the writing life

The Journal, Sunday, July 8

Hey Folks, I’m a guy who generally doesn’t “should” on people. (Thanks to my friend Lloyd Chaves for that bit of sleight of mind.) Today I stumbled across one of the worst articles I’ve ever seen on writing. I won’t mention the name of it here (or the URL) because I don’t want to advertise it. But it was all about a number of steps to achieve efficiency as a writer. Four of the “tips” were the same old time-worn crap everybody repeats almost constantly: find a good place to write (really? thanks for that); find time to write, etc. … Read more

The Journal, Saturday, July 7

Hey Folks, Nothing much going on yesterday, so no Journal entry for July 6. This will continue the previous Journal post and topic (see http://hestanbrough.com/the-journal-thursday-july-5/). In that post, I wrote that “…professionals (including Dean) seldom say ‘Don’t worry about the money. Write for joy.’ Dean does say writing should be fun, but he also talks a lot about making money from it.” Dean’s post yesterday was about copyright. (It’s in “Of Interest” today.) In one comment, a writer said (jokingly) she would buy the Copyright Handbook “someday.” Dean roughed her up a little bit. Now in my previous Journal entry, … Read more

The Journal, Thursday, July 5

Hey Folks, Very long post today, but bear with me. I think you’ll be glad you did. I have a real treat for you today, via my friend, writer Christopher Ridge. Chris brought to my attention a presentation by Ray Bradbury to participants in a university writing program. You can find the link in “Of Interest.” The video is almost an hour long, but it’s Ray Bradbury, for goodness’ sake. Who can’t listen to Ray Bradbury for an hour? On writing? Of course, I was hooked at the name. Anyone who knows anything about me knows Ray Bradbury is one … Read more

The Journal, Wednesday, July 4

Hey Folks, Happy Independence Day, folks. And happy Mmmphth birthday to my bride, Mona. Now you know the real reason behind all the parades and fireworks. (grin) As to her age, well, we’ve been married for 33 years, so according to my considered calculations, she was six when we were married. Close enough. (grin) There was nothing of interest to report yesterday. I did do a little writing but it was an opening that didn’t work. So I kicked it to the curb and am not counting the words. I won’t do anything today but celebrate, and the celebration might … Read more

The Journal, Monday, July 2

Hey Folks, Well, that was a short-lived experiment. Embarrassment sometimes is the result (and is always the risk) of sharing one’s writing life. But that’s just the way it goes sometimes. If you’re going to be an open book, occasionally a reader will find a bug smashed between your pages. A few days ago I announced my new daily word count goal. Then I announced I was going to see how long I could hit it in a row, day after day, to create a streak. Then reality started to set in and I backed off on the streak aspect … Read more

The Journal, Sunday, July 1

Hey Folks, Long post today. Yesterday I published a list of the top six things I’d learned from Dean and Kris about writing fiction. In retrospect, it wasn’t really a countdown list. It was actually a list of things I’ve learned that all vie for number one in importance. (grin) I’m even thinking about putting them in a nonfiction book. One writer commented that she would’ve added “Have fun with your writing” to the list. I agree with that, except that having fun with writing is something I kind of take for granted. And that gave rise to this topic. … Read more

The Journal, Saturday, June 30

Hey Folks, Adios, Junio! Dean’s post on what he learned from other writers (see “Of Interest”) started me thinking about influences on my own writing and my life as a writer. I’ll post more about those influences here in other posts, but for today, the six most important life-changing lessons I’ve learned from Dean and Kris over the years (counted down): 6. Heinlein’s Rules, 5. The importance of grounding the reader, 4. Use all five of the POV character’s physical senses and his/her opinion of the setting, 3. Put time in the chair, 2. Keep Coming Back, and (drum roll, … Read more

The Journal, Friday, June 29

Hey Folks, Only two days left before my new daily word count goal officially begins, today and tomorrow. I’m not even going to begin the “streak” portion of it until after I have the minor surgery to replace my pacemaker. Until then, the plan is to write as much as I can, tempered by the copyedit I’m currently doing. If you couldn’t tell, I’m excited about this. (grin) Meeting the new daily goal will be difficult while I have other professional things to do. So it’s exciting in that way. And when I don’t have other professional things going on, … Read more

The Journal, Thursday, June 28

Hey Folks, All right. For the past few days I’ve been practicing, putting together new habits. Today I’m ready to announce my new daily word-count writing goal. I picked a number that is easily attainable for me when I don’t have anything else professional going on, like copyediting, teaching, etc. When those things are going on, the number is a stretch. But it’s still attainable. Beginning on July 1 and running through June 30, 2019, my daily word count goal will be to write 2000 words of publishable fiction per day. Yesterday I exceeded that goal slightly. That’s fine. And … Read more

The Journal, Wednesday, June 27

Hey Folks, Long post today. Below is the topic I’ve been promising. Dean’s back, sort of, with a post that proves he’s human. You’ll see it below in “Of Interest.” You all know Heinlein’s Rules. (To get an annotated copy, Click Here. Following Heinlein’s Rules is like riding a bicycle. Eventually, you’re going to fall off. And the only thing to do is climb back on. Topic: Take Your Time This is a bit of advice I’ve never heard specifically from any writing instructor. The nearest even good writing instructors come is when they say your readers can’t see what’s … Read more