The Daily Journal, Tuesday, July 16

In today’s Journal * Update * Topic: A Tale of Two Businesses * Don’t miss * Daily diary * Of Interest * The numbers Update Light day yesterday. I watched/listened to one of the Pop-Ups I received through a Kickstarter reward (writing stuff). I also decided to invest in a second set of speakers for my computers. I’ll keep one set in the Hovel for those times when I’m studying writers’ stuff and one in the house for when my wife and I are listening to publishing and marketing and licensing stuff. Topic: A Tale of Two Businesses First and … Read more

The Daily Journal, Monday, July 15

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * Topic: 12 Ways to Make a Critique Group Work * Update * Daily diary * Of Interest * The numbers Quote of the Day “I don’t think in terms of genres. I think in terms of story.” David Gerrold Topic: 12 Ways to Make a Critique Group Work Versions of this article have been posted on my writer site in August 2013 and September 2017. Everyone here knows I don’t participate in critique groups. Nor do I recommend doing so. After all, I constantly battle to keep my own conscious, critical … Read more

The Daily Journal, Thursday, July 11

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * Update * A major new resource * Topic: A Toast to New Beginnings * Daily diary * Of Interest * The numbers Quote of the Day “The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge.” Daniel J. Boorstin *** Yesterday, I moved the large monitor for my business computer back up to the house since that’s where we’ll be doing most of our learning. (See the topic below) My new partner and I also started some preliminaries: setting up a new web-based email address for the … Read more

The Daily Journal, Wednesday, July 10

In today’s Journal * Two topics today * Topic: Add-On Software * Topic: Ebooks and Print Books—A Comparison (reprint) * Daily diary * Of Interest * The numbers In a rare occurrence, we have two topics to cover today. The first is a little shorter, but important. The second is a little longer, but still important. So get your favorite beverage and settle in. Here we go. Topic: Add-On Software Add-on software, to my mind, is just silly. Why would any writer want extra distractions? A reader of this Journal directed me to Aeon Timeline, a company that makes Visual … Read more

The Daily Journal, Tuesday, July 9

In today’s Journal * Yesterday, Jenny D commented * Frankly, as I looked * Topic: My Take on the Stages of a Fiction Writer * Daily diary * Of Interest * The numbers Yesterday, Jenny D commented to thank me for explaining royalties. But I didn’t really. I was going to write a topic on it today, but I realized I’d already done so. However, when I found the link, it didn’t work for some reason. Fortunately, I save my Journal every day to a Word document. Tomorrow, I will edit and repost a topic on royalties, specifically comparing traditional … Read more

The Daily Journal, Monday, July 8

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * If you’re a short story writer * Topic: Thinking About Intellectual Property (IP) * Daily diary * Of Interest * The numbers Quote of the Day “I enjoy self-publishing and sending publishers rejection letters. They’re like, ‘Who is this guy?’ And I’m like, ‘the end of your industry.’” Ryan Lilly *** If you’re a short story writer, I just received this from AuthorsPublish: Announcing the release of our latest book: 182 Short Fiction Publishers. The book guides you through the publishing process – and details dozens of publishers seeking short stories … Read more

The Daily Journal, Sunday, July 7

In today’s Journal * Not a lot * Topic: How Long Should A Book Be? * Daily diary * Of Interest * The numbers Not a lot to write about today, so this will be short. I did write a take-off topic I thought you might find useful though. My son will leave for home this morning. It’s been a great visit. I’ll spend the balance of the day with my wife and/or watching and listening to (learning) some of the workshops I’ve invested in. Tomorrow I’ll get back to writing fiction. On the learning front, be sure to read … Read more

The Daily Journal, Wednesday, July 3

In today’s Journal * A brief note * Topic: On Dialogue * Daily diary * Of Interest * The numbers A Brief Note My wife’s birthday is tomorrow, July 4. Yes, that’s what all the fireworks are really about. Additionally, my youngest son came down last night to spend the next few days with us. As a result, my time with the Journal (and all other writing things) will be limited for the next few days. I’ll strive at least to list some items in “Of Interest” for you, and should the mood strike, I might even write a topic … Read more

The Daily Journal, Tuesday, July 2

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * Recap * Topic: On Writing Fiction * Daily diary * Of Interest * The numbers Quotes of the Day “It’s not Dostoevsky. It’s not going to tax your mental capacities. It’s not ahhrtt.” Judith Krantz on her writing “I’ve been absolutely dead earnest and I’ve told the story I had in hand as best as I possibly could.” Herman Wouk on his writing “I make no conscious effort to be tough, or hard-boiled, or grim, or any of the things I am usually called. I merely try to write as the … Read more

The Daily Journal, Monday, July 1

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * Recap * Topic: On Writing This Journal and Teaching * Daily diary * Of Interest * The numbers Quote of the Day Via the Passive Voice, “People are always asking me, ‘What do you want people to say about you a hundred years from now?’ I want them to say, ‘Dang, don’t she still look good for her age?’” Dolly Parton *** Yesterday I updated my production spreadsheet to get it ready for July. Then I looked over my notes from the Pacing workshop and decided I didn’t need to view … Read more