In today’s Journal
* Quotes of the Day
* An Opportunity to Learn
* The Numbers
Quotes of the Day
“[A]void using an abundance of clunky “ly” words.” Lee Lofland
“The best crime stories are not about how cops work on cases. They’re about how cases work on cops.” Joseph Wambaugh
An Opportunity to Learn
See “Five Tips For Writing to a Large Audience (48 minute video)” at https://mystorydoctor.com/get-the-five-tips-for-writing-to-a-large-audience/.
I suggest listening to this free video by David Farland. For one thing, it will help with good ways to think about your IP, not only the stories themselves but parts of the stories (characters, settings, etc.) as marketable IP.
As you know, I do not agree with much that Farland says in general about creativity. But you don’t have to agree with someone to learn valuable information about the business side from him. You can glean gems of information from pretty much anyone who has the success David Farland has.
This is one of those opportunities to use your conscious, critical mind to learn and absorb things that your creative mind will later feed into your writing. I took notes as I listened. There were gems I wanted to be sure I absorbed. And later, I might listen a second time to be sure I didn’t miss something important.
So again, I recommend taking the time to listen to what he has to say.
Talk with you again soon.
Of Interest
See “He Angrily and Loudly, and a Bit Threateningly, said, “Stop Using So Many “LY” Words!” at https://leelofland.com/he-angrily-and-loudly-and-a-bit-threateningly-said-stop-using-so-many-ly-words/. Now and then, Lee hits one out of the park. This is one of those.
See “When The Dog Catches The Car” at https://killzoneblog.com/2021/01/when-the-dog-catches-the-car.html.
See “Writing with Self-Doubt” at https://www.thepassivevoice.com/writing-with-self-doubt/. I laughed with disbelief all the way through this. It was painful. Do you fall into any of these traps? ALL novels bog down and feel boring as you write. That’s mostly because they’re in your voice, a voice you live with 24/7. The best antidote is to trust yourself and Write The Next Sentence (vs. “figuring out” anything with your conscious mind).
See “Writing Better Dialogue” at https://www.thepassivevoice.com/writing-better-dialogue/.
The Numbers
The Journal…………………………………… 360 words
Writing of The Journey Home: Part 5 (novel)
Day 10… 3547 words. Total words to date…… 36277
Total fiction words for January……… 39495
Total fiction words for the year………… 39495
Total nonfiction words for December… 9660
Total nonfiction words for the year…… 9660
Total words for the year (fiction and this blog)…… 49155
Calendar Year 2021 Novels to Date…………………… X
Calendar Year 2021 Novellas to Date……………… X
Calendar Year 2021 Short Stories to Date… X
Novels (since Oct 19, 2014)…………………………………… 54
Novellas (since Nov 1, 2015)………………………………… 8
Short stories (since Apr 15, 2014)………………… 214
Short story collections……………………………………………… 31