z.” Novelist Robert J. Sadler Happy New Year More than one person has reminded me that even though I posted a Journal entry on New Year’s Day, I failed to say happy new year. I’d like to say I thought maybe that was implied, but maybe that isn’t true. … Read more