Writing Into the Dark

The Journal: Writing Into the Dark: Part 2

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * Topic: Writing Into the Dark: Part 2 * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “It’s all a matter of process vs. product. I like the writing. I like telling a story. I like being stuck and not knowing where I’m going. I love that process. If you want to write more, practice, and care about the process [vs. the individual story]. Having fun telling the story is what matters. Don’t worry about the end product. Readers will buy it or not, and there’s nothing you can do about … Read more

The Journal: What Is Writing Into the Dark?

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * “Of Interest” Is Back * Topic: What Is Writing Into the Dark? * Almost Writing Again * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “To see the blue color go right by you and now you’re staring into blackness, that’s the thing.” William Shatner, trying to convey his experience on Blue Origin “Of Interest” Is Back Yeah. I was silly to get rid of it. I’ll happen across things that might be of interest to you as writers of one genre or another or as writers in general, and … Read more

The Journal: Filling in a Few Blanks

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * Great comment * Filling in a Few blanks * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “I have also been far less critical of my painting (probably because I had no expectations of success!) and happier to let a painting emerge and evolve over time. This has given me the freedom to experiment and try new approaches and techniques without obsessing about the end result. … Now I see that if I adopted the kind of approach and attitude I have to my painting, the writing process could be … Read more

The Journal: Opportunities, and Misinformation

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * StreetLib * Misinformation * Listening to Dean * Mentorships Revised * The Reading * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “Our lives are but specks of dust falling through the fingers of time. Like sands of the hourglass, so are the days of our lives.” Socrates Today’s Journal is filled with opportunities, and there’s a note to clear up some misinformation. Opportunity: StreetLib If you’re still looking for an aggregator or distributor for your books, you might check out StreetLib. I’ll be taking another look at them. StreetLib … Read more

The Journal: Again I got a question

In today’s Journal * Traditional Publishing Sometimes? * Again I got a question * The novel * Of Interest * The Numbers Traditional Publishing Sometimes? A few days ago, Dan Baldwin mentioned in his weekly blog that sometimes traditional publication is preferable. You can find his Tips of the Week on his website at https://fourknightspress.com/. If I’d written a children’s book, I might want to go the traditional route. If that’s you, if you write children’s books, you might want to check out “57 Children’s Book Publishers that Accept Direct Submissions” at https://authorspublish.com/57-childrens-book-publishers-seeking-submissions/. As always, of course, read the fine … Read more

The Journal: Waxing Philosophical

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * Waxing Philosophical * One more comment * Of Interest * The Numbers Quotes of the Day “There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow men. True nobility lies in being superior to your former self.” Ernest Hemingway “When asked [by a journalist] about drinking while working, Hemingway once responded, ‘Jesus Christ! Have you ever heard of anyone who drank while he worked? You’re thinking of Faulkner. He does sometimes—and I can tell right in the middle of a page when he’s had his first one.’” Nicholas Mancall-Bitel at Thrillist … Read more

The Journal: On Writing “Fast”

In today’s Journal * Yesterday * An Epiphany from a Friend * Topic: On Writing “Fast” * Of Interest * The Numbers Well, yesterday morning I started writing Terra 2. But it still has to do with the future of humanity, so Terra 2 will be Book 10 in the FOH series. The covers going forward will be different, of course, depicting some view of the planet, but that’s all to worry about in the future. This book won’t go ‘live’ until July 15. (I’m releasing one novel every two weeks from now through then.) An Epiphany from a Friend … Read more

The Journal: Six Novels in 90 Days? Almost…

In today’s Journal * Six Novels in 90 Days? Almost… * Of Interest * The Numbers Yesterday, just before this Journal went live at 10 a.m., the last chapter of the novel wrapped. But something (that tiny little creative voice) was still nagging at me. So I decided to take a break. I went up to the house and announced the last chapter was finished, the novel was finished, and the series was finished. And the nagging voice welled up. The series was finished—but not quite. I’d always thought this would be at least a 10-book series, but it just … Read more

The Journal: I’m a Fortunate Guy

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * Topic: I’m a Fortunate Guy * If you haven’t pulled the trigger * The Numbers Quotes of the Day “You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.” Maya Angelou “In writing, the critical voice always makes the wrong decision. Readers don’t read safe, easy, dull books. Just like no one watches the perfectly behaved child walking beside their parent and doing nothing. Nope, people watch with laughter or shock or stunned amazement or horror the out-of-control funny child. Your book needs to be that child, not … Read more

The Journal: Post 5 on Heinlein’s Rules

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * A friend brought a truism home * Topic: Post 5 on Heinlein’s Rules * The Journey Home: Part 8 is finished * The Numbers Quote of the Day “Nine months later, I’d written and published 500,000 words and learned more from that process than I could have imagined.” Cat Sole in the AuthorsPublish article linked to below on writing FanFic (I suspect she was able to write so much so quickly because since it was fanfic it was easy to think of it as unimporant… just sayin’) A friend brought a … Read more