In today’s Journal
* Quote of the Day
* Computers and programs and novels, oh my
* Don’t ever write this
* Of Interest
* The Numbers
Quote of the Day
“The upsides of a few Twitter likes and a small honorarium that won’t cover rent are hard to weigh against the risk of harassment that can destroy your mental health, career, or even life.” Lincoln Michel
Computers and Programs and Novels, Oh My
Sometimes it seems like there are always ten more things to do.
Before I moved over to the writing ‘puter yesterday, I decided on a whim to design covers for the twelfth book in the main Wes Crowley series and then the first two or three books in the Wes Crowley Gap series. So I opened my go-to app, Serif PagePlus X9.
Only it kept telling me I didn’t have certain fonts installed. Only I knew I did (but I double-checked anyway.) So I opened it again. Same thing happened.
The whole process of desiging the covers should have taken less around a half-hour (I already have the art). But over an hour later I had zero new covers, threw up my hands, and decided to bite the bullet and design the covers with my new Affinity Publisher program.
Only it required a new update that was available. Sigh. So I downloaded the new update and started installing that.
Then I realized I’d be starting from scratch with a brand-new program, and for that I’d need to set aside at least one full (frustrating) day. So I decided to just write.
Well, I wrote a little, but I was too tempted to play with the new program. So I went and did that and realized I was making it harder than it really is. I’ll get the hang of it soon. But by then I was really tired, so I closed the day and took the rest of it off from about 1 p.m.
So after I first-read a story for a friend, I’m going back to the novel this morning. After I’ve finished it, I’ll stop for a day or two and design enough covers to really familiariza myself with what I need to know from the program.
By the way, please, please, please don’t ever write a scene like this:
Two detectives (or whomever) are poking around in a heavily treed area where they shouldn’t be, and then suddenly Det 2 notices a red-dot light on Det 1’s forehead.
Det 1 looks curiously at Det 2 and says, “What’s wrong? Do I have something on my face? And what was that sound? Birds, maybe?”
And Det 2, instead of immediately taking Det 1 to the ground or shoving him aside or SOMEthing, calmly says, “No, it wasn’t birds. It’s a sniper.”
Seriously? (Recently seen on a highly touted Netflix series.)
Talk with you again soon.
Of Interest
See “Day Seven” at https://www.deanwesleysmith.com/day-seven/.
See “Art Should Be a Doorway, Not a Mirror” at https://countercraft.substack.com/p/art-should-be-a-doorway-not-a-mirror. Damn. I’ll say again, I just write stories. I’m not responsible for others’ perceptions of those stories.
See “History Net” at https://historynet.com. Journal reader and writer Phillip M. says “story ideas abound.” If you’re running short of ideas, take a look.
See “5 Steps to Creating a Unique Character Voice” at https://www.thepassivevoice.com/5-steps-to-creating-a-unique-character-voice/. I included this in case you want it, but the easiest way to “create” a unique character voice is to let the characters speak for themselves.
The Numbers
The Journal…………………………………… 570 words
Writing of WCGN3: The New Mexico Territory (novel)
Day 1…… 1191 words. Total words to date…… 1191
Day 2…… 1206 words. Total words to date…… 2397
Total fiction words for July……… 21139
Total fiction words for the year………… 549818
Total nonfiction words for July… 5530
Total nonfiction words for the year…… 131320
Total words for the year (fiction and this blog)…… 681138
Calendar Year 2021 Novels to Date…………………… 11
Calendar Year 2021 Novellas to Date……………… 1
Calendar Year 2021 Short Stories to Date… 3
Novels (since Oct 19, 2014)…………………………………… 64
Novellas (since Nov 1, 2015)………………………………… 8
Short stories (since Apr 15, 2014)………………… 217
Short story collections……………………………………………… 31
Disclaimer: In this blog, I provide advice on writing fiction. I advocate a technique called Writing Into the Dark. To be crystal clear, WITD is not “the only way” to write, nor will I ever say it is. However, as I am the only writer who advocates WITD both publicly and regularly, I will continue to do so, among myriad other topics.
Computers and Programs and Novels, Oh #@*^.
I get the reference, but “My” is not what comes to mind.
I also have to re-teach myself my cover creating program with the updated version. If I can figure out how I get it to work (it sometimes seems like random keystrokes is what it takes) I’ll create a cheat sheet for next time.
I agree that using it more often would be a good idea. Not fun, but good.
What was the quote from? Seems like there’s no shortage of writers being made into mincemeat by social media & traditional publishing has no backbone at all.
Ticks me off that I can’t open PagePlus documents with Affinity. I mean, who does that? (Okay, other than Bill Gates.)
The quote is from the second article listed in Of Interest. As for re-teaching yourself, you’ll just have to churn out more works more quickly so you have more covers to design. (grin) Or you could make up a series of pretend covers for practice.