In today’s Journal
* Quote of the Day
* A Writing Tip
* The writing has slowed a bit
* Of Interest
* The Numbers
Quote of the Day
“For reasons of high aesthetic principle, I do not write on a computer. Writing on a computer makes saving what’s been written too easy. Pretentious lead sentences are kept, not tossed. Instead of sitting surrounded by crumpled paper, the computerized writer has his mistakes neatly stored in digital memory. P.J. O’Rourke (via The Passive Voice)
A Writing Tip
If one or more of your characters in your novels or short stories read, have them mention other real writers whose work YOU read, especially those who aren’t already as widely known as Shakespeare or Hemingway or Rita Mae Brown. It couldn’t hurt, right?
I’ve had a realization, or maybe an epiphany: as writers, we do not live in a zero-sum world. If a reader enjoys my books, that doesn’t automatically mean he won’t enjoy yours. There is no competition, really, but the potential for complementary relationships is endless. Maybe if a reader enjoys one of my books, he will also enjoy one that I mention in one of my stories.
So this is a new rule I’ve instituted in my own writing. In every novel and most short stories I write from now on, I’m going to mention at least one other real author and/or the title of one other real book or story. I figure doing so will add one more layer of depth to my character and reveal one more bit of his or her personality.
Why? Because when I’m reading, if an author I’ve never heard of is mentioned by name in the story, I most often look online to see whether the author is real.
That sometimes leads me to purchase one of the author’s books if only to see what sort of things the character in the story reads. And if the title of a specific work is mentioned and I’m able to find it online, I most often buy the book outright.
I’ve already done this in a few of the novels I’ve written. I’ve mentioned the names (and sometimes even the title of a specific work) of a few different authors. Sometimes they’re personal friends or acquaintances, and sometimes they’re folks I haven’t met even virtually.
This morning I received a nice email from one of the latter, bestselling thriller author Kevin Tumlinson. Kevin wrote that he was “surprised and delighted” at finding mention of his name as a thriller author in my own Blackwell Ops 4 novel.
Of course, kindness is its own reward and I don’t enter into this endeavor with any expectations. But it could always come back around. For example, if Kevin were to mention me or one of my books in his next novel, I would immediately be “introduced” to his vast readership. And as I wrote earlier, it couldn’t hurt.
Of course, once I announced I expected my own writing to pick up, life things happened and took the place of my writing time. So I guess I won’t say anything like that again. From now on, I’ll just post my numbers below and not worry about any dramatic announcements. (grin)
Talk with you later.
Of Interest
See Kevin Tumlinson’s “Wordslinger Podcast” at https://www.kevintumlinson.com/podcast.
See FREE “Kobo Book Bundle for NaNoWriMo Participants” at https://kobowritinglife.com/2020/10/27/kobo-book-bundle-for-nanowrimo-participants/. Of course, you don’t have to participate in NaNoWriMo to get and read these books. NOTE: If you don’t have a Kobo .epub reader, you can download a free Kobo app for your computer toward the bottom of the page.
See “Don’t Destroy Your Writing Career” at https://mystorydoctor.com/david-farlands-writing-tips-dont-destroy-your-writing-career/. I should have included this one a couple of days ago when I expanded on a quote from it.
See “Making a Fortune” at https://www.deanwesleysmith.com/making-a-fortune/. GREAT advice and a great reminder.
See “Tips for Distant Settings” at https://killzoneblog.com/2020/10/tips-for-distant-settings.html.
See “More Job Openings at Amazon” at https://www.thepassivevoice.com/more-job-openings-at-amazon/. There’s an Amazon warehouse about an hour away in Tucson. If I were younger, I would hire on in an instant.
The Numbers
The Journal…………………………………… 680 words
Writing of The Ark (novel or something)
Day 1…… 3196 words. Total words to date…… 3196
Day 2…… 1441 words. Total words to date…… 4637
Day 3…… 3284 words. Total words to date…… 7921
Day 4…… 1606 words. Total words to date…… 9527
Total fiction words for the month……… 13942
Total fiction words for the year………… 349136
Total nonfiction words for the month… 13520
Total nonfiction words for the year…… 163910
Total words for the year (fiction and this blog)…… 513046
Calendar Year 2020 Novels to Date…………………… 5
Calendar Year 2020 Novellas to Date……………… X
Calendar Year 2020 Short Stories to Date… 13
Novels (since Oct 19, 2014)…………………………………… 50
Novellas (since Nov 1, 2015)………………………………… 8
Short stories (since Apr 15, 2014)………………… 214
Short story collections……………………………………………… 31