Topic

The Journal: Reader Taste?

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * Posts about Christmas * Topic: Reader Taste? I Don’t Think So * Of Interest * The Numbers Quotes of the Day “It’s very important to know what you don’t like. A big part of innovation is saying, ‘You know what I’m really sick of?’ … ‘What am I really sick of?’ is where innovation begins.” Jerry Seinfeld “You don’t question your standards based on what anyone else is doing. You don’t look over at someone else’s race and think, I’m doing a bad job because you’re going faster. You just focus … Read more

The Journal: More on Challenges and Writing

In today’s Journal * Topic: More on Challenges and Writing * Of Interest * The Numbers Topic: More on Challenges and Writing Ironically, one of the big problems with being a prolific writer is publishing. You can’t make money on what you write unless you (or someone) publishes it. That’s why Heinlein’s Rule 4 exists, and that’s the one I almost constantly fall off of. Not that I care, but more on that later. Maggie King mentioned in a comment that a prolific writer might have a problem finding enough proofreaders (or first readers) to keep up. She suspects that’s … Read more

The Journal: Learning and Challenges

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * Nothing about my nonsense * Topic: On the Process of Learning * Topic: On the Value of Challenges * Of Interest * The Numbers Quotes of the Day “The halt on the road before the journey serves an important dramatic function of signaling the audience that the adventure is risky. It’s not a frivolous undertaking but a danger-filled, high-stakes gamble in which the hero might lose fortune or life.” Chris Vogler “[T]he difference between amateurism and professionalism is you have people looking after you and holding your hand as an amateur. … Read more

The Journal: Flip-Flop?

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * A good article * Topic: Flip-Flop? * How About You? * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “The first thing that I seek in a great story is originality.” David Farland (I had to laugh, given that Farland is one who advocates outlining, revising, editing and rewriting, all of which quickly obliterate any chance of originality. Here’s my recent post on originality.) There’s a good article today at The Passive Voice about who owns the copyright of derivative works in what amounts to shared worlds. Take a look … Read more

The Journal: Back to the Future

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * First, a quick welcome * Topic: Back to the Future (sigh) * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “Some of the biggest cases of mistaken identity are among intellectuals who have trouble remembering that they are not God.” Thomas Sowell (via The Passive Voice) First, a quick welcome to Leanna L, Philip, and anyone else who’s joined us recently. Very glad to have you aboard. (grin) Now on to the topic. Topic: Back to the Future (sigh) Sorry for the seemingly hokey title (grin), but as you will … Read more

The Journal: WITD and Writing Again

In today’s Journal * Holiday Sale * Writing Into the Dark * Writing Again * Of Interest * The Numbers Holiday Sale With the holidays coming up quickly, I thought I’d remind you of the half-price sale over at WMG Publishing’s Teachable account (https://wmg-publishing-workshops-and-lectures.teachable.com/). Workshops and lectures and classes make excellent gifts for writers, even if the writer is yourself. For details, see “3 Days Left in the Holiday Sale” at https://www.deanwesleysmith.com/3-days-left-in-the-holiday-sale/. Of the lectures, the knowledge you’ll glean from Heinlein’s Rules (Lecture 1 if I remember right) is absolutely priceless. That lecture is literally what started me on this … Read more

The Journal: “Natural” Storytellers

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * “Natural” Storytellers * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “This is how I came to begin thinking about story-first worldbuilding.” Kelsey Allagood at Writer Unboxed “Natural” Storytellers While poking around the web this morning I came across “Your Guide to a Weekly Creativity Time.” In that post, James Scott Bell says John Gilstrap is a “natural storyteller.” I couldn’t agree more. But Mr. Bell goes on to say that he himself is one of the “other writers” who “have to dig in hard ground to find, stimulate, and … Read more

The Journal: Agents Want a Fresh New Voice

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * Agents Want a Fresh New Voice * Don’t look * Of Interest * The Numbers Quotes of the Day “Great writers make their stories authentic by allowing us to experience what their characters hear, see, smell, taste, and touch—capturing the senses so we are fully involved.” Ellen Buikema at Writers in the Storm “When agents are asked what they are looking for, their typical answer is ‘a fresh new voice’.” Steve Hooley in “That Special Sauce” at the Kill Zone blog Agents Want a Fresh New Voice Agents and publishers want … Read more

The Journal: A Turning Point

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * A Lot in “Of Interest” Today * A Turning Point * Of Interest * The Numbers Quotes of the Day “For me, the witchcraft that is writing rarely rises to the front of my mind. When it does, I seem to screw up. I go to work, pound out words and pages, and somehow, when it’s all over, I’ve got a finished manuscript.” John Gilstrap “A good friend will help you move, but a true friend will help you move a body.” Steven J. Daniels, Weeds in The Garden of Love … Read more

The Journal: Fiction Writing and Pulp Speed

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * First, welcome * Second, today’s post * Let’s Talk Fiction Writing and Pulp Speed, Part 1 * Let’s Talk Fiction Writing and Pulp Speed, Part 2 * Of Interest * The Numbers Quotes of the Day “A Pulp Speed writer loves to just tell stories, one right after another.” Dean Wesley Smith “The crap rules the traditional publishers forced on writers are gone for writers smart enough to escape them. [W]riters are free to write stories again at whatever pace they want to write. … The second pulp era is upon … Read more