Topic

The Journal, Saturday, August 25

Hey Folks, A lot going on today, so if I write any fiction, I’ll report those numbers for today and tomorrow in Monday’s Journal. Topic: Preaching to the Choir, Part 1 Yeah, Parts 1 and 2. I was going to post the whole topic, but it came in at around 1500 words, so Part 1 today, Part 2 tomorrow. (grin) By “preaching to the choir,” I mean reminding folks of things they already know, but maybe of which they can use an occasional reminder. I received a particularly interesting blog post in my email, one that reminded me of myself … Read more

The Journal, Tuesday, August 14

Hey Folks, The following is about professional (or aspiring professional) writers, which I’m beginning to believe are born, not made. They are driven. Their overall number-one priority, the one thing to which they always return, is writing. Now, some write part-time because that’s what they enjoy doing. Some write a memoir to leave for their family. Some simply enjoy attending writer conferences or writers group meetings and immersing themselves in the life for awhile. Maybe they enjoy talking about writing. Maybe they enjoy rubbing shoulders with writers and agents and publishers. And all of that’s fine. Nothing wrong with it. … Read more

The Journal, Monday, August 13

Hey Folks, I wish I’d found me before I started writing novels. I mean, if I were not me, I wish I’d found me. Something like that. I did rediscover Dean Wesley Smith after a long absence. And I learned a lot from him, often plucking free gems from his blog posts. But most of the in-depth stuff that I learned from him came at $300 a whack. Not that I regret any of it. Knowledge is priceless, and paying $300 for a huge shortcut in the learning curve is pretty inexpensive really. You know, depending on what’s important to … Read more

The Journal, Tuesday, August 7

Hey Folks, According to an article I read this morning on Venezuela’s economy, you can now buy 3,500,000 liters (that’s 924,602 gallons) of 91-octane gasoline there for one US dollar (about 80,400 bolivars). Almost makes it worthwhile to consider buying a tanker truck and getting all the necessary permits, doesn’t it? But buy your eggs at home in the local grocery or from a farmer. In Venezuela today, a single egg costs 200,000 bolivars (about $2.49). This is not a rant on socialism. In my mind, the Prime Directive applies on Earth as it does in space fantasy. Citizens create … Read more

The Journal, Saturday, August 4

Hey Folks, In today’s “Of Interest,” the second entry is about what one writer does when he’s stuck in a story and unsure what to do next. If you read it and an impending sense of boredom doesn’t sweep over you, you’re probably a plotter and/or an outliner. And that’s fine. I want to say I disagree with the guy, but as Dean often reminds us, every writer is different. I will say that his post enabled me to understand how some writers can view writing as pure drudgery. I added the entry to “Of Interest” today to provide a … Read more

The Journal, Sunday, July 29

Hey Folks, A lot in “Of Interest” today. Some of it’s spot on, and some of it, not so much. With the abundance of writing advice out there, I’ve taken to carrying a shaker of salt with me as I read, so I can take a grain as necessary. I receive James Scott Bell’s infrequent newsletter. In today’s edition, he notes that his stand-alone thriller, Don’t Leave Me, is on sale for 99 cents. But the tagline is what prompted me to add this entry: “When they came for him it was time to run. When they came for his … Read more

The Journal, Thursday, July 19

Hey Folks, Another long post, but I think a good one. I’m going to try an experiment. I started this Journal almost 4 years ago to keep track of my own writing, both fiction and nonfiction. I also did that in part to let others see what is possible if they can only get themselves to the keyboard. But sometimes (even often, at times) it backfired. Instead of motivating others, sometimes seeing my numbers actually depressed them. They looked at my numbers as if I was daring them to do the same, or to surpass me. That was never the … Read more

The Journal, Wednesday, July 18

Hey Folks, Today’s post is long. It’s all about professional resources… I went through my links yesterday, deleted any authors’ websites that are about nothing but the author, new releases, etc. I’m keeping only those that offer some insight for other writers. And I’ll be rearranging those today to make them easier to find. One person responded to my call for resources yesterday. (Thanks, Gnondpom.) The ones that were already listed in my Writers Resources or that I’ve added are preceded below by an asterisk (to let you know you can find them on my site later). The others are … Read more

The Journal, Sunday, July 15

Hey Folks, From a DWS response to a comment on his “Pulp Speed Time Again” post (https://www.deanwesleysmith.com/pulp-speed-time-again/#comments), “[Writing] gets so much easier as you keep going. We call it ‘ground [e]ffect’ after that affect that planes have as they near the ground. The air between the plane and the ground makes it easier to stay aloft. When you get writing, it is easier to just keep writing. Starting is always the hard part.” He also offers a lecture titled “Starting and Restarting Your Writing” that’s well worth the $50. Finally, Dean also wrote two posts for today, both about a … Read more

The Journal, Tuesday, July 10

Hey Folks, Seems to be The Week of Scams, all vehemently defended by the very writers who are the scammers’ targets. But that’s all right. At long last, I’ve seen the light. As a result, I’ve decided to completely revamp my main website. I’ll begin by getting rid of all those silly book covers and book descriptions and individual book pages. In all, I’ll be able to delete around 100 pages (of 104). It will be SUCH a relief, not having to keep up with all of that. I mean, think about it: ● I won’t have to design any … Read more