thepassivevoice.com

Every Novel Writes Differently

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * Every Novel Writes Differently * PS: * Of Interest Quotes of the Day From the Give Me a Break Department: “Can you become sick through social media? New research says it might be possible, as vulnerable people fall prey to mass psychogenic illnesses via the internet.” Kite & Key staff (I’m guessing mask mandates will come next.) “When you come to a fork in the road, take it.” Yogi Berra Topic: Every Novel Writes Differently The title is a maxim I first heard from Dean Wesley Smith. Now, as I write … Read more

Yesterday, and Why Again

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * Oops. * Yesterday * Why Again * Of Interest Quote of the Day “When writing, it’s often just as important knowing what not to say, as it is knowing what to include… but … it’s easier to perceive when expressed through the eyes of my fictional characters” [emphasis added]. Vincent Berg at Writer’s Nook Well, the eyes, ears, nose, and taste and touch sensors. Oops. First, a quick apology. My post of the 18th (“If You REALLY Want to Write Into the Dark”) posted again yesterday, on the 19th. I suspect … Read more

If You Really WANT to Write Into the Dark

In today’s Journal * Topic: If You Really WANT to Write Into the Dark * Of Interest Topic: If You Really WANT to Write Into the Dark If you Really WANT to let go of all the BS and just write into the dark, please read this post. I’m not saying anything new, but I’m saying it in a new way that some of you might “get” even if you didn’t before. (Note: If you DON’T want to WITD, I’m not trying to convince you. Feel free to skip down to “Of Interest” or come back tomorrow.) Of all the … Read more

When a Story Stalls

In today’s Journal * Topic: When a Story Stalls * Of Interest Topic: When a Story Stalls This is another topic I’ve touched on before, but it bears repeating. One of my mentoring students mentioned that sometimes his writing bogs down. When that happens, I promise, the best thing you can do is trust your characters and just write the next sentence that occurs to you. Then write the next sentence, then the next and the next and the next, and soon the story will be flowing again. Simple as it sounds, this works almost every time. If it doesn’t … Read more

Why I Talk About WITD So Often in the Journal

In today’s Journal * Why I Talk About WITD So Often in the Journal * Abandoning the Experiment * Of Interest Why I Teach WITD So Often in the Journal Bob Calverley, a long-time reader and writing friend, commented on yesterday’s post. You may read his comment before you continue below to read my response, but the response also stands alone. My apology in advance for this lengthy post: First, overall, I can guarantee this Journal will never exceed in value the price of a subscription. But that’s all right. It’s my thoughts on writing, nothing more. I have been … Read more

It’s Been a Week

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * Welcome * It’s Been a Week * Succumbing to Unreasoning Fear * Of Interest Quotes of the Day “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. “And how do we discern character?” A question posed by an anonymous AP writer in an article about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. My response: Easy. Compare the words a person says and … Read more

Queen Elizabeth II

In today’s Journal Queen Elizabeth II — a minor homage My heartfelt condolences to everyone who loved and held in high esteem Queen Elizabeth II, the gracious mother and grandmother to the world. The queen died yesterday at Balmoral in Scotland. This special edition of the Journal is dedicated to her memory. This morning at 4 a.m. was my first time back in my writing office (the Hovel) since my wife called from the house yesterday to tell me the queen had died. Suddenly, writing seem an unimportant, trivial matter, especially while the rest of the world is taking a … Read more

Inside No. 9 and AI Writing

In today’s Journal * Inside No. 9 * AI Writing * Seriously, What Gives? * Of Interest Inside No. 9 I keep forgetting to mention, if you want to see some really great short stories in film, take a look at Inside No. 9, a British black-comedy anthology. According to the internet, the anthology is “available on NOW TV, BBC iPlayer, Amazon Prime, Netflix, iTunes and YouTube.” I get it through my BritBox subscription. So what does this have to do with writing? Well, the writing (storytelling) for Inside No. 9 is excellent. And the scripts are available to purchase … Read more

A Note on Traditional Publishing

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * A Note on Traditional Publishing * I’ve Been Fretting * Of Interest Quotes of the Day “[O]f the 58,000 trade titles published per year, fully half of those titles ‘sell fewer than one dozen books.‘ (Not a typo, that’s one dozen.) More broadly, 90 percent of titles sell fewer than 2,000 units. Even a small advance of a few thousand dollars would not earn out at standard royalty rates.” Dean Wesley Smith, quoting directly from the Hot Sheet (emphasis added). “The story so far: in the beginning, the universe was created. … Read more

The Value of Having a Place to Report

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * The Value of Having a Place to Report * Of Interest Quotes of the Day “Knowledge may give weight, but accomplishments give lustre, and many more people see than weigh.” Lord Chesterfield “You know how I mentioned before that I had written this entire novel without stopping and that I was currently cycling back on the entire book? … As I returned to each chapter and cycled back on it, there was extremely minimal work for me to do. My creative voice had gotten it right from the onset.” Monica Arac … Read more