thepassivevoice.com

This Will Sound Silly

In today’s Journal * This Will Sound Silly * Of Interest This Will Sound Silly but I have to interrupt the writing of The Stirchians (tentative title) to read the novel for which it’s supposed to be the sequel: The 13-Month Turn. By the way, if anyone else would like to read The 13-Month Turn in advance of the second novel in the series being finished, I’m giving it away right now. Just email me at harveystanbrough@gmail.com and let me know which e-version you would like: .mobi, .epub, or .pdf. Late yesterday morning as I started to write, I had … Read more

What I and Others Teach

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * Investigating Unsubs * What I and Others Teach * The Novel * Of Interest Quotes of the Day “Success is not the result of spontaneous combustion. You must set yourself on fire.” Reggie Leach, retired Canadian hockey player. “Do you set yourself on fire when you write? When the flame gets low, how to you make it glow again?” James Scott Bell Hmm. If you WITD, you’re just having fun, so the flame never gets low. Nor do you ever burn out. But no, I didn’t leave a comment. HS “You … Read more

The Invaluable Daily Word Count Goal

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * The Novel * Topic: The Invaluable Daily Word Count Goal * Of Interest Quote of the Day “Do you have a rough idea what the novels will be?” comment on Dean’s post from yesterday “No clue. I’ll write what strikes me when I sit down on the first day. That’s as much planning as I ever do.” Dean Wesley Smith The Novel Welp, the story didn’t wrap yesterday, and here we are in a brand new month and a brand new quarter. This day has never happened before, so we can … Read more

Why Do You Want to Write?

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * Why Do You Want to Write? * Stephen King (Again) * Of Interest Quote of the Day “If you want to succeed you should strike out on new paths, rather than travel the worn paths of accepted success.” John D. Rockefeller Why Do You Want to Write? Today over at the KillZone Blog, Garry Rodgers asks, “Why do you want to write?” My response: Sheer, unabashed, unapologetic escapism. My characters live in a world in which I wish I lived too. And I can, but only as I’m running through the … Read more

Two Fiction Writers

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * JA Konrath * Stephen King * Google Translate * Of Interest Quotes of the Day “Three months until the end of the year. You can get a lot of writing done in three months.” Dean Wesley Smith “[I]f you had a bad summer, fell off your goal for the year, whatever, reset your goal and when you get to January 1st, you will be feeling positive.” Dean Wesley Smith “The past is always tense, the future perfect.” Zadie Smith Fiction Writer JA Konrath This guy is special. He’s a very prolific … Read more

Tossing Around Some Numbers

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * Topic: Tossing Around Some Numbers * Of Interest Quote of the Day “Knowledge is proud that he has learned so much; Wisdom is humble that he knows no more.” William Cowper Topic: Tossing Around Some Numbers I wasn’t going to post a Journal entry today, but a conversation with a student this morning spurred some thoughts. The fiction-writing myths are deeply ingrained in our society. They’re inadvertently taught in junior high, high school, and college English and Literature classes by teachers and professors who are only teaching what they themselves were … Read more

What? and Writing Sales Copy

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * What? * Writing Sales Copy * Of Interest Quotes of the Day First, from the Department of the Absolutely Ridiculous: “The first words are the hardest. For many of us writing is a slog. Words drip with difficulty onto the page—and frequently they seem to be the wrong ones, in the wrong order.” not credited, so apparently a staff writer for The Economist “Imagination is more important than knowledge.” Albert Einstein Preach it, Brother. What? Did anyone else visualize Dr. Smith from Lost in Space as you read the first Quote … Read more

10 Lesser Mistakes Writers Make

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * Topic: 10 Lesser Mistakes Writers Make * Up Next * Of Interest Quotes of the Day “[W]here there is fun, there’s no panic to do something a certain ‘correct’ way, or fear that certain mistakes will ruin the book. It’s just about having fun telling stories, and not worrying about the rest.” Chynna Pace “The writer who is a real writer is a rebel who never stops.” William Saroyan “Know what you believe, and be bold with it in your fiction.” James Scott Bell Topic: 10 Lesser Mistakes Writers Make Back … Read more

The Top 7 Mistakes Writers Make

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * Topic: The Top 7 Mistakes Writers Make * Up Next * Of Interest Quote of the Day “When you think you’re pregnant, and you’re not, what happens to that child that has already formed in your mind? You keep it filed in a drawer of your consciousness, like a short story that wouldn’t work after the opening lines.” Hilary Mantel Topic: The Top 7 Mistakes Writers Make Very long post today. This is an update on an article I first posted over on my author site way back in 2013. It … Read more

I Can Write Anywhere. Wheee!

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * Oops * I Can Write Anywhere. Wheee! * Trust the Characters; Write the Next Sentence * Of Interest Quotes of the Day “Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.” T. H. Huxley “You better live every day like your last because one day you’re going to be right.” Ray Charles “Live your life so that when you’re all alone you’re in good company.” Anonymous, Lubbock (TX) Avalanche-Journal, c.1969 Oops Sorry about that dangling PS in yesterday’s post. I had added a brief post script, then found I didn’t … Read more