the writing life

The Journal: A Lot of Stuff

In today’s Journal * Kris Rusch’s Birthday Party * Also in “Of Interest” * The Next Few Days * More Shared World Stuff * Today * Of Interest * The Numbers Dean Wesley Smith is doing something really great for his wife, Kristine Kathryn Rusch, for her upcoming 60th birthday. He’s throwing her a card party, and all of you can be part of it. For details, see “Of Interest” below. Also in “Of Interest” is an article on how to “survive the chaos point” in a novel. A bit melodramatic, isn’t it? You aren’t charging across open ground under … Read more

The Journal: Finished My 50th Novel

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * Little Richard * Yesterday, and Done * Topic: On Cliffhangers… * Shared World Stuff * Today * Of Interest * The Numbers Quotes of the Day “If only we could remember that fame and money are gifts given us only after we have gifted the world with our best, our lonely, our individual truths.” Ray Bradbury “What The Subconscious is to every other man, in its creative aspect becomes, for writers, The Muse.” Ray Bradbury God bless the family and loved ones of Little Richard (Richard Wayne Penniman), who passed away … Read more

The Journal: Nothing to See Here

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * Nothing to see here * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “Insanity is relative. It depends on who has who locked in what cage.” Ray Bradbury Nothing really to see here today. Yeah, there really isn’t, but ignore the earlier version of this post you might have received via RSS. Turns out I’m feeling pretty good so far this morning and hoping to finish the novel today. If I’m able to work on it, or work on it enough. We’ll see. I actually thought it would end yesterday … Read more

The Journal: Licensing Expo Moved to May 2021

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * The Licensing Expo * Yesterday * Today * Of Interest * The Numbers Quotes of the Day “Anything you dream is fiction, and anything you accomplish is science, the whole history of mankind is nothing but science fiction. ” Ray Bradbury “It is true that liberty is precious; so precious that it must be carefully rationed.” Just a reminder. Vladimir Lenin via The Passive Voice The Licensing Expo was moved again, this time to its original time slot in May of 2021. So Dean Wesley Smith expanded the Licensing Transition class. … Read more

The Journal: Yesterday and Today

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * Yesterday and Today * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “By living well, by observing as you live, by reading and observing as you read, you have fed your most original self. By training in writing, by repetitious exercise, imitation, good example, you have made a clean, well-lighted place to keep the Muse.” Ray Bradbury Yesterday was a very good day (see Day 15) even though I didn’t make my new word count goal. The end of the novel is in sight. In fact, I expect to finish … Read more

The Journal: Yet Another Use for a Reverse Outline

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * Thanks to my patrons * Topic: Yet Another Use for a Reverse Outline * Yesterday * Today * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “Conjure the nouns, alert the secret self, taste the darkness. Your own Thing stands waiting ‘way up there’ in the attic shadows. If you speak softly, and write any old word that wants to jump out of your nerves onto the page, your Thing at the top of your stairs in your own private night may well come down.” Ray Bradbury A special thanks … Read more

The Journal: A Stuffed-Sausage of a Chihuahua

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * Yesterday * 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 Yesterday I fell short of my new word-count goal by around 900 words … Read more

The Journal: Half-Price WMG Workshop Sale

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * Dean Is Doing It One More Time * Yesterday * Clarification * Today * Of Interest * The Numbers Quotes 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 “Never attempt to teach a pig to sing; it wastes your time and annoys the pig.” Robert A. Heinlein (via his character, Lazarus Long) “Always listen to experts. They’ll tell you what can’t be done and why. … Read more

The Journal: Frustration in the Time of Cholera

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * Yesterday * Topic: Frustration in the Time of Cholera * Today * Of Interest * The Numbers Quotes of the Day (Still bingeing on Bradbury) “You must write every single day of your life… You must lurk in libraries and climb the stacks like ladders to sniff books like perfumes and wear books like hats upon your crazy heads… may you be in love every day for the next 20,000 days. And out of that love, remake a world.” Ray Bradbury Yesterday the writing started slow, but it picked up (see … Read more

The Journal: Why Helping Writers is Important

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * Yesterday (and the Day Before) * Topic: Why Helping Writers is Important (and So Frustrating) * Today * Of Interest * The Numbers Quotes of the Day (Still bingeing on Bradbury) “Love. Fall in love and stay in love. Write only what you love, and love what you write. The word is love. You have to get up in the morning and write something you love, something to live for.” Ray Bradbury “The first thing a writer should be is — excited.” Ray Bradbury On the day before yesterday, I was … Read more