Topic

The Journal: Not Tag-Line Verbs (Update)

In today’s Journal * Welcome * Topic: Not Tag-Line Verbs (Update) * Of Interest * The Numbers Welcome Here I am, barely blogging along after having written a post almost every day for years, and a new reader subscribed yesterday. Welcome, my new friend from Melbourne. While my blogging is less frequent than before, I invite you to use the tag cloud or search box to check for posts on topics that might interest you. A few more folks have joined us over the past couple of weeks too. Welcome, all. Topic: Not Tag-Line Verbs (Update) A couple of posts … Read more

The Journal: Update and Lessons Learned

In today’s Journal * Topic: Update and Lessons Learned * Of Interest * The Numbers Topic: Update and Lessons Learned Just to let you know what’s going on and share the experiece as I pull out of the doldrums, I think I’m over most of the internal stuff. Some of the external crap remains (and it’s all crap), but I have no control over that. As Barbarosa (Willie Nelson) says in the film by the same name, “The Mexicans have a saying down here: What cannot be remedied must be endured.” A more elegant version of “It simply is what … Read more

The Journal: Body Parts and “Gave”

In today’s Journal * Topic: Body Parts and “Gave” * Of Interest * The Numbers Topic: Body Parts and “Gave” First, read the post over at the Kill Zone blog today, where Terry Odell discusses “Roaming Body Parts” at https://killzoneblog.com/2020/07/roaming-body-parts.html. Her point is that (as a reader) she doesn’t mind passages like “Her fingers flew to her cheeks.” Her reasoning is that since she doesn’t personally mind such constructions as a reader, she’s justified in using them in her writing. On the surface, that’s fine. Certainly we have the right to read what we want to read and write however … Read more

The Journal: WITD and Detractors

In today’s Journal * Thank you * Topic: WITD and Detractors * Of Interest * The Numbers Thanks to everyone for the continued support. Your emails and other contributions are much appreciated. I have a feeling I’ll be back full-strength before too long. For today, here’s a topic for you. You’ll note, too, this is being delivered at a different time of day. Sorry about that. Topic: WITD and Detractors I won’t use the word “haters” because, frankly, I’m not a four year old boy or a young teenage girl, so “detractors” will have to do. I hadn’t planned on … Read more

The Journal: What Makes for Good Writing

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * Even though * Topic: What Makes for Good Writing? * Adios for a While * Of Interest * The Numbers Quotes of the Day “I can repeat Mr. Heinlein’s advice to writers. If you pay attention to his dictums, you don’t need to know much else.” Dr. Jerry Pournelle, upon being asked his advice to new writers “The only opinion that counts of your story is whether or not someone will pay you money for it.” Dr. Jerry Pournelle Even though I haven’t written anything for almost two months, I still … Read more

The Journal: Browsing for Information

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * I’m not back * Topic: Browsing for Information * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “As a child I’d run into Wilde’s witticism ‘The only true talent is precociousness.’ I took my writing seriously, and it seemed to pay off.” Samuel R. Delany In the early part of the movie Twister, Bill keeps saying, “I’m not back.” It provides a quiet comedic undertone. Which is a little how I feel this morning. I’m not back. But I found a few things I hoped you would see and I … Read more

The Journal: Update and Adding Italics

In today’s Journal * End of a personal era * Still looking * Topic: How to Create Font Attributes * Of Interest * The Numbers For me, an era has ended. No longer having the need for a place to enjoy my cigars and with my wife’s help, I spent most of the day yesterday moving my writing and business computers out of the Hovel and back into my office in the house. So dispatches from the Hovel have come to an end. For those of you who follow the saga of Little Bit, my youngest daughter, the move annoyed … Read more

The Journal: Some Things Can’t Be Taught…

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * Topic: Some Things Can’t Be Taught… * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “The great fun in my life has been getting up every morning and rushing to the typewriter because some new idea has hit me. The feeling I have every day is very much the same as it was when I was 12.” Ray Bradbury Topic: Some Things Can’t Be Taught… Ironically, I’ve come to realize the most important writing-related technique I’ve ever learned—Writing Into the Dark—can’t be taught. I really wish I could teach the … Read more

The Journal: What Readers Want

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * Yesterday * Topic: A Few Extra Thoughts on What Readers Want * Today * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.” Ralph Waldo Emerson (via The Passive Voice) Yesterday I attended class. I was one of the smart ones who backed one of Deans’s Kickstarters for $5. And the Kickstarter funded and then reached two or three stretch goals. I feel a little bit like a pirate. For a lousy $5 … Read more

The Journal: On Goals, and a Challenge

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * Yesterday and Today * Topic: On Goals, and a Challenge * More Shared World Stuff * Today * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “Just when the caterpillar thought the world was over, it became a butterfly.” Unknown (via The Passive Voice Yesterday I submitted the clean final copy of For the Good of the Galaxy: The First Nine Days to Amazon and D2D. It’s still available for preorder until June 1 when it goes live. To take a look, visit https://stonethreadpublishing.com/ftgotg-the-first-nine-days/. Today I’ll begin reading over FTGOTG: … Read more