Topic

The Journal: How do you know which story idea to write?

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * PQ Topic: How do you know which story idea to write? * The novel continues * Of Interest * The Numbers Quotes of the Day “There’s nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and open a vein.” Ernest Hemingway “It is only when you open your veins and bleed onto the page a little that you establish contact with your reader.” Paul Gallico “Writing is easy. You just open a vein and bleed.” Walter Wellesley “Red” Smith “Writing is easy. All you do is stare at … Read more

The Journal: How Do You Get So Many Ideas?

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * PQ Topic: How Do You Get So Many Ideas? * The current story * Of Interest * The Numbers Quotes of the Day “Anything is possible if you’ve got enough nerve.” J.K. Rowling via The Passive Voice “The best way to improve your ability to think is to spend time thinking.” Farnam Street blog, in an article titled “How to Think: The Skill You’ve Never Been Taught.” It dawns on me that at one time, university was where one went to be taught how to think. Now university is where students … Read more

The Journal: Audio—It’s Not What’s for Breakfast

In today’s Journal * Topic: Audio—It’s not what’s for breakfast. * Anything Goes * Of Interest * The Numbers Topic: Audio—It’s not what’s for breakfast. I’m gonna go out on a limb here and say that audio, at least in its current iteration, is a fad. I understand it’s all the current rage. Everyone’s talking about how to do it, or how to have it done. But I think it’ll pass. Not only because I don’t personally listen to audiobooks (I don’t), but because people far more expert and attuned to business than I believe it isn’t cost effective. Also, … Read more

The Journal: IP Valuation

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * Topic: IP Valuation * Rider Jones * Of Interest * The Numbers Quotes of the Day “Intellectual property is the oil of the 21 century.” Mark Getty “He who receives an idea from me, receives instruction himself without lessening mine; as he who lights his taper at mine, receives light without darkening me.” Thomas Jefferson Topic: IP Valuation I was going to talk in-depth about IP valuation this morning. To that end, I did a Google search for “IP Valuation,” downloaded a promising-looking PDF document, and clicked a button on the … Read more

The Journal: Working and Having Fun

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * Yesterday * Topic: About Writing as “Work” * Of Interest * The Numbers Quotes of the Day “[P]eople pay good money to get on a rollercoaster to be stressed and thrilled and have fun. That’s writing every novel for me.” Dean Wesley Smith “I enjoy writing as well as having written. I enjoy finding my story as I go, figuring it out, and putting it down for myself, and no one else.” Joe R. Lansdale Yesterday quickly turned into a non-writing day as my wife and I (mostly my wife) filtered … Read more

The Journal: Forgetfulness—Blessing or Curse?

In today’s Journal * Pulp Speed * Topic: Forgetfulness—Blessing or Curse? * The novel wrapped * Of Interest * The Numbers Pulp Speed There’s an item in “Of Interest” today on writing at what DWS terms “Pulp Speed.” I encourage you to read it, even if you’ve seen it before. It was one of the first few posts of Dean’s that I read, and I’ve read it again all three times he’s dusted it off and brought it forward. Writing at any pulp speed is the ultimate challenge for writers who just like to tell stories. Writers who, like me, … Read more

The Journal: The Five Most Important Things

In today’s Journal * Topic: A Question * Thanks * The novel * Of Interest * The Numbers First, a shout-out to Bob B for his continued support (as verified by almost daily TalkWalker alerts) of my nonfiction books Quiet Your Critical Voice (and Write Fiction), Writing the Character-Driven Story and this Journal. Thanks, Bob. I appreciate it. Topic: A Question Or maybe a test, I dunno. I was going to make a list (in my opinion, of course) of the Five Most Important Things writers should know, but instead I decided to ask you. So in your experience as … Read more

The Journal: “Info Dumps” vs. POV

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * Microsoft Flight Simulator * Topic: “Info Dumps” vs. POV * Post Tags and Different Strokes * Another pretty good day * Of Interest * The Numbers Has anyone out there ever used (played) the Microsoft Flight Simulator? Apparently it’s a game, but an extremely realistic one. I’m not a gamer, but I’m thinking it would be a great tool or aid in writing. One of the magazines I subscribe to is Air & Space Smithsonian. The May 2021 issue contains an excellent article on the Flight Simulator. You can read it … Read more

The Journal: Poetry Techniques for the Fictionist

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * A relatively short post * Poetry Techniques for the Fictionist * Toxic Productivity * Of Interest * The Numbers Quotes of the Day “Be careful to apply your poetic sensibilities to every line.” David Farland A relatively short post today to give you (and me) a break. The novel’s still racing right along. Poetry Techniques for the Fictionist I included the quote of the day to make a point: Apparently I’m not the only writer who believes learning and applying poetry techniques can enhance your fiction, or your nonfiction for that … Read more

The Journal: Questions 2: Dialogue Tags and Interruptions

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * Another pretty good day * Topic: Questions 2: Dialogue Tags and Interruptions * Followup * Of Interest * The Numbers Quotes of the Day I’ve talked here before about having a specific skill in mind when you sit down to write, for example pacing or dialogue or whatever. That’s how you practice and improve. Today’s topic will give you two more techniques to practice. HS “Deliberate practice is what turns amateurs into professionals. … Deliberate practice means practicing with a clear awareness of the specific components of a skill we’re aiming … Read more