the writing life

The Journal, Monday, October 22

Hey Folks, Long post today, but a good one, I think. I’m in the Hovel as I write this. I got out here around 7 this morning, played a game or two of Spider Solitaire, then decided to write this stuff before moving back to the novel. I’ll probably finish the novel today, but as I’ve mentioned, I’m in no big rush. After I write the stuff below, I’ll probably delay writing on the novel for a little longer. I have to update my reverse outline. For those who don’t know yet what a “reverse outline” is, I’ll explain it … Read more

The Journal, Sunday, October 21

Hey Folks, Well, given the time and a little attention to the WIP, the story will end today. I’m not looking forward to it. In my endeavor to write fiction every day (and it always has to be “honest” fiction, meaning I intend to publish it), I already have a vague story idea for a short story or novella. A wise guy on a camping trip.Eh? Eh? Or something like that. How would a guy born and raised into a very different lifestyle in Brooklyn react to wide-open spaces, and overnight no less? If you’ve ever been way out in … Read more

The Journal, Saturday, October 20

Hey Folks, Well, I didn’t roll out as early as I wanted to today. I’ll get some fiction done, but I have no idea how much time I’ll have. Depends. I started the day with a couple of free critiques. I’m not complaining. Hey, I offered, am I right? (grin) I hope even more folks will take advantage of it. To see what I’m talking about, look at http://harveystanbrough.com/pro-writers/new-services-offered/. This is a great opportunity to cut your learning curve. If your openings don’t immmediately grab the reader and ground him in your story, I urge you to take advantage of … Read more

The Journal, Friday, October 19

Hey Folks, Today’s post at the Kill Zone blog is a Reader Friday thing. I don’t often mention them, but today’s post is about cartoons and comics. It was fun looking back. See “Of Interest.” And regarding Lee Lofland’s posts… they’re full of great information for writers, but each post most often is a story of sorts in its own right. Just as writers can learn hard, cold facts from the posts, they can also learn descriptive techniques (writing setting). Today’s post is particularly interesting. Lee writes a great hook (in this case, the first paragraph), then not only mentions … Read more

The Journal, Thursday, October 18

Hey Folks, Watched an excellent baseball game last night and stayed up late (for me) to do so. I seldom watch baseball on TV through the season, but I almost always watch the division and league series and then the world series. I’m of the generation that remembers games being played only in the daytime, teachers allowing us to listen to the radio broadcast during class, etc. (grin) I’m old enough to remember men asking other men (as a test of their manhood) whether they knew who won the previous world series. I’m glad the custom didn’t persist; my memory … Read more

The Journal, Tuesday, October 16

Hey Folks, Raining here today. Drizzling, really, as the dregs of one hurricane or another move northeast from Baja. And I do mean drizzling. In the past four days, we’ve received an accumulation (in the rain gauge) of only 1.5″ of rain. Oh well. Here in the desert southwest, we really need the moisture. And the cooler temps are nice, to be sure. It just makes my commute (about 200 feet to and from the Adobe Hovel) a bit tricky. And of course, the constant overcast and the requisite cuddly sweat jacket would make it very easy to snuggle with … Read more

The Journal, Monday, October 15

Hey Folks, Half the month is gone. I’ve written fiction only one day this month, and that was ill-advised. Still, it is what it is. I hope all of you are having a better month writing than I am. (grin) But today all of that changes. I’m feeling much better overall. I realized yesterday I didn’t get tired as quickly or as early in the day. I’ve learned new ways of getting dressed without assistance, and yesterday for the first time since the operation I was able to wash my entire body in the shower without assistance. Woohoo! Maybe most … Read more

The Journal, Sunday, October 14

Hey Folks, I hope I’ll be writing fiction again soon. Maybe not today. Possibly tomorrow. Almost certainly during the upcoming week. The Passive Guy today wrote a post (in “Of Interest”) regarding politics. It is compelling. It has little if anything to do with writing or politics, but it has a great deal to do with writers and with the political polarization that began almost twelve years ago and is currently ongoing in this nation. His post also keyed me to write a long post of my own. On reflection, I removed most of it to another, more appropriate venue. … Read more

The Journal, Saturday, October 13

Hey Folks, I set out to do nothing yesterday, and I almost succeeded. I wrote a short blog post for the big blog, but otherwise played with old stories. One of my favorite short story collections (of my own) is Mobster Tales. I don’t know how many other readers enjoy those, but I do. (grin) And that’s important, for reasons that will become clear as you read on. Yesterday, while browsing files, I remembered a story I wrote titled “What Happened That Day.” It’s high up on my list of favorite stories, so I read over it. Then I realized … Read more

The Journal, Thursday, October 11

Hey Folks, Wow. I rolled out (actually, I “sat up” as I’ve been sleeping in a recliner) really late this morning to the sounds of my wife releasing the hound and the cat from their kennel-beds at 5 a.m. I’ve usually been up an hour or two before then. And Wow #2, I’m pretty obviously not ready to return to my usual schedule yet. I planned to alter my routine a bit this morning. I was going to move my writing ‘puter to the outside desk instead of all the way out to the Hovel. Moving it out there yesterday … Read more